Wellstar Announces First-of-its-Kind Global Digital Health and Innovation Center

Wellstar Health System,  which has the largest trauma network in the state, has announced that the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Trauma Center has been verified as one of only four Georgia Level II Trauma Centers by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the Trauma Center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

Building on Wellstar’s commitment to healthcare excellence, the system was also named a top-five finalist for the American Hospital Association’s 2021 Quest for Quality Prize and had 130 physicians – representing almost 26% of the total list – named as Georgia Trend “Top Doctors.”

Largest Trauma Network in Georgia Adds LII Trauma Care Verification for Wellstar Kennestone

Wellstar operates the largest trauma network in Georgia, with Wellstar Kennestone’s new state-of-the-art emergency department, which opened in July 2020, being one of the largest and busiest in the nation. Kennestone provides comprehensive trauma care, with 24/7 access to on-site trauma, critical care trained surgeons, and a wide range of surgical subspecialties to consistently meet the needs of the most seriously injured patients following the highest care, quality and safety standards.

Established by the ACS in 1987, the Committee on Trauma’s (COT) Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers. Participants provide the hospital resources and level of care necessary to address the needs of all injured patients across the entire trauma continuum of care. Trauma center verification provides a structure for trauma care that can raise the overall level of performance throughout a hospital.

This prestigious verification recognizes the Wellstar Kennestone Trauma Center’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care for injured patients, spanning community outreach and injury prevention efforts, emergency trauma, operative care, critical care, and rehabilitation.

"Receiving this verification further validates the exceptional life-saving care we provide at Wellstar Kennestone for patients who have suffered from all ranges of traumatic injury," said Mary Chatman, Wellstar Health System executive vice president and president of Wellstar Kennestone and Windy Hill Hospitals. "We are so proud of the Trauma Center team's commitment to ensuring that all patients get the appropriate care in a timely and coordinated manner because our communities rely on Wellstar to provide the very best care for every person, every time."

Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability between ages 0-44 and the fourth leading cause of death overall. According to the Georgia Trauma Foundation, nine main causes account for 92.1% of trauma in Georgia. The leading causes of major trauma are motor vehicle crashes (37.7%); falls (22.2%); gunshot wounds (8.0%); motorcycle crashes (5.4%); pedestrian incidents (5.2%); assaults (4.3%); accidents (4.0%); stab wounds (2.9%) and all-terrain vehicle crashes (2.4%).

Top Five Finalist for National Quality Award

As an additional indicator of excellence, Wellstar was one of only five national American Hospital Association 2021 Quest for Quality Prize finalists. The award recognizes healthcare leadership and innovation in providing, improving, and advancing health in communities.

Nominees are highlighted for partnering with community organizations to improve health outcomes, developing new models of care, and collaborating with patients to design the patient care experience. One way that Wellstar addresses vital community needs to enhance health and wellness is via the Wellstar Center for Health Equity (WCHE). Over the past year, the WCHE orchestrated multiple, high-impact initiatives, including free pop-up COVID-19 testing, mobile food markets, and anchoring vulnerable patients with resources, benefiting thousands of Georgians. Wellstar was also honored for pandemic response efforts, including quickly leveraging telehealth to serve patients, creating team member mental wellness programs, and allocating and redeveloping resources across the system.

Georgia Trend Highlights Wellstar Physicians as Top Doctors

The May issue of Georgia Trend included the 2021 “Top Doctors,” the second annual listing of the state’s top physicians. Close to 26% of the physicians on the list were part of the Wellstar Health System enterprise, totaling 130 doctors across the majority of categories.

Physicians deemed by Georgia Trend as “outstanding” span Wellstar’s service areas, facilities, and service lines, including cardiology, neurology, gynecologic oncology, pulmonology, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, radiology, endocrinology, pediatric orthopedics, spine surgery, and sports medicine, among others. The physicians are selected via peer voting and review of government information sources. Inclusion on this list of the top medical experts in the state further validates Wellstar’s commitment to world-class healthcare.

Wellstar Health System wrapped up a weeklong celebration of its healthcare heroes during National Healthcare Week and National Nurses Week honoring team members for their selfless service, sacrifices, and dedication amid the pandemic. Wellstar team members were also recognized by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta Business Chronicle for outstanding work and serving their communities with compassion and excellence.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 16th Annual Celebrating Nurses Awards honored four Wellstar nurses, including selecting Vicky Hogue, chief nursing officer at Wellstar Paulding Hospital, as the Nurse Leadership Award recipient. Hogue will celebrate 41 years with Wellstar in August and her background includes working as a critical care and ICU nurse. When the pandemic began, she said that the crisis was exactly what she and her fellow nurses have trained for — answering the call to care for the community. In addition to nursing leadership, Hogue was highlighted for serving as a nurse advocate at the local, state, and national levels, volunteering to administer COVID-19 vaccinations and providing unwavering support for team members. Given annually to an outstanding nurse director, Hogue was chosen from 47 nominees to receive the Nurse Leadership Award.

