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Article Category: Newsroom

Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Verified as Level II Trauma Center by American College of Surgeons

Wellstar Named Top Five National Finalist for American Hospital Association 2021 Quest for Quality Prize; More than 25% of Georgia Trend’s 2021 “Top Doctors” List from Wellstar

Published on June 03, 2021

Last updated 10:48 AM June 03, 2021

Exterior of Kennestone with Wellstar and Committee on Trauma logos

Wellstar Health System,  which has the largest trauma network in the state, has announced that the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Trauma Center has been verified as one of only four Georgia Level II Trauma Centers by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the Trauma Center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

Building on Wellstar’s commitment to healthcare excellence, the system was also named a top-five finalist for the American Hospital Association’s 2021 Quest for Quality Prize and had 130 physicians – representing almost 26% of the total list – named as Georgia Trend “Top Doctors.”

Largest Trauma Network in Georgia Adds LII Trauma Care Verification for Wellstar Kennestone

Wellstar operates the largest trauma network in Georgia, with Wellstar Kennestone’s new state-of-the-art emergency department, which opened in July 2020, being one of the largest and busiest in the nation. Kennestone provides comprehensive trauma care, with 24/7 access to on-site trauma, critical care trained surgeons, and a wide range of surgical subspecialties to consistently meet the needs of the most seriously injured patients following the highest care, quality and safety standards.

Established by the ACS in 1987, the Committee on Trauma’s (COT) Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers. Participants provide the hospital resources and level of care necessary to address the needs of all injured patients across the entire trauma continuum of care. Trauma center verification provides a structure for trauma care that can raise the overall level of performance throughout a hospital.

This prestigious verification recognizes the Wellstar Kennestone Trauma Center’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care for injured patients, spanning community outreach and injury prevention efforts, emergency trauma, operative care, critical care, and rehabilitation.

"Receiving this verification further validates the exceptional life-saving care we provide at Wellstar Kennestone for patients who have suffered from all ranges of traumatic injury," said Mary Chatman, Wellstar Health System executive vice president and president of Wellstar Kennestone and Windy Hill Hospitals. "We are so proud of the Trauma Center team's commitment to ensuring that all patients get the appropriate care in a timely and coordinated manner because our communities rely on Wellstar to provide the very best care for every person, every time."

Trauma is the leading cause of death and disability between ages 0-44 and the fourth leading cause of death overall. According to the Georgia Trauma Foundation, nine main causes account for 92.1% of trauma in Georgia. The leading causes of major trauma are motor vehicle crashes (37.7%); falls (22.2%); gunshot wounds (8.0%); motorcycle crashes (5.4%); pedestrian incidents (5.2%); assaults (4.3%); accidents (4.0%); stab wounds (2.9%) and all-terrain vehicle crashes (2.4%).

Top Five Finalist for National Quality Award

As an additional indicator of excellence, Wellstar was one of only five national American Hospital Association 2021 Quest for Quality Prize finalists. The award recognizes healthcare leadership and innovation in providing, improving, and advancing health in communities.

Nominees are highlighted for partnering with community organizations to improve health outcomes, developing new models of care, and collaborating with patients to design the patient care experience. One way that Wellstar addresses vital community needs to enhance health and wellness is via the Wellstar Center for Health Equity (WCHE). Over the past year, the WCHE orchestrated multiple, high-impact initiatives, including free pop-up COVID-19 testing, mobile food markets, and anchoring vulnerable patients with resources, benefiting thousands of Georgians. Wellstar was also honored for pandemic response efforts, including quickly leveraging telehealth to serve patients, creating team member mental wellness programs, and allocating and redeveloping resources across the system.

Georgia Trend Highlights Wellstar Physicians as Top Doctors

The May issue of Georgia Trend included the 2021 “Top Doctors,” the second annual listing of the state’s top physicians. Close to 26% of the physicians on the list were part of the Wellstar Health System enterprise, totaling 130 doctors across the majority of categories.

Physicians deemed by Georgia Trend as “outstanding” span Wellstar’s service areas, facilities, and service lines, including cardiology, neurology, gynecologic oncology, pulmonology, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, radiology, endocrinology, pediatric orthopedics, spine surgery, and sports medicine, among others. The physicians are selected via peer voting and review of government information sources. Inclusion on this list of the top medical experts in the state further validates Wellstar’s commitment to world-class healthcare.

