Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital has begun replacing their emergency medical services (EMS) trucks with innovatively designed trucks to better serve residents in Spalding County. Easily recognizable, the first two of the bright red and white trucks with large purple lettering are now on the streets providing the latest in life-saving technologies for Spalding County, and backup emergency response care for Henry, Lamar, Butts and Pike counties.
The larger of the two EMS trucks is a tall, diesel-driven critical care vehicle equipped with advanced cardiac equipment. The truck also has the capacity to transport up to three patients at one time and is outfitted for neonatal transport. Additionally, it could be used to transport air flight crews to and from the scene and the hospital.
Both trucks feature innovative monitors and mobile hotspots to advance EMS’ use of telemedicine, linking the paramedic, physician and patient while en route to the hospital. Wellstar Spalding Regional EMS was the first to launch this webcam capacity in Georgia.
Each truck is also part of an Infectious Disease Transport Network, the only one between Atlanta and Macon. As members of this network, Wellstar Spalding Regional’s award-winning team of EMS paramedics and EMTs are specially trained and can turn either truck into an “isopod” isolation unit for emerging infectious diseases.
To reduce the number of paramedic back injuries caused by heavy lifting, the trucks incorporate new automated stretchers. These units provide support for emergency personnel by removing the need to lift a 75-pound stretcher along with the weight of the patient. This equipment is well-positioned to save EMS personnel from debilitating back injuries and lengthy rehabilitations, the number one cause of career ending disability in the EMS industry. Considered the safest in the industry, the stretchers also incorporate safety lockdowns from front to back, ensuring the patient is secure while in the truck.
Spalding Regional’s EMS paramedics and EMT’s provided input on the unique internal design to maximize efficiency and safety. For example, the trucks have been fitted with an automated lift to load and unload the large, extremely heavy, oxygen tanks that assist patients experiencing difficulty breathing. Jonathon Johnson, Director of Wellstar Spalding Regional’s EMS is proud of his team.
“Paramedics and EMT’s play a vital role in any system of care, often the first line of medical care for critical patients. This new equipment expands the safety for our patients and our personnel, and continues our long history of dedication and commitment to improvement of patient care in this community.”
Wellstar EMS is available 24/7 and responds to more than 16,500 calls annually with each truck in the fleet running between 200 and 250 hours each month. Each new truck costs the hospital between $150k and $180k. This first new critical care vehicle was purchased and outfitted through a gift from the Dundee Community Association to the Wellstar Foundation.
To keep up with the community’s high-demand, Spalding Regional has plans to replace seven additional trucks and add one more Critical Care truck to its fleet. Donations to the Foundation help. Every dollar designated to Spalding Regional funds much-needed projects that support the health and well-being of the local community. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit wellstar.org/give or call (770) 956-GIVE (4483).
New Emergency Equipment to Save Lives
Wellstar Spalding Regional Reveals New EMS Equipment
Published on September 15, 2019
Last updated 06:03 PM August 11, 2020
The larger of the two new EMS trucks is equipped with advanced cardiac equipment.
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For a half decade and counting, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital has used an advanced treatment called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to provide vital oxygen supply to people when it matters the most.
For the dedicated team members at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, their five-year ECMO anniversary marks more than a milestone. It means saving more lives.
ECMO in action
ECMO is a cutting-edge technology that has been vital in treating critically ill people — like Zac DiGiorgio — whose lungs are in peril and unable to function on their own.
Dr. Asif Saberi, Wellstar medical director of critical care & ECMO, shared how this state-of-the-art therapy works.
“ECMO is a way to provide air to the body when the lungs fail completely,” Dr. Saberi said. The innovative therapy helps removes carbon dioxide from the bloodstream using a machine when the lungs cannot on their own.
“During ECMO, blood is diverted from the body using plastic catheters — called cannulae — which are approximately the size of a garden hose,” Dr. Saberi explained.
“When the blood is redirected from the body, it is ‘cleaned’ of carbon dioxide which the lungs would have done naturally,” Dr. Saberi said.
After that, the re-oxygenated blood is recirculated through the system to supply life-saving oxygen to the body.
People who suffer traumatic injuries are not the only ones benefitting from the high-tech treatment. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECMO has also become instrumental in the fight against the virus.
ECMO & the COVID-19 pandemic
Recently, ECMO has been key in caring for COVID-19 patients with the most severe symptoms.
