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  • Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Celebrates 72 Years of Service to the Community as it Prepares to Expand Care
Article Category: Newsroom

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Celebrates 72 Years of Service to the Community as it Prepares to Expand Care

Callie B. Andrews, FACHE, MBA, MSHA, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Windy Hill

Published on June 27, 2022

Last updated 04:22 PM June 27, 2022

Exterior photo of Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, birthday candles reading 72

As Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center celebrates our 72nd birthday, we are grateful for the opportunity to serve our growing community. We also are very grateful for the ongoing partnership and support our community affords us as we continue to evolve and grow to meet the changing healthcare needs of patients and families. This year has been a true testament of excellence in the quality of care we provide at Kennestone. Even through the challenges that the past several years imposed upon us, we have led by taking care of each other, our patients and our communities. 

We are honored to continue to be recognized alongside Wellstar and its network of award-winning hospitals as we worked hard, together, to exceed the national standards of care. Among the awards and distinctions bestowed to Kennestone were the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer, a first for Wellstar; Stroke Gold Plus award from the American Heart and American Stroke Associations; the very coveted Georgia Oglethorpe award; and several disease specific re-designations through The Joint Commission.     

Our Vision: To deliver world-class healthcare to every person, every time.

This year also brought a meaningful opportunity to continue to support our commitment to growth by preparing for the enabling work of a new, state-of-the-art bed tower. This new tower replaces the Baird building on campus and allows us to expand our patient care capabilities. The new tower is expected to be complete by late 2025 and open in 2026. In the meantime, we are engaging with our front line team members, providers, patients and a neighborhood advisory council and listening to their specific needs and desires as we consider this building’s amenities. Among such sought-after features will be private patient rooms. 

Additionally, the tower will offer:

  • Expanded and state-of-the-art Neonatal ICU
  • Expanded, all-private cardiovascular and neuro care services 
  • Rooms designed specifically for patient, family and healthcare provider comfort and functionality 
  • New kitchen, cafeteria and in-room dining services 
  • And much more

All of this will be enabled by technology to ensure the expertise housed within the tower is accessible to everyone. Sustainability is also a key factor as we finalize the tower’s design and materials.

Innovation

Technology continues to be a priority area for innovation in the healthcare industry and at Kennestone Medical Center. For example, in 2021, we opened a new Hybrid CVOR which enables us to offer advanced cardiovascular operations and procedures with the most up-to-date technology available.  Additionally, we have a Neuro Robot in the Vascular Institute and a a Cardiac Robot in the Cath Lab. These robots offer more precise tools for delicate procedures and assist surgeons with life-saving techniques, while also offering additional safety to physicians by reducing their exposure to radiation. This very exciting robotic technology also presents a tremendous opportunity for impact in the future. Robotics will enable our world-class physicians to leverage their expertise and expand our care to rural areas by assisting with operations remotely.

As we advance our mission through deploying a refreshed strategic plan, we look forward to innovating new care models to serve our patients, leveraging digital innovation and heavily investing in ambulatory spaces in order to increase our primary care footprint for easy access to care.  

Our Mission: To enhance the health and wellbeing of every person we serve.

We learned a tremendous amount about disease crises as we watched how this hospital and the entire U.S. healthcare system pivoted to the dedicated care of Covid. In spite of the profound toll the pandemic had on employees everywhere, we remarked at the resiliency of our workers and clinical excellence of our providers and caregivers. We cannot thank you enough for the overwhelming show of support you gave our teams during that time. You nourished their minds and hearts and helped them thrive through incredibly challenging times. 

Kennestone’s birthday and our new fiscal year represents a renewed hope in our journey, together, as our country continues to heal, grow and move past the devastating effects of Covid. It is more important than ever to stand in support of one another and continue to invest in resources for our staff. As the health and wellness of our teams continues to be of utmost importance, we continue to work with our staff to implement new and expanded employee programs, including wellness rooms and relief perks as a way to renew and refresh. Health equity also remains a priority. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team is dedicated to providing each team member with resources including book study groups, dialogue forums, videos and other tools which optimize technology resources for learning aimed at honoring every voice and ensuring equitable care to our patients and their families. This is a theme we carry through our community involvement, as well. 

