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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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Read related articles
Back to school after receiving highly coordinated stroke care at Wellstar, Assistant Principal De'sa Fuller, enters her office to start a new school year.

PeopleCare

De'saCare

De'sa Fuller, an assistant principal in West Georgia, greeted teachers in the hallway like every other morning. But her day turned upside down when she lost her balance and couldn’t rise from the floor. Thanks to the immediate actions of those around her—from the teacher who called 911 to emergency medical services and her Wellstar team—De’sa recovered and is back to school. Her story is a powerful testament to how recognizing symptoms of a stroke, calling for help right away and having highly coordinated care can lead to remarkable outcomes.

Getting help when things go wrong

At 34, De'sa Fuller was living a vibrant life. She was a 6th grade assistant principal at Gardner Middle School in LaGrange. She loved her job, enjoyed traveling and was saving up to buy her first home. April 15 started out like any other day. Smoothie in hand, she greeted teachers in the hallway as she made her way to her office.

“I felt a little off,” De'sa recalled. “I just thought I was going too fast—I didn’t put much thought into it.” Then she fell. A concerned teacher asked if she was okay. De'sa, thinking she had simply tripped, said “Yes.” Her vision blurred as she tried to get up and she fell again. “I said, ‘I am not okay.’”

What began as a typical morning turned into a race against time. One teacher's quick thinking to call 911 activated a rapid chain of events that would save De’sa from permanent disability.

The critical first minutes

“The ambulance got there quickly. It was like they were around the corner,” De'sa remembered. 

“We got a call that EMS was bringing in a female who had been found on the floor at work, experiencing right-sided weakness,” explained Ginger Truitt, stroke coordinator at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, a Primary Stroke Center. The EMS professionals also reported confusion, headache and vomiting. “Those symptoms suggest stroke. We activated quickly.”

As a result, Dr. Reginald “Ashley” Orr, an emergency medicine physician, was ready for her arrival. 

“I was worried about an acute stroke by their description of her symptoms,” he remembered. “I evaluated her on the stretcher when she came through the door.”

A Code FAST was called with the goal of speeding up the time to start treatment to improve De’sa’s chances for better outcomes. They skipped the emergency department and took her for a CT scan. Then she was seen by the onsite neurologist, and the team quickly administered tenectoplase—or TNK—a clot-busting drug.

“Her symptoms were markedly improved,” Dr. Orr noted. “She was more awake.”

However, the CT angiogram showed an MCA M1 occlusion—a blockage in a major blood vessel in the brain. While she had shown some improvement, it wasn’t enough. De'sa needed a thrombectomy, a procedure to remove the clot and restore vital blood flow to the brain.

 

A seamless transfer

De’sa needed an immediate transfer to a thrombectomy center, and there are only a few in the state of Georgia. After a quick virtual consult with Dr. Ovais Inamullah, a telestroke neurologist at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center—a Comprehensive Stroke Center—she was accepted for transfer. The Marietta-based Neuro Care program performs one of the highest volumes of thrombectomy and aneurysm treatments in the country.

Because time is of the essence with successful stroke treatment, transport by air is preferred. However, weather conditions threatened the flight’s safety. The ground EMS crew dutifully stood by in case they needed to drive De’sa. 

Mercifully, the clouds lifted after a few tense moments and she began her trip to Wellstar Kennestone via helicopter.

“When we have this type of emergency, our goal is to get patients out the door for a thrombectomy in 90 minutes,” Ginger said. “In De’sa’s case, we did it in 102 minutes, which was still impressive because there was cloud cover and we weren’t sure at first if she would be able to fly.”

Upon arrival, De'sa was taken directly to the angio suite where Dr. Ahmad Khaldi, a Wellstar neurosurgeon, and his team were waiting. “Every minute counts,” he emphasized.

A thrombectomy is a procedure that treats a stroke without open brain surgery. A tiny catheter is threaded through a blood vessel in the arm or leg to the brain to remove a clot, restoring blood flow to help prevent permanent disability or even death.

“We finished surgery by 11:25 AM,” Dr. Khaldi said—just 20 minutes after the procedure began.

Keep reading
A healthcare provider works with the Da Vinci 5 robot

Highlights

New Robotic Surgery System at Wellstar Kennestone Brings Next-Level Care to the Community

Touch-sensitive technology. More precision. Better surgical images. A new robotic surgery platform at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center features all this and more. What does that mean for people in our community facing a complex surgery? Everything.

The Da Vinci 5 (DV5) platform allows experienced surgeons at Wellstar Kennestone to be even more precise during delicate procedures. Patients bleed less, heal with smaller scars and usually go home sooner.

“At Wellstar Kennestone, we’re redefining what’s possible in surgical care,” said Lorrie Liang, senior vice president and president of Wellstar Kennestone and Wellstar Windy Hill. “The DV5 demonstrates that we’re not just adopting advanced technology—we are advancing the standard of care across the region.”

What is robotic surgery?

Robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery. The surgeon sits at a console and controls robotic arms equipped with tiny instruments. A 3D camera magnifies the surgical area. This allows the surgeon to see everything in high definition.

Wellstar Kennestone is one of the first hospitals in Georgia to offer the DV5. However, robotic surgery is not new at the hospital. Our surgeons began using Da Vinci Surgical System platforms in 2007. Today, we offer 17 state-of-the-art Da Vinci robotic surgical suites at several hospitals and two outpatient surgery centers. We use the system for many surgeries, including bariatric (weight loss), cancer and urology procedures.