COVID-19 is a respiratory virus, and can affect the lungs and a person’s ability to breathe normally. In fact, the American Lung Association reported that the lungs are the first organ affected by the virus.
Symptoms like shortness of breath and difficulty breathing may appear suddenly and be severe. For the most critical cases, expanding access to ECMO can be a gamechanger.
“Our ability to provide one specific therapy, ECMO, for a significant number of young people in the extreme manifestation of the disease, is possibly the difference between life and death,” Dr. Saberi shared.
By offering ECMO right here in Georgia, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is helping to save lives and fight back against the virus. And, for us, five years is only the beginning.
To learn more about how our team is providing world-class care for the community, visit the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital page.
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Babies, kids and teens now have their own emergency department at Wellstar Douglas Hospital
For a child, going to the hospital can be scary. That’s why Wellstar Douglas Hospital’s new $5.7 million Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) offers a kid-friendly and kid-sized experience for Douglas County’s youngest patients. The nautical-themed 7,600 square-foot facility provides specialized care for children from birth to 18 years of age.
The world-class “just-for-kids” facility has a separate entrance and waiting room from the main Emergency Department and is currently open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The ten treatment rooms feature child-sized furniture, equipment and supplies.
“We created an environment that is optimum for healing and that helps our youngest patients feel as comfortable as possible,” said Dr. Avril Beckford, chief pediatric officer, Wellstar Health System. “Children in Douglas deserve to see doctors and nurses who understand them. We also wanted to give parents a state-of-the-art facility staffed by pediatric physicians close to home – there is no need to travel long distances with a sick child now, because this specialized facility is right here, in the Douglas County community.”
A deeper dive into kid-friendly care
Staffed by kid-friendly nurses and skilled providers devoted to children, the new kids’ ED is a result of collaboration between the architect, construction firm and pediatric experts. Wellstar’s pediatric team cares for children at more than 114,000 emergency visits a year across Wellstar’s hospitals.
“From the outside, there are colorful floor-to-ceiling glass windows,” Dr. Beckford said, as she imagined a child’s first impression. “It feels almost like you’re walking into an aquarium.”
Inside the pediatric ED, children and their parents are greeted by warm staff members, soothing murals of ocean life, a large flat screen TV and child-sized furnishings.
To help children be seen and treated more quickly, some rooms will be dedicated to patients with less serious conditions – such as sore throats and sprains. There will also be a trauma bay and a dedicated room for adolescent gynecological concerns.
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Staying healthy with Wellstar for 15 years
Whether she’s riding motorcycles with her husband, enjoying a roller coaster with her daughter or keeping others well as a chiropractor, Kimberly Smith-Howard stays busy.
But Kimberly still makes time to visit Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital for her regular screenings like mammograms — and says she has made health and wellness a priority since her breast cancer diagnosis in 2006.
Kimberly, who has lived in the Griffin area since high school, had just turned 40. She saw her gynecologist for her annual checkup and got her first mammogram. It came back abnormal, and so did her Pap smear. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and cervical pre-cancer.
Kimberly said maintaining a positive attitude helped her through treatment, and she was encouraged along the way by a team of experts.
“When people are going through such a bad time, and they’re not feeling well, it really means so much to have healthcare professionals who are concerned as much about your mental health as they are your physical health,” Kimberly said. “They’re not just there to do a job, get through the day and go home. They’re there to really encourage the patient and make them feel better physically and mentally.”
After chemotherapy, radiation, a lumpectomy and a hysterectomy, Kimberly has stayed healthy for 15 years. Her diagnosis renewed her focus on her own wellness, and she decided to enter the healthcare field herself. In 2011, she went back to school, earning a bachelor’s degree in health coaching and later her chiropractic degree from Life University. Now, she is working on a master’s degree in positive psychology.
Kimberly still goes to Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital for care.
“I’ve always had the most compassionate nurses and the most competent doctors. Everybody has always treated me really well,” she said.
That care she relies on is convenient as well, she added.
“I love being close to home. I love that I have a hospital that does such a great job that’s right at my back door,” Kimberly said.
She encourages women to make time for health screenings and seek care if something seems wrong.
“Always do your routine check-ups and take care of yourself. Know your body,” she recommends.
To schedule a mammogram, call (678) 581-5900.