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Article Category: Newsroom

Preeminent Wellstar Leaders Join Inaugural Class of Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™

Wellstar’s first female CEO and its longest-tenured employee recognized for contributions to Georgia nursing and patient care

Published on February 17, 2022

Last updated 12:29 PM February 17, 2022

Illustration of stethoscope and trophy

Wellstar Health System is proud to announce that two extraordinary women have been inducted into the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™, produced by Georgia Nurses Foundation (GNF). Candice L. Saunders, FACHE, president and CEO of Wellstar, and Joyce McMurrain, MSN, RN, a nurse manager and coordinator of the Student Nurse Extern Program at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, were honored along with eight additional nurses at a recent inaugural inductee ceremony. The 10 inductees are exemplary registered nurses who made or are making improvements to advance the nursing profession locally, nationally, and internationally.

Wellstar Kennestone Hospital’s longest-serving team member, McMurrain, has been a nurse for nearly 60 years, with 56 years—and counting—served at Kennestone Hospital. For many years McMurrain was the nursing director/executive nursing director for Women's Services at Kennestone, and she also served in that position systemwide. She later transitioned to director of special projects, and is now cultivating the next generation of nurses through her role as nurse manager and student nurse extern program coordinator. She uses her vast experience to guide new nurses and helps nearly 100 nursing students each year gain invaluable hands-on experience in preparation for nursing careers. 

“Joyce has a natural ability to develop others and is committed to equipping students with the education and opportunities to excel in patient care and gain confidence in their job. She has been indispensable throughout Wellstar’s extraordinary growth and change and has contributed to its evolution to become one of Georgia’s largest and most integrated health systems,” says Saunders.

Saunders has served as a trustee of the American Hospital Association, chair of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy board for Region 4, and past chair of the Georgia Hospital Association. She was named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women Leaders and among Georgia Trend Magazine’s 100 Most influential Georgians. A strong patient advocate who began her healthcare journey as a critical care nurse decades ago, Saunders has become a nationally recognized leader in improving community access to vital healthcare needs and enhancing the patient care experience. Saunders joined Wellstar in May 2007 as president of Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. She assumed the role of president and CEO in 2015, becoming the health system's first female CEO. 

“Candice’s impact on the nursing profession is evident through her continued commitment to attract and retain top nursing talent. Candice began her career as a critical care nurse, and she remains passionate about investing in programs and supporting the growth and development of nurses at every stage in their career to ensure our patients and communities have access to high quality, compassionate care for generations to come,” says Dr. O. Scott Swayze, Chair, Wellstar Health System Board of Trustees. 

Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame logo. Headshots of Candice Saunders and Joyce McMurrain

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Exterior photo of Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. Wellstar and Joint Commission logos.

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Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center Receives Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification

Wellstar Health System announced today that The Joint Commission recognized Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the most demanding stroke certification recognizing hospitals that have specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. With two of the eight Comprehensive Stroke Centers in Georgia, Wellstar Health System now offers stroke patients greater access to the highest level of stroke and aneurysm care. Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is also Joint Commission certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

“For years, we have provided world-class stroke care for each and every patient when they need it most. This designation represents how hard we have worked to provide the very best quality care for patients in North Fulton County and across Georgia. We’re proud that our work and subsequent positive patient outcomes are being recognized,” said Dr. Michael Mendoza, medical director of the Stroke Program at Wellstar North Fulton.

Wellstar North Fulton’s certification allows more Georgians to have access to the most advance diagnostics and treatments for cerebrovascular disease such as stroke. This is important because Georgia is located in the Stroke Belt, which is comprised of 11 states in the Southeast where the associated mortality rate for stroke patients is 10 percent above the national average.

At Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Kennestone, patients have access to advanced diagnostics and therapies to care for even the most complicated strokes faster and more effectively. These include:

  • Neuro Intensive Care Units –  A multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses who specialize in neurocritical care.
  • Minimally-invasive treatment – Wellstar is one of only four programs in the state that offer neuroendovascular treatment, such as minimally-invasive clot retrieval, patients can be provided with a much less invasive treatment technique.
  • Cutting-edge imaging – Neurointerventional biplane imaging shows detailed, 3D views of blood vessels in the brain. This allows neurosurgeons to flip neuroendovascular cases to an open neurosurgical case when needed.
  • Pioneering technology – Wellstar North Fulton was among the first hospitals in the country to use the groundbreaking Artemis Neuro Evacuation device to treat brain bleeds, a condition that was nearly impossible to treat in the past.
  • Around-the-clock care – Artificial intelligence such as VizAi allows quicker identification of patients who are candidates for thrombectomy and organizes care in a connected system by quicker response to identify and provide care as quickly as possible.

