For Earth Day this year, Wellstar Health System is making a difference for our environment and supporting our neighbors facing food insecurity. The recently launched Organic Recycling Program at the Wellstar Corporate Office (WCO) in Marietta has already diverted almost one ton of food waste from landfills, preventing over 675 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Article Category: Newsroom
Wellstar Celebrates Earth Day with Programs Addressing Food Waste
Published on April 21, 2023
Last updated 12:05 PM April 21, 2023
Wellstar launches organic recycling program
The WCO Bistro prepares food for all of Wellstar’s health parks, hospital bistros and the entire system’s catering.
This recycling program at the WCO is a partnership between Wellstar Community Health, the Wellstar Foundation, Catalyst by Wellstar, Wellstar Strategic Community Development and Goodr, a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company.
Food scraps like onion and banana peels are recycled and composted at Gainesville Waste and Recycle. Special bins are used to collect the scraps. Food compost helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients, reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers, and sequesters carbon dioxide (storing it in the soil away from the atmosphere), according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The benefits to our environment don’t stop there. Every three pounds of waste diverted creates one pound of soil, which means we have created about 650 pounds of healthy soil in one month. In a year, it’s also calculated that the carbon sequestered would be the same as 4.4 acres of forest – the size of over three football fields.
Wellstar also has other programs that reduce our carbon footprint and give back to our communities on a systemwide level.
The surplus food recovery program with Goodr launched in September 2020 at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center. Leftover food is donated to food delivery resources for underserved communities. The program has expanded to Wellstar Windy Hill Hospital and Paulding Medical Center, helping serve over 14,000 meals and preventing over 17,000 pounds of waste and nine thousand pounds of carbon emissions. Another partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta to deliver food from the Wellstar Corporate Office has already served 3,304 meals, diverting nearly two tons of food from landfills. Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit organization working to reduce hunger and food waste in metro Atlanta.
As a nonprofit organization, Wellstar is committed to the health and well-being of our communities, and that commitment extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and health parks. For more information on how the Wellstar Foundation makes these programs possible, visit wellstar.org/foundation.
Read related articles
Newsroom
Wellstar Spalding Medical Center Opens Cancer Center in Griffin
GRIFFIN, Ga. — Community leaders joined hospital executives Thursday as
Wellstar Spalding Medical Center
held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open its new cancer center, improving access to oncology and infusion services for patients in Spalding County and the surrounding region.
The 6,475-square-foot expansion nearly doubles the hospital’s cancer treatment space and includes eight exam rooms, 14 infusion chairs, two blood draw stations, a dedicated lab, triage room, waiting area and administrative offices. An on-site infusion pharmacy will support chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies and other outpatient treatments.
Care at the
Wellstar Spalding Cancer Center
is provided in partnership with Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers (NGOC), with additional support from an oncology nurse navigator who coordinates care and guides patients through treatment.
“People should be able to receive high-quality cancer care close to home,” said Kevin Smith, president of Wellstar Spalding. “By expanding both our cancer services and the specialties that support early detection and treatment, we’re making it more convenient for our patients to get the care they need.”
NGOC oncologist
Dr. Dhivya Prabhakar
has joined the Wellstar Spalding Cancer Center, further enhancing access to oncology care. She will be joined by a second oncologist this summer.
“What matters most to patients is feeling supported and understood throughout their cancer journey,” Dr. Prabhakar said. “With this expansion, people can stay in their community surrounded by a care team that knows them, listens to them and helps them navigate every step with clarity, compassion and hope. Our goal is to meet people where they are and partner with them in their care so they never feel alone in the process.”
Hospital leaders also highlighted growth in related services since the project began. Wellstar Spalding now offers endocrinology, which plays a key role in identifying endocrine-related cancers such as thyroid, adrenal and some pancreatic tumors. The hospital has also added a general surgeon specializing in breast surgery, expanding local options for evaluation and surgical care.
Keep reading
Newsroom
Thomas A. Kruse Selected as Wellstar Health System’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Growth Officer
MARIETTA, Ga. (Feb. 18, 2026) – Wellstar Health System announced today that Thomas A. Kruse will join the system as its new executive vice president and chief strategy and growth officer, effective March 30. Kruse has extensive experience guiding strategy for nonprofit health systems that embark on a path of sustainable growth and top-decile performance for clinical care, quality and safety, and patient experience.
“Patient needs are changing, our communities are growing, and we must evolve right alongside them. Tom will help shape our systemwide strategy and guide how we grow in the years ahead, with a clear goal of strengthening our reputation as a destination for care across the Southeast,” said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System.
Kruse will lead enterprise-level strategy and transformation, evaluate market expansion and affiliation opportunities, and drive initiatives that position Wellstar among the nation’s most respected and high-performing nonprofit health systems. He’ll partner with leaders across Wellstar and the communities it serves to identify opportunities for expansion and collaboration. Under Patel’s leadership, Wellstar will build on a strong foundation by advancing clinical excellence, strengthening academic programs and elevating quality, safety and patient experience.
“I’m honored to join Wellstar at such an important moment in its journey. The organization’s commitment to the communities it serves is inspiring. I look forward to working alongside the talented teams across the system to build on the already strong momentum and help expand access to high-quality care throughout Georgia and the Southeast,” said Kruse.
Most recently, Kruse was an independent health industry advisor and consultant for regional health systems, community hospitals and nonprofit organizations. He previously served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Northwest region of CommonSpirit Health and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, where he led long-range strategy and partnership efforts that strengthened the organization and expanded its reach throughout the Pacific Northwest. The success of that work reflects Kruse’s experience as chief strategy officer for market-leading integrated health systems in highly competitive regions, including Hackensack Meridian Health, where he helped lead the creation of New Jersey's largest health system.
ABOUT WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it's only possible thanks to our 34,000 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.
Keep reading
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it's only possible thanks to our 34,000 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.
