Article Category: Newsroom
A Heart for Collaboration: Wellstar Cardiovascular Quality Forum 2024
Published on November 20, 2024
Last updated 11:04 AM November 20, 2024
Wellstar’s ongoing commitment to improving patients’ health and wellness was on full display when more than 100 cardiovascular healthcare providers gathered for the third annual Cardiovascular Quality Forum last spring. The forum, which was hosted at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, serves as a way to share best practices across the
Wellstar Center for Cardiovascular Care
in order to enhance patient care systemwide.
“All of our Wellstar cardiovascular programs across the system are constantly working to improve clinical processes in order to improve patient outcomes, whether it be reducing mortalities, decreasing complications, reducing length of stay, etc.,” said Wellstar Quality Manager Dave Bloomquist. “Our annual Cardiovascular Quality Forum allows us to share the work being done at each individual hospital so all Wellstar hospitals can benefit from each other’s improvement efforts.”
The centerpiece of the forum is the poster competition, an idea borrowed from the
American College of Cardiology’s
annual Quality Summit. Each Wellstar hospital is encouraged to share its cardiovascular improvement successes in the form of a poster submission. Submissions can come from any stakeholder across the care continuum, including inpatient, outpatient, procedural, wellness and post-acute care areas. The posters are then judged by a panel of physicians using an objective scoring tool.
“After three years of holding this event, our physician leaders are still quite eager to devote the time necessary to score the ever-increasing number of posters,” Bloomquist said. “When we held the first Cardiovascular Quality Forum, we had 12 poster submissions. Last year we received 20 submissions, and this year we received 32 submissions.”
The posters represent the hard work from Wellstar teams to enhance and sustain a culture of high-level cardiovascular quality. This year, the top five posters belonged to
Wellstar Kennestone,
Wellstar MCG Health,
Wellstar North Fulton,
Wellstar Paulding
and
Wellstar West Georgia
Medical Centers. Wellstar West Georgia earned the top overall score for its poster on decreasing telemetry calls, or the overuse of cardiac monitoring.
Additional highlights of the 2024 forum included a keynote address delivered by Mayo Clinic Cardiologist Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh and an awards presentation that honored
Wellstar Cobb Medical Center
with the overall cardiovascular quality award.
For the first time, the event also recognized outstanding provider leadership in quality. Wellstar Kennestone Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistant Deleen Huff received the APP quality leader award, while Wellstar North Fulton Cardiologist Dr. Suresh Ramamurthy received the physician quality leader award. The awards are based on nominations, which may be submitted by any individual from any hospital.
“It was quite moving to read the nominations for physician quality leaders,” Bloomquist shared. “There was so much love and respect shown for our physicians by their clinical teams that it brought tears to my eyes as I read each nomination.”
Tears also flowed during the forum when a patient who survived a heart attack took the stage to share his testimonial alongside the Wellstar care team members who treated him.
“As we do each year, we invited a patient to join us to tell their story and recognize their Wellstar care team,” said Bloomquist. “There was not a dry eye in the room when the patient and his family told their journey at Wellstar—which ended with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD)—and thanked his care team for their love and care.”
As the Cardiovascular Quality Forum continues to grow, Wellstar patients will benefit greatly from care teams who are dedicated to improvement through collaboration. Bloomquist noted that the forum has been increasingly recognized by system leaders, including a number of hospital presidents who attend.
Looking ahead, Bloomquist said he is eager to see even more heart care leaders acknowledged for their contributions to the service line. “We will continue to grow the list of cardiovascular stakeholders that will be recognized for their improvement efforts to include inpatient nurses and EMS partners,” he shared.
The next Cardiovascular Quality Forum will be held March 2025.
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Wellstar Team Members Bring Heart and Hands to Communities Across Georgia
ATLANTA (Nov. 13, 2025) – From bustling food banks to blooming community gardens, more than 500 Wellstar Health System team members rolled up their sleeves and stepped into neighborhoods across Georgia for the 2025 Wellstar Day of Service—a powerful demonstration of compassion in action.
This year’s theme, Food Access and Healthy Living, reflects a sharpened focus on two of
the most pressing needs identified in the Wellstar 2025–2028 Community Health Needs
Assessment and Implementation Plans. Volunteers served at 28 local partner organization sites, tackling projects that nourish bodies, uplift spirits and strengthen community roots.
“PeopleCare isn’t just about caring for our patients’ health—it’s about caring for the whole person and the whole community,” said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System, who volunteered alongside team members at several sites across Georgia during the system’s Day of Service. “Service is at the heart of who we are, so when we work together at pantries, help out at community gardens and lend a hand at local shelters, we’re showing people that care doesn’t just happen in our hospitals and clinics—it happens in every community we serve.”