Additional honorees included:

• Clayton Fowler, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital: A registered nurse for 11 years, Fowler helped to care for some of Wellstar’s sickest ICU patients during the height of the pandemic. In March 2020, Wellstar Kennestone was converted to take care of critical COVID-19 patients, and Fowler served on the frontlines providing life-saving therapies, such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment.

• Laurie Pazda, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital: A veteran nurse with more than 20 years of service, Pazda works in the cardiac intensive care unit and helped provide care for intubated COVID-19 patients designated to negative pressure rooms.

• Laura Moss, Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital: Moss became a registered nurse in 2019 and immediately started a career of service by providing compassionate care to Wellstar patients. During the pandemic, Moss served as an extended family member to many COVID patients and helped the family of one intubated COVID-19 patient communicate with distant family members by setting up nightly FaceTime visits.

Wellstar held systemwide Nurses Week award celebrations, events, and activities to congratulate honorees and thank Wellstar team members for their dedication and resiliency throughout the pandemic. The Wellstar Nursing Excellence Awards spotlighted nurses at each hospital nominated by their peers for elevating the field of nursing and enhancing the health and well-being of patients. Employees also shared “Videos of Gratitude” showing appreciation for fellow team members.

Three Wellstar team members were also announced as finalists in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2021 “Healthcare Heroes” Awards, including two in the Nurse category and one in the Community Outreach category. The finalists are Vicky Hogue (chief nursing officer, Wellstar Paulding Hospital), Nadine Lynch (ICU unit manager, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital) and Dr. Shara Wesley (assistant vice president, Community Health and Wellstar Center for Health Equity). The awards acknowledge “the outstanding work on the frontlines” of the COVID-19 pandemic during an “exceptional year,” and winners will be announced on May 28.

During National Nurses Week, Wellstar Health System is celebrating three finalists in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2021 “Healthcare Heroes” Awards, including two in the Nurse category and one in the Community Outreach category. The awards acknowledge “the outstanding work on the frontlines” of the COVID-19 pandemic during an “exceptional year,” and highlight some of the many healthcare professionals who have created positive impact through their leadership.

Nursing professionals are instrumental in providing expert, compassionate care, no matter the medical circumstance. The 7,300 nurses at Wellstar are valued and vital caregivers for patients, communities, families, and each other, which has been pivotal to navigating the pandemic.

Two of the three finalists in the Nurse category are Wellstar nursing professionals:

• Vicky Hogue, chief nursing officer, Wellstar Paulding Hospital. Hogue’s background as a critical care and ICU nurse has been instrumental in serving as a leader throughout the pandemic and across her 41-year career. Her leadership is noteworthy and marked by Wellstar Paulding Hospital’s recent recognition as a recipient of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award for performance excellence. 

• Nadine Lynch, ICU unit manager, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Lynch cares for some of the sickest patients who need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for vital blood oxygenation, along with many of the facility’s COVID-19 patients. She knows it’s important to focus on more than just the medical care they need, which is why she is always considering ways to ignite her patients’ passions to meet their mental and emotional needs, which aids the healing process.

Both of these nurse leaders have emphasized that close teamwork and collaboration have helped them to achieve positive impact at Wellstar, with people at the center of everything they do.

The Wellstar finalist in the Community Outreach category is:

• Dr. Shara Wesley, assistant vice president, Community Health and Wellstar Center for Health Equity (WCHE). As a convener of thought leaders, community advocates, and action drivers, Wesley has demonstrated over a distinguished career her commitment to public and community health in nearly every facet of the industry.

The WCHE – an extension of Wellstar’s long history of community engagement and allyship to provide people-centric care – was formed under her leadership to drive lasting change at a grassroots level through activating strategic partnerships with government agencies, businesses, philanthropies, non-profit organizations, academia, and citizens.

Qualifications for the awards are that “the nominee must be: employed in the healthcare industry; based in metro Atlanta; and have at least one year in the nominated position or role, and with the same company.” Finalists were selected from nominations for healthcare professionals across Metro Atlanta that highlighted stories of outstanding work with “passion, expertise, and patient care” over the past year. Entries were judged by a panel of editorial staff members from Atlanta Business Chronicle. Winners of the “Health Care Heroes” awards will be announced and featured in a special section of Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 28.

Last month, Great Place to Work® and Fortune honored Wellstar Health System as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For®, Wellstar’s fourth time on this prestigious list of the best companies to work for in the nation. Wellstar is the only Georgia-based healthcare company included in the 2021 ranking; only two other companies headquartered in Georgia were included in this year’s list.