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Newsroom

Women’s History Month Event Honors Impact of Female Leadership and Mentorship

On March 8, Wellstar’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted a fireside chat with leaders,  Beth Kost, Kem Mullins and Julie Teer, who also serve as Executive Sponsors to our Women’s Business Resource Group.  They engaged inn an important conversation about celebrating women in the workplace.  Focusing on the national theme for Women's History Month, "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories," they discussed women who have positively impacted their careers, the importance of mentorship and sponsorship, and advice they would give to female leaders of the next generation.

Kost is senior vice president and chief compliance officer of Wellstar, Mullins is executive president of ambulatory and business development, and Teer is senior vice president and president of the Wellstar Foundation. 

Women's History Month celebrates the contributions of women, past and present. President Jimmy Carter instituted the first National Women's History Week in March 1980. He said, "From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often, the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well." On March 8, we joined the world in celebrating International Women's Day and incorporate it into our month-long celebration of women's history.

Learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at Wellstar.

Watch the virtual event below.

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Newsroom

Black History Month Event Celebrates Excellence, Looks to Future

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Wellstar’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion partnered with the African American/Black Business Resource Group, B.R.A.V.E., to host an engaging conversation between Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Dr. Hank Capps, Wellstar executive vice president and chief information and digital officer and B.R.A.V.E. Executive Sponsor. Focusing on “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, and Inspiring the Future,” they discussed wrestling with the fundamental contradictions of our country’s past, addressing bias and holding unflinchingly to science and facts.

"Black History Month allows all individuals to reflect on the power of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in every facet of American culture. It is a time to understand and reflect upon Black stories of joy, pain and triumph. It is a time to come together to honor the great achievements of Black individuals, acknowledge and appreciate their many contributions to our society, both past and present, and to celebrate Black excellence," said Wellstar’s SVP and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Le Joyce Naylor.

Watch a portion of the program below.

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Illustration of basket of groceries. Wellstar and Goodr logos

Newsroom

Wellstar Partners with Goodr to Launch Mobile Grocery Store to Address Food Insecurity

Wellstar Health System is proud to announce that Goodr, a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company, just unveiled Goodr Mobile Grocery Store on March 8 at Atlanta City Hall. Wellstar is proud to sponsor this 26-foot truck stocked with grocery items, including fresh produce, milk, eggs, and shelf-stable items – all for free. The truck aims to bring Goodr's signature free grocery shopping experience to food-insecure communities.

Fully kitted with refrigerators, freezers, and shelving, families will enjoy an experience much like shopping for goods at a local grocery store. Beyond that, every aspect of the Mobile Grocery Store is about access – from the wheelchair ramp to the resource room for private health screenings or social services consultation.

Wellstar’s Community Health Needs Assessments identified food insecurity as a key social determinant of health impacting the well-being of the communities we serve across the state in both 2019 and 2022. In late 2020, Wellstar joined the Goodr partner network and launched the Wellstar Mobile Markets, a uniquely branded variation of the pop-up grocery markets. The Mobile Markets have reached communities in metro Atlanta and beyond.

“I’m honored to represent Wellstar Health System, the Wellstar Foundation, and our generous donors who have helped make this vision, the Goodr Mobile Grocery Store, a reality,” said Julie Teer, SVP, Wellstar Health System, and president, Wellstar Foundation. “At Wellstar, we truly believe each and every person deserves to live their healthiest life, regardless of their circumstances. And, for a person to live their healthiest life, they need sustainable access to fresh, nutritious food.”

Wellstar is incredibly excited for this next chapter in our partnership with Goodr, and we are honored to be the exclusive healthcare partner and sponsor for this new and innovative way to serve communities.

To truly improve the overall health of our communities, it will take all of us working together to address the social determinants of health. The Goodr Mobile Grocery Store is a perfect example of what we can achieve when we work together.

Wellstar has been dedicated for the past 30 years to making Georgia a healthier place for everyone, and it is because of philanthropy that we are able to reinvest in the communities we serve. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Goodr to offer these critical resources to more people through the Goodr Mobile Grocery Store, and we are excited to see how our organizations can continue to work together to further improve the health of our communities.

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