With nearly 200 more volunteer spots added this year, the Day of Service reached new
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A Few Highlights from the Day:
- Community Gardens Revived
- Volunteers partnered with Food Well Alliance to rejuvenate gardens in Austell, Douglasville and North Fulton—prepping soil, planting crops and creating vibrant spaces for neighbors to grow fresh produce.
- Food Banks Fueled
- At Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta and Aiken, teams packed backpack meals for children and food boxes for families. In Marietta and Atlanta, volunteers sorted donations and prepped pantries at the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
- Shelters Supported
- At Covenant House, volunteers assembled 400 sack lunches for youth and organized clothing donations. In Cobb County, they helped Habitat for Humanity paint a home for a local family as part of the Women Build 2025 initiative.
- Kindness Kits Created
- At MUST Ministries, team members assembled hygiene kits, birthday bundles and heartfelt notes for seniors—adding a personal touch to essential services.
About Wellstar Health System
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare, and it's only possible thanks to our 33,000 team members who provide expert, compassionate care for every stage of life. PeopleCare also means we serve our communities as a nonprofit health system, providing more than $1 billion annually in charity care and community programs, and operating the largest integrated trauma network in the state of Georgia. We embrace innovation and technology, nurture early-stage companies through our venture firm Catalyst by Wellstar, and train future generations of caregivers with academic institutions including the Medical College of Georgia. Wellstar honors every voice and is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. To learn more, visit Wellstar.org.
Highlights
Live to the Beat Powered by Wellstar: Celebrating a Year of Impact
What began as a bold idea—bringing cardiovascular health education into the heart of our communities—has now culminated in a joyful, music-filled celebration that honored the success of a powerful one-year pilot program of Live to the Beat at First Baptist Church East Point and Mount Olive Seventh Day Adventist Church. From inception to execution, this journey has been a testament to what can happen when community, clinical partners and courageous participants come together with one mission: to live longer, stronger, healthier lives—one beat at a time.
Final Class Check-In & Celebration
We opened our final sessions with a check-in, inviting participants to reflect on how they’ve been incorporating their support networks into daily life since our “A Family Affair” class. Their stories affirmed the power of connection and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you thrive.
After the check-in, we transitioned into a formal celebration that included:
- A brief agenda to thank everyone—from stakeholders and service line leaders to our participants and guest speakers
- A powerful recap of success metrics from each church
- A joyful closing moment that quite literally had everyone “living to the beat” with music, dancing and smiles all around!
Mount Olive: Setting the Bar High
With 18 dedicated members, Mount Olive consistently exceeded expectations:
- 90% average attendance
- 100% 5-star rating in both knowledge gained and overall satisfaction
- 82% reported positive behavior change in daily life
- 61% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Three participants shared that their clinicians reduced the dosage or number of their medications
- Two reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
From their energy in the classroom to their commitment at home, Mount Olive’s cohort has become a model of what’s possible when knowledge meets action.
First Baptist: Stepping Boldly into Wellness
With 14 committed participants, First Baptist brought steady engagement and deep personal growth:
- 74% average attendance
- 80% reported positive behavior change
- 43% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Two participants reported a reduction in medication dosage or number
- Three reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
- 4.69 rating in knowledge gained and overall rating of 4.77 out of 5
Their thoughtful conversations, openness to growth and willingness to step outside their comfort zones truly made this cohort shine. And yes—we danced our way into what’s next.
Looking Ahead: The Beat Continues with Art Pharmacy
While the classroom sessions have come to a close, our participants’ journey is far from over. As a next step, all graduates will now enter the next phase of Live to the Beat through our new partnership with Art Pharmacy—a social prescribing organization that connects individuals to arts and culture-based experiences to support long-term health and well-being.
Graduates will receive one “social prescription” per month for the next six months, focusing on connection, creativity and continued wellness. This phase was designed with intention—to ensure the momentum continues beyond the classroom and into real life.
We’ll also be conducting a 6-month follow-up to evaluate how behavior changes have been sustained over time, using lessons learned to inform the next cohort launching in September.
National Impact: CDC Foundation & LTTB Ambassadors
We were honored to have representatives from the CDC Foundation join our final celebrations to share how graduates can become Live to the Beat Ambassadors for the national campaign. Many participants expressed excitement about using their voice to inspire others to begin their heart health journeys too—a beautiful full-circle moment of community-led change.
One Chapter Ends, A Movement Continues
As we officially close out this year-long pilot, we stand in awe of what was accomplished—and energized for what’s ahead. To our participants: thank you for your courage and commitment. To our partners, service line leaders and supporters: thank you for believing in the vision.
Together, we proved that heart health isn’t just clinical—it’s cultural, communal and deeply personal. And as we prepare for the next chapter, one thing is certain: The beat goes on… and it’s only getting stronger.