“Our team of neurosurgeons, neurocritical care physicians, neuroradiologists, advanced practice practitioners and nurses work together to perform world-class thrombectomies, aneurysm treatments, carotid surgeries and cerebral bypass procedures so that patients can regain their best quality of life. Additionally, our dedicated hybrid neurovascular suite is equipped with innovative bi-plane technology. This allows neurosurgeons to view highly detailed images of brain vessels, so we as a team can customize treatments in real time,” said Dr. Arthur Grigorian, neurosurgeon, Wellstar North Fulton.

“When you have a stroke, every second counts. Getting fast, expert stroke care can mean the difference between life, death, or lasting brain damage. We are proud to receive this prestigious certification at Wellstar North Fulton, informing the surrounding community that they don’t have to go far to receive the best treatment possible. We will continue to work hard to provide an interdisciplinary, innovative, and compassionate approach to safe and quality comprehensive stroke care to all the communities we serve,” said Jon-Paul Croom, president, Wellstar North Fulton and senior vice president, Wellstar Health System.

Wellstar is a leading provider of stroke and aneurysm services in Georgia and performs one of the highest numbers of thrombectomy and aneurysm treatments in the country. The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit organization that accredits more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs.

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Photo of Bernice A. King. Text reads "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’" -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Wellstar Honors the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 12, Wellstar honored the life, legacy and many contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a live-streamed tribute. The program included performances from The Wellstar Singers, interfaith prayers and a keynote address featuring a conversation between Dr. Bernice A. King, youngest daughter of Martin and Coretta Scott King, and Monica Kaufman Pearson, beloved former Atlanta news anchor. 

The program was themed around a 1957 quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’" 

Throughout the program, Dr. Bernice A. King shared important life lessons instilled in her as a child, including the value of forgiveness and nonviolence. Dr. King provided insight about the state of the world, growing polarization and the need to take time to listen to those who we perceive as our enemies. 

Watch the program. 

As CEO of The King Center, Dr. Bernice A. King’s mission is to spread her father’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. Through programs like Nonviolence365®, Beloved Community Leadership Academy and Students with the King, she is working to make perspective-altering resources available to people of all ages. 

This program was pre-recorded in November at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The conversation was held in front of a live audience including Wellstar leaders, members of the Minority Physician Business Resource Group and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team.  

Wellstar is honored to celebrate the life and legacy of American Civil Rights Movement leader and activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognizes Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday. Team members are encouraged to take the day “on” by volunteering in the community.

Wellstar is proud to be a corporate sponsor partnering with The King Center on a variety of events leading up to the holiday on Jan. 16.

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Headshot photo of Jill Case-Wirth. Wellstar and Healthcare Executive podcast logos.

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Leadership for Intense Times

Healthcare professionals are trained to work with science, data and facts. But when the pandemic hit, leaders had to grapple with working through the unknown. According to Jill Case-Wirth, senior vice president and chief nurse executive of Wellstar Health System, core tenets of leadership, such as communication, courage, and the ability to establish trust, remained constant, while other characteristics moved more clearly into focus in 2020.

“Humility rose to the forefront,” Case-Wirth said. “You had to be comfortable being able to say, ‘I don’t know, but together we’re going to figure this out … and we’re going to do the best that we can with the information we have available.’”

“We learned a lot of things during COVID about leading differently that we shouldn’t let go of now,” she said.

Case-Wirth shared that data analytics is one of those growth areas for today’s healthcare leaders. Having the ability to review data, gain consensus on the insights, and then quickly develop a plan for an actionable change management strategy is essential for future successful leaders. As a registered nurse, Case-Wirth also places an imperative on planning for the future of nursing, pioneering a career pathway program that starts as young as middle school. In addition to partnering with local universities and technical colleges, she emphasized the importance of being “thoughtful that we have these programs in diverse communities” to reach a wide student population and grow a diverse workforce for the future.

Listen to more insights on Healthcare Executive Podcast.

Case-Wirth was also featured among other healthcare leaders in the article “Leadership for Intense Times” in the November/December issue of Healthcare Executive Magazine.

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