Through a new partnership, Wellstar will both help address food insecurity in the communities we serve and have a positive impact on our environment.
Honeybees are an essential part of our ecosystem, and they keep us fed — bees pollinate 70 of the world’s top 100 crops. However, they are dying at high rates as they lose their habitats. Wellstar is taking a step to help by giving a home to three beehives at Wellstar Vinings Health Park in a partnership with Bee Downtown. Wellstar is the first hospital system to partner with Bee Downtown on such an initiative.
These small insects make a huge impact. A single honeybee creates more than 1,200 pollination events each day, so the bees at Wellstar will pollinate billions of plants a year. Wellstar’s bees will also produce 80 pounds of honey a year. Some of that honey will be donated to Open Hand Atlanta, which provides home-delivered meals to those experiencing food insecurity and will include honey from Wellstar in its “Market Baskets” of groceries donated to community members in need.
The safety of our patients, community and team members is Wellstar’s highest priority. The bees will be kept in a gated area behind the health park, away from sidewalks and building entrances.
The partnership with Bee Downtown is an initiative of Catalyst by Wellstar, a global digital health and innovation center working to transform healthcare. To learn more, please visit catalyst.wellstar.org.