A clear difference

Dr. Fritz Jean-Pierre has performed more than 2,500 bariatric surgeries in his career. And he’s excited about what the DV5 offers.

“The DV5 allows the surgeon to sense how much push-or-pull force they apply to delicate structures in the body,” said Dr. Jean-Pierre. “Essentially, the technology stops surgeons from putting too much strain on tissues as they maneuver the instruments. Less strain means less trauma and potential injury, leading to faster patient recovery.”

Dr. Jean-Pierre tailors surgery to each patient’s unique needs. The bariatric surgery he performs most often is the gastric sleeve. It involves removing a large portion of the stomach to limit food intake. Precision is essential, especially for patients who weigh more or have complex health conditions.

“After removing part of the stomach, the surgeon reconstructs the gastrointestinal tract. We use many sutures (stitches) to hold everything in place,” he said. “DV5 provides superior dexterity and control, leading to shorter, safer surgeries.”

Intuitive Surgical, the company that created the Da Vinci platform, designated Wellstar Kennestone as an “epicenter” for training in 2011. Surgeons from around the country come to Wellstar Kennestone to observe and learn robotic surgical techniques from Dr. Jean-Pierre and his colleagues.

The impact on outcomes

The DV5 allows surgeons to be more precise than ever, which affects patient outcomes. Dr. Scott Miller, a Wellstar urologist explained.

“The DV5 is ideal for many urologic procedures, such as prostate and kidney removal, bladder surgery and urinary tract reconstruction,” he said. “The improved range-of-motion and visualization features help us protect healthy tissues and nerves. As a result, we can lower the risk of serious side effects like infections and problems with bladder control and sexual function.”

Learn more about robotic surgery at Wellstar.

Keep reading
Two men have an earnest conversation

Highlights

Health Equity in Action

The Weekly Check-up Atlanta


When Dr. Earl Stewart thinks about health equity, he thinks about patients who delay care because they can’t take time off work, who are seniors silently battling chronic disease in food deserts and who live in communities hit hard when summer heat bears down on the South.

“Health equity,” he said on  The Weekly Check-Up podcast, “means making sure every person, regardless of ZIP code, income or background, has access to the care they need delivered with dignity.”

Dr. Stewart is the medical director of health equity at Wellstar and an internal medicine physician. He’s at the forefront of building a more just healthcare system rooted in listening, proactive outreach and community-based care. His work is redefining what community health looks like in practice.

Health equity starts with access

One of the biggest misconceptions about health equity is that it’s only about insurance coverage. But that’s just the starting point.

“Access doesn’t mean only having a clinic nearby or having insurance,” Dr. Stewart said. “It means that care is affordable, culturally competent, geographically reachable and provided in a way that meets people where they are.”

In Georgia, especially in urban and rural areas, barriers to healthcare can have many forms: long travel times to the nearest physician, language barriers, gaps in preventive care and social factors like food insecurity and housing instability. Each of these affects whether patients seek care at all and what happens when they do.

That’s why Dr. Stewart is helping lead efforts at Wellstar to address care beyond hospital walls, including thinking outside the traditional healthcare model.

Food as medicine for chronic disease

Health happens everywhere, not just in exam rooms. For example, conditions like diabetes and hypertension, wo diseases that disproportionately affect ethnically minoritized and low-income populations, are directly linked to access, or lack of access, to healthy food options.

Wellstar is working to reduce the health impact of food insecurity and chronic disease across the state through:

  • Fresh food as medicine initiatives
  • Mobile Markets in partnership with Goodr
  • Partnerships with local organizations

“If you don’t have access to healthy foods, your ability to control your blood pressure or manage your blood sugar is already compromised,” Dr. Stewart said.

By addressing food insecurity head-on, Wellstar isn’t only treating illness—we’re preventing it through community investment and education.

Mobile health removes barriers

For patients who can’t easily get to a clinic or pharmacy, Wellstar is bringing the clinic to their neighborhoods. Through mobile health programs, including pop-up clinics and food markets, patients can get screened for high blood pressure, pick up healthy groceries or receive preventive education.

“These programs reflect a shift in strategy—from reactive to proactive and from system-centered to patient-centered care,” Dr. Stewart said. “This is PeopleCare in action.”

“Mobile care gives us the chance to address healthcare access in a tangible way,” he added. “It removes barriers before they become complications.”

Health risks presented by climate

In a season of extreme and dangerous weather events, Dr. Stewart noted the connection between climate and health risks, especially for older adults and low-income populations.

“We see emergency department visits spike when the temperatures rise,” he said. “Older adults, people who work outdoors and people with chronic heart and lung conditions are especially vulnerable. Heat isn’t just a weather issue—it’s a health equity issue.”

For communities with limited cooling, transportation or healthcare providers, rising temperatures create a dangerous, often deadly situation. Dr. Stewart sees climate resilience as part of the activities needed to build health equity, calling for stronger connections among climate data analytics, care strategies and community outreach.

Leading with empathy & listening with intention

Health equity starts with listening. Dr. Stewart grounds his leadership in the belief that every patient story matters and empathy is as important as data to the future of healthcare.

With Wellstar Mobile Markets, social determinants of health screenings and mobile health outreach units, Dr. Stewart, the Wellstar Center for Health Equity team and Wellstar clinicians are working to transform healthcare from the inside out.

“Equity is not just the right thing to do morally,” he said. “It’s how we get better outcomes for everyone.”

Hear the full conversation.

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