Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Renews Accreditation for Rectal Cancer Program

Healthcare leaders gathered at Health Connect South to discuss the key healthcare challenges and opportunities facing medical institutions nationwide. Wellstar President and CEO Candice L. Saunders, Augusta University President Dr. Russell T. Keen and Medical College of Georgia Dean Dr. David Hess spoke with 11Alive's Cheryl Preheim about advancing healthcare throughout Georgia. They highlighted how investing in cutting-edge facilities and rural hospital collaborations helps meet the unique needs of communities across Georgia.

At the heart of this partnership is a shared goal: making sure every person, in every part of Georgia, has access to high-quality, personalized care. Whether it's through strengthening rural hospitals, expanding digital health options or bringing care directly to patients via telehealth, the organizations are working together to improve access to care and rethink what healthcare can look like.

"As we look to the future, we are keeping our eye on how the role of technology is still revealing itself. It is very exciting as we continue to work together and bring the strength of academic research and clinical expertise to our community," said Saunders.

One example already making a difference? The Wellstar Digital Care Network is improving rural hospitals’ access to cardiology, stroke and pediatric subspeciality services across the state, enabling Georgians in rural areas to receive care closer to home.

And that's just the beginning. By blending the deep clinical expertise and medical records data, this collaboration is helping to develop innovative care models that improve health outcomes.

“Combining our forces to leverage the clinical data and research capabilities that we have can translate to better health outcomes for people across the entire state. Being able to offer more clinical trials for Georgians is certainly an early win. We are truly doing more together than we could have in our own arenas,” said Keen.

Improving access to care and growing Georgia's healthcare workforce are top priorities. Medical College of Georgia is already one of the largest medical schools in the country. With more than 350 teaching sites and four regional campuses, it trains future doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals where they're needed most, and about half of new physicians establish their practices where they train. That means more providers in more places—ready to meet the state's growing and changing needs.

Georgia's healthcare challenges are real, from aging populations to rising rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. The state faces some significant hurdles. AU, MCG and Wellstar are collaborating to expand care and use data in more innovative ways to get ahead of these issues, not just respond to them.

John Elliot was a builder who enjoyed meeting with clients and planning their future homes. But the effects of Parkinson’s disease made it hard for him to meet with clients and live his life. Then he found a new sense of hope thanks to the Wellstar Parkinson’s and Tremors Program and a procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS). His experience is a powerful testament to the value of comprehensive care and how his neurologists, functional neurosurgeon and nurse navigator helped him rebuild his life. 

Symptoms that were hard to shake

John has been building custom homes in Marietta for 45 years—a career defined by personal relationships with his clients. He loves spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and bushhogging the multi-generational family farm.

But in 2015, John’s hands began to shake. A former client and friend who was a retired neurologist recommended he see Dr. Thomas Holmes, a Wellstar neurologist. 

A DaTscan, a type of nuclear imaging test that takes images of the brain, helped Dr. Holmes see a loss in John’s dopamine-producing neurons, which indicates Parkinson’s disease. The progressive neurological disorder affects a person’s motor functions and movements. 

At first, medication helped. But years after his diagnosis, John’s medications were barely effective.

“A big part of custom home building is your interaction with your client,” John said. “Meeting with the customer became somewhat of a problem.”

His tremors and involuntary mouth movements left him feeling embarrassed.

“I kind of went into a shell and didn't want to see people because they would make comments, particularly about the mouth movement,” he said. “You want to hide.”