We remain excited to welcome new hires to Kennestone and Wellstar, especially new graduates who have chosen our medical center as their first clinical site. You are the reason we do what we do. We pledge to never stop striving to improve your health and wellness and remain committed to advancing care. Thank you for the trust you place in us to serve you and your loved ones. We are grateful to be your care provider of choice. 

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Ashley was able to recover from cardiac arrest and walk down the aisle.

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AshleyCare

In March of 2021, Ashley Martin suffered cardiac arrest, which kills about 90% of people when it happens outside of a hospital. Thankfully, she was already at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center receiving the compassionate care she’d been seeking to address a long list of symptoms.

Everything began at a hectic time in Ashley’s life. She was 30 and had just gotten engaged. Wedding planning had started with the help of her fiancé and their two young boys. The hope had been to have the wedding toward the end of 2021. But the unexpected happened.

“I was always healthy,” she said. “I grew up playing sports. I was a runner. I used to get headaches, but that was the extent of my medical history.”

Finding the right care when there is more than one symptom

Symptoms of what would ultimately be diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome began in February of 2021. This rare neurological disorder causes the body’s immune system to attack the nerves. 

Ashley started experiencing tingling in the tips of her hands and feet, which moved up her legs and arms as days passed. When intermittent numbness became a symptom, Ashley went to a hospital near her Peachtree City home. A clean CT and MRI meant she went home with plans to see a rheumatologist.

As she waited for her first appointment, she started feeling numbness in her feet.

“At one point, I took a step down the stairs and went tumbling down to the concrete floor,” Ashley said. 

On another trip to the hospital near her home, Ashley was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, but treatment was unsuccessful. The numbness continued, spreading to her face. She began using a walker and, soon after, a wheelchair.

“The paralysis had moved to my abdomen,” Ashley said. “I went to sleep one night and woke up abruptly gasping for air.”

Compassionate medical care at a pivotal point

 Later that night, an ambulance brought Ashley to Wellstar Kennestone, where she would finally get the specialized neuro care she desperately needed. She was admitted to the Neurocritical Care unit, staffed by physicians, nurses and a medical team with specialized training in neurological conditions.

Upon arrival, she underwent respiratory failure due to paralysis spreading to her diaphragm. She was stabilized, but shortly after that, she experienced sudden cardiac arrest — the abrupt loss of heart function that stops blood flow to the body.

After a critical care nurse administered CPR, Ashley’s heart started beating again. Life support medications were given to keep her heart pumping.

“The neuro ICU nurses and doctors saved my life,” she said.

Later, her attending neurologist explained that the stress of her nervous system and immune system fighting, paired with respiratory failure, caused such high stress that she had a cardiac arrest.

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Exterior photo of Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. Wellstar and Joint Commission logos.

Newsroom

Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center Receives Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification

Wellstar Health System announced today that The Joint Commission recognized Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the most demanding stroke certification recognizing hospitals that have specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. With two of the eight Comprehensive Stroke Centers in Georgia, Wellstar Health System now offers stroke patients greater access to the highest level of stroke and aneurysm care. Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is also Joint Commission certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

“For years, we have provided world-class stroke care for each and every patient when they need it most. This designation represents how hard we have worked to provide the very best quality care for patients in North Fulton County and across Georgia. We’re proud that our work and subsequent positive patient outcomes are being recognized,” said Dr. Michael Mendoza, medical director of the Stroke Program at Wellstar North Fulton.

Wellstar North Fulton’s certification allows more Georgians to have access to the most advance diagnostics and treatments for cerebrovascular disease such as stroke. This is important because Georgia is located in the Stroke Belt, which is comprised of 11 states in the Southeast where the associated mortality rate for stroke patients is 10 percent above the national average.

At Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Kennestone, patients have access to advanced diagnostics and therapies to care for even the most complicated strokes faster and more effectively. These include:

  • Neuro Intensive Care Units –  A multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses who specialize in neurocritical care.
  • Minimally-invasive treatment – Wellstar is one of only four programs in the state that offer neuroendovascular treatment, such as minimally-invasive clot retrieval, patients can be provided with a much less invasive treatment technique.
  • Cutting-edge imaging – Neurointerventional biplane imaging shows detailed, 3D views of blood vessels in the brain. This allows neurosurgeons to flip neuroendovascular cases to an open neurosurgical case when needed.
  • Pioneering technology – Wellstar North Fulton was among the first hospitals in the country to use the groundbreaking Artemis Neuro Evacuation device to treat brain bleeds, a condition that was nearly impossible to treat in the past.
  • Around-the-clock care – Artificial intelligence such as VizAi allows quicker identification of patients who are candidates for thrombectomy and organizes care in a connected system by quicker response to identify and provide care as quickly as possible.

“Our team of neurosurgeons, neurocritical care physicians, neuroradiologists, advanced practice practitioners and nurses work together to perform world-class thrombectomies, aneurysm treatments, carotid surgeries and cerebral bypass procedures so that patients can regain their best quality of life. Additionally, our dedicated hybrid neurovascular suite is equipped with innovative bi-plane technology. This allows neurosurgeons to view highly detailed images of brain vessels, so we as a team can customize treatments in real time,” said Dr. Arthur Grigorian, neurosurgeon, Wellstar North Fulton.

“When you have a stroke, every second counts. Getting fast, expert stroke care can mean the difference between life, death, or lasting brain damage. We are proud to receive this prestigious certification at Wellstar North Fulton, informing the surrounding community that they don’t have to go far to receive the best treatment possible. We will continue to work hard to provide an interdisciplinary, innovative, and compassionate approach to safe and quality comprehensive stroke care to all the communities we serve,” said Jon-Paul Croom, president, Wellstar North Fulton and senior vice president, Wellstar Health System.

Wellstar is a leading provider of stroke and aneurysm services in Georgia and performs one of the highest numbers of thrombectomy and aneurysm treatments in the country. The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit organization that accredits more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs.

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Doing good CPR is critical to save someone from cardiac arrest.

PeopleCare

KevinCare

There aren’t many people out there who can say they survived cardiac arrest at 30. Kevin Miskewicz can.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 90% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. Those who survive often have permanent neurological disabilities. But Kevin’s story has an incredibly fortunate ending, thanks to the highly coordinated work of his medical experts at Wellstar.

Recovering from cardiac arrest is something Kevin will never forget. It lives forever as a piece of his health history — one that includes a dedicated healthcare team — and his wife, who was the first to save his life.

There aren’t many people out there who can say they survived cardiac arrest at 30. Kevin can.

CPR to the rescue

Kevin woke up on Labor Day 2017 at 5:30 a.m. to take the dog out. Pausing to adjust the thermostat as he came in, he fell, knocking over a lamp.

He was in cardiac arrest.

With no symptoms and no known pre-existing condition, this was unexpected, but that didn’t stop his wife, Andrea, from jumping into action.

“If it weren’t for me knocking over a lamp when I passed out,” said Kevin, “she would have never woken up and saved my life.”

In addition to calling 911 and unlocking the door for the paramedics, Andrea performed CPR for 10 minutes.

“Kevin’s wife doing good CPR was critical,” said Dr. Arthur Reitman, the interventional cardiologist who was a vital part of Kevin’s treatment team at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center. “More than five minutes of poor blood flow to the brain can result in permanent irreparable injury from which a patient is unable to recover.”

Coordinating multidisciplinary care to save a life

When paramedics arrived at Kevin’s home, he had no pulse and was not breathing. As the paramedics performed their lifesaving work, he technically died two times.

The ambulance took him to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, where he was initially assessed and treated by Dr. David Jacoboff. The interventional cardiologist implanted an intra-aortic balloon pump to stabilize him. Then, he transferred Kevin to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center for highly specialized heart care.

When Kevin arrived at Kennestone by helicopter, his heart function wasn’t strong enough to support his body. Dr. Reitman and a team of doctors including a cardiologist, a pulmonologist and critical care doctors worked in tandem to put Kevin on an advanced life support system called veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Better known as VA-ECMO, it took the heart “offline” so it could heal. The technology removed unoxygenated blood from his body, oxygenated it and pumped it back in for the next three days.

“Very few places in the state — only four or five hospitals — have the technology and specialized training to put a patient on ECMO,” Dr. Reitman explained.

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