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Article Category: Newsroom

Wellstar Douglas Hospital Earns Advanced Certification

The Joint Commission Certifies Hospital as Primary Heart Attack Center

Published on July 12, 2022

Last updated 10:58 AM July 12, 2022

Exterior photo of Wellstar Douglas Hospital, Joint Commission and American Heart Association logos and text reads "Certification Primary Heart Attack Center." Wellstar logo at bottom right

Wellstar Douglas Hospital recently attained advanced certification as a Primary Heart Attack Center (PHAC) by The Joint Commission and The American Heart Association. This means the hospital offers patients the next generation of cardiac care.

“Our cardiac experts in Douglas County are dedicated to doing what is best for the patient,” said Dr. Joshua M. Willis, Medical Director of Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Wellstar Douglas Hospital. “The Joint Commission certification shows that our cardiac program is designed to help people having heart attacks receive the fastest, most evidence-based care.” 

Wellstar Douglas Hospital has 24-hour-a-day coverage to treat heart attacks. The hospital’s team communicates with first responders, so patients can get diagnosed and treated as fast as possible upon arrival at the hospital by ambulance. 

“Everything we do is centered around giving each person the best chance for positive outcomes,” Dr. Willis said.

The hospital’s team aims to get patients diagnosed fast by performing cardiac tests within 10 minutes of arrival at the hospital. For patients who need surgical intervention, Wellstar Douglas Hospital’s interventional cardiologists perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) — a minimally-invasive procedure that restores blood flow to the heart — within a 90-minute-window. 

According to Gene Morris, Director of Cardiac and Vascular Services, the cardiac team has performed 2,500 PCIs since the program launched in 2012.

Wellstar Douglas Hospital is also designated as an Emergency Cardiac Care Center (ECCC) Level II by the Georgia Department of Public Health. 

To learn more about Wellstar Douglas Hospital, please visit the hospital webpage.  

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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 heights, spanning metro Atlanta, West Georgia, Augusta and beyond.

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.

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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: 

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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
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  • 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.

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CLEAR and Wellstar Health System Modernize the Patient Experience Using CLEAR1’s Digital Check-In

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Despite widespread investment in digital tools, many check-ins still depend on manual lookups, paper forms, and repetitive data entry—creating friction for both patients and staff. Wellstar has been at the forefront of innovation as the first health system to launch CLEAR1 for check-in, which is integrated with Epic Welcome to enable seamless deployment. With this industry-leading solution, patients can quickly and easily check in for their appointments with a quick selfie at a kiosk or on a handheld tablet.

Since the initial launch at Avalon Health Park in May 2024, Wellstar has seen a dramatic and measurable impact on both experience and operational efficiency, with plans to expand to more than 150 locations across its system. The integration is live at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, the first hospital in the U.S. to leverage CLEAR1 for patient check-ins, and at five Wellstar outpatient facilities. Wellstar plans to roll out additional use cases with CLEAR1, including patient MyChart account creation and recovery, workforce account recovery, and online scheduling.

“CLEAR’s focus is on making everyday experiences both safer and easier, and our work with Wellstar is helping pave the way for the future of modern patient experiences," said Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR. “We are excited about the growth opportunities ahead and the many ways we can support health systems to improve patient and staff experiences and create a more integrated healthcare future.”

“The results of the study speak for themselves. By leveraging CLEAR1’s technology we introduced a modern, digital check-in experience that saves patients and team members time, reduces administrative costs, and streamlines the check-in process for everyone,” said Dr. Hank Capps, EVP and Chief Information and Digital Officer for Wellstar Health System and President of Catalyst by Wellstar. “Wellstar partnered with CLEAR because we are committed to investing in technologies that elevate the patient experience, alleviate the stress on staff, and reduce friction across every part of the patient journey.”

Key outcomes achieved since launching CLEAR1 for check-in include:

  • Improved Patient Experience – Digital check-in adoption increased from 2 to 10 percent, with strong engagement among patients 45 and older. 73 percent of patients who used CLEAR1’s digital check-in technology reported that they would use it again.
  • Operational Efficiency – In just six months, CLEAR1-enabled check-ins freed up more than 1,500 hours of staff time, allowing teams to focus on higher-value tasks such as assisting patients with complex problems.
  • Reduction in Duplicate Records & Cost Savings – By linking appointments to a verified identity, Wellstar has been able to uncover and resolve duplicate patient records before visits, reducing costly administrative rework and minimizing claim complications. Collectively, these improvements are projected to deliver $2 million in savings for every 25,000 patients verified through CLEAR1.

The case study is available here.

About CLEAR
CLEAR's mission is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 33 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR's secure identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you—making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we do not sell biometric or sensitive personal data. For more information, visit clearme.com.

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 non-profit 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.

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