Wellstar Foundation Gala Raises Nearly $1 Million for Behavioral Health Services

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center has achieved Magnet recognition, the highest national honor for nursing excellence. The honor reflects the nursing staff’s professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence.

With this credential, Wellstar Kennestone joins the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Only a small and select group of U.S. healthcare organizations has achieved Magnet recognition due to the complex requirements and meticulous evaluation process, with only 14 in Georgia. This prestigious honor further underscores Wellstar Kennestone’s commitment to world-class, compassionate, and personalized care.

“This achievement reflects the exceptional skill, dedication, and heart of our nursing team and how they partner to care for our patients, families and each other,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “It serves as a vital benchmark within our community, affirming the exceptional quality of patient care we provide.”

Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence and is a factor when the public judges healthcare organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:

• Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.
• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses.
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions.

“At Wellstar Kennestone, we believe world-class healthcare should be accessible right where people live,” said Hospital President Lorrie Liang. “When our neighbors, friends and family need exceptional care, they don’t have to travel far—it’s right here in Marietta. That belief is now affirmed in a powerful way.”

“We are profoundly honored to have achieved Magnet recognition—an esteemed distinction that represents the pinnacle of nursing excellence,” said Marianne Hatfield, vice president and chief nursing officer at Wellstar Kennestone. “We celebrate this accomplishment and remain committed to providing compassionate care to every patient, every time. It is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we lead with purpose. It also underscores Wellstar Kennestone’s steadfast commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.”

The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence. The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

“Magnet recognition validates our team's dedication to evidence-based practices, which drive superior patient outcomes, enhances both patient and staff satisfaction, and contributes to more efficient and compassionate care,” said Mary Chatman, executive vice president of acute care operations for Wellstar Health System. “This achievement is a testament to the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines our organization and inspires us to continue raising the standard of care for those we serve.”

ABOUT ANCC’S MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM The Magnet Recognition Program—administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the largest and most prominent nurses credentialing organization in the world—identifies health care organizations that provide the very best in nursing care and professionalism in nursing practice. The Magnet Recognition Program is the highest national honor for nursing excellence and provides consumers with the ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care. For more information about the Magnet Recognition Program and current statistics, visit www.nursingworld.org/magnet.

By Wellstar Breast Surgeon Dr. Laura Pearson

I have never met a woman who enjoyed getting mammograms, including myself. They can be uncomfortable, awkward and anxiety-provoking—especially if you have had scares in the past or are at high risk for getting breast cancer.

There are so many additional resources for risk reduction and surveillance available that go hand-in-hand with mammograms. At Wellstar, reducing your risk and screening for cancer starts with a physical from your primary care doctor.

If you are at average risk of developing breast cancer, you should begin annual screening mammograms at age 40. If you have a family history or other risk factors, your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent screening. If something is detected on a mammogram, the Wellstar Comprehensive Breast Health Program has nurse navigators who will help arrange diagnostic imaging, biopsy procedures and referrals to breast specialists. If you are diagnosed with cancer, the compassionate and oncology-trained nurse navigators with Wellstar Cancer Care walk patients through diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and beyond.

If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, your treatment and care will transition from our Comprehensive Breast Health Program to the Wellstar Cancer Care team. In Wellstar STAT Clinics, which stands for Specialty Teams and Treatment, we put you at the center of your care plan. In our STAT Clinic for Breast Cancer, the care team, including breast oncology nurse navigators, surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, nutritionists and genetic counselors, will meet with you and your support system on the same day to formulate a treatment plan personalized to your specific cancer, as well as your personal and cultural needs. Patients are able to ask questions, make decisions and start treatment sooner, improving outcomes.

Many times, surgical intervention can be done as an outpatient procedure. We can also offer some people intraoperative radiation therapy, or IORT—the option of doing their radiation treatment in the operating room at the same time as their lumpectomy, meaning they are able to avoid four to six weeks of radiation treatments. Any other interventions, such as chemotherapy or radiation, including our CyberKnife for treatments like targeted partial breast radiation therapy, are found in the cancer center on Wellstar North Fulton’s medical campus. We have physical therapists, social workers and palliative care specialists who are there for you if the need arises.

Your Wellstar care team can also help you reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. Being overweight or obese or being a smoker can increase your risk. Patients at Wellstar have access to our Center for Best Health to assist in weight management. We also have smoking cessation programs and dietitians waiting to help you make healthier choices that can positively impact your health.

Wellstar provides more than healthcare, PeopleCare—working relentlessly to exceed national standards and our patients’ expectations while remembering the humanity of every patient. We are here for all the situations and stages of our patients’ lives by offering the tools and resources to be healthy and thrive. Wellstar clinicians live in the communities we serve. We must get physicals, mammograms and biopsies. We need help being our healthiest selves. We get sick and have family members who need compassionate care. PeopleCare means offering our patients world-class healthcare in the communities where they live and work.

Your care team can put your mammogram order in Wellstar MyChart to book online, or you can schedule by calling (678) 581-5900.

Visit wellstar.org/northfultoncancercare to learn more about cancer care at Wellstar North Fulton.

MARIETTA, Ga. — With applause, camera flashes, and a ceremonial snip of the ribbon, Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG) officially launched its newest two-year clinical campus Tuesday at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. The campus is MCG’s first in the Atlanta area.

The celebration of the new campus–known as MCG Atlanta at Wellstar Health System–marked a bold step forward in expanding medical education into the heart of Metro Atlanta, where 48 third- and fourth-year students will now live, learn and care for patients as part of their training. Their areas of focus will include internal and family medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and neurology.

The event brought together leaders from Augusta University, the University System of Georgia and Wellstar Health System to celebrate the launch of MCG Atlanta at Wellstar Kennestone.

“This is a moment of pride, but also a moment of responsibility. Pride in the years of dedication, collaboration and vision that have brought the Atlanta campus to life, and in our students, faculty and partners who believed in this mission before it was fully realized," said Augusta University President Russell T. Keen. "Now, we have the possibility, the opportunity and the responsibility to do even more to strengthen the physician pipeline for Georgia."

University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue praised the collaboration as a model for the state’s future.

“It’s a great day to celebrate,” said Perdue. “We look forward to the leadership here at Wellstar Kennestone and know that great things will happen here.”

“When we joined forces with Augusta University, we promised to expand access to care, increase educational capacity and build a stronger healthcare workforce for Georgia. This campus is a powerful example of how we’re keeping that promise," said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “We’re honored to help train future generations of caregivers for every corner of Georgia.”

Following the ceremony, guests toured the new campus suite at 61 Whitcher St. The expansion builds on a decade-long relationship between MCG and Wellstar Kennestone, where students have been getting first-hand experience since 2015.

MCG’s statewide network now includes four-year campuses in Augusta, Athens and Savannah, and regional clinical campuses in Albany, Brunswick, Dalton, Rome and Savannah, making it one of the largest medical school networks in the country.

"MCG has the fourth largest class size in the nation," said MCG Dean David Hess. "That would not be possible without regional clinical campuses like this one. By increasing our capacity to educate more medical students, we’re directly addressing the physician shortage that affects communities across the state. More students mean more graduates, and more graduates mean more doctors ready to serve Georgia."