Wellstar National COVID-19 Resiliency Network Partnership Reaches Over 1 Million People

“Jane” sits quietly in the exam room, clutching the discharge papers the doctor has just handed her. Her blood pressure has improved, but she is still overwhelmed with worry—not because of the diagnosis, but because of what awaits her outside the hospital. 

She has a new prescription in her hand, but no reliable transportation to pick it up, and a diet plan to follow, but an empty fridge at home. She has advice to rest, but a job that didn’t offer paid time off, which will mean no way to pay her utilities or her rent. 

Her doctor has done everything right medically—yet Jane still is not set up completely for a positive health outcome.  

This is the moment where health systems face a truth we cannot ignore: Health doesn't begin in the exam room, and it doesn’t end there either. It lives in kitchens, workplaces, neighborhoods, families and within our communities. It is shaped by whether someone can afford groceries, find safe housing or get to their appointments. 

These everyday circumstances—known as social determinants of health or non-medical drivers of health—affect nearly every outcome. They determine whether treatment plans succeed, whether chronic conditions worsenand whether families thrive or struggle. In fact, research shows that up to 80% of health outcomes are tied to social determinants, not clinical treatment alone. 

And for too long, patients like Jane have been left to navigate these challenges alone. 

A Shift in Healthcare: PeopleCare

Imagine if every healthcare visit didn’t only diagnose health needs, but also understood life needs: 

• “Do you have access to healthy food?” 
• “Are you worried about housing or utilities?” 
• “Do you need transportation to follow-up appointments?” 

This is the movement taking place today: healthcare shifting beyond treating illness to supporting everyday well-being. Medicine can lower blood pressure, and community support can keep it down. 

Enter Wellstar Find Help: Support at Your Fingertips 

To bring this vision to life, Wellstar has introduced Wellstar Find Help—a tool that connects individuals with thousands of community resources including: 

• Food assistance
• Housing and utilities 
• Transportation 
• Employment support 
• Mental health services 
• Senior and caregiver programs 

It’s a pathway, a bridge and a lifeline. All resources can be found very easily by entering the ZIP code for the person in need within the community. Refer your friend, a family member, a fellow church member or even yourself if you need it.  

Here’s what makes it truly powerful. Anyone can use it—anytime, anywhere, from home or phone, and it’s built directly into Wellstar’s medical record system. That means when someone is sitting in a room like Jane was—overwhelmed, uncertain, quietly carrying life burdens—the care team doesn’t just send them home with instructions. 

They can help them right there, in the moment by connecting them to real support before they walk out the door. 

Healing happens in community 

When community resources meet medical care, everything changes. A father on dialysis doesn’t miss treatment because a ride fell through. A mom recovering from surgery has healthy meals for her family. A senior gets help with housing instead of silently struggling. People don’t just survive. They thrive because sometimes the strongest medicine is hope. 

Sometimes hope looks like a bus pass, a food pantry referral or a team member who says, “You don’t have to figure this out alone.”

Wellstar Find Help will assist us in figuring it out together or at least give us a place to start. Wellstar Find Help is more than a website. It’s a community initiative that suggests care doesn’t end when the hospital doors close, that supports every person's right to dignity, access and opportunity and acknowledges that healthcare isn’t just about treating bodies—it’s about overall well-being. For patients like Jane, that can make all the difference. 

Community health challenge: working together to change lives 

For community partners 

You are the backbone of healthcare beyond the medical building walls. Our community’s food banks, housing organizations, transportation services, senior programs and faith-based organizations provide stability and opportunities for patients to heal as a whole.  We invite you to:  

• Claim your organization: share your programs, capacity and preferred referral pathways.
• Help us lift barriers proactively rather than reactively. 
• Stay connected.

Healthcare needs you, and our communities thrive when we all work together. Together we can create and sustain a network of support that meets people where they are and then lifts them where they deserve to be.

Visit wellstar.findhelp.com to learn more and find resources.

What began as a bold idea—bringing cardiovascular health education into the heart of our communities—has now culminated in a joyful, music-filled celebration that honored the success of a powerful one-year pilot program of Live to the Beat at First Baptist Church East Point and Mount Olive Seventh Day Adventist Church. From inception to execution, this journey has been a testament to what can happen when community, clinical partners and courageous participants come together with one mission: to live longer, stronger, healthier lives—one beat at a time.

Final Class Check-In & Celebration

We opened our final sessions with a check-in, inviting participants to reflect on how they’ve been incorporating their support networks into daily life since our “A Family Affair” class. Their stories affirmed the power of connection and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you thrive.

After the check-in, we transitioned into a formal celebration that included: 

• A brief agenda to thank everyone—from stakeholders and service line leaders to our participants and guest speakers 
• A powerful recap of success metrics from each church
• A joyful closing moment that quite literally had everyone “living to the beat” with music, dancing and smiles all around!

Mount Olive: Setting the Bar High

With 18 dedicated members, Mount Olive consistently exceeded expectations:

• 90% average attendance
• 100% 5-star rating in both knowledge gained and overall satisfaction
• 82% reported positive behavior change in daily life
• 61% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
• Three participants shared that their clinicians reduced the dosage or number of their medications
• Two reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program

From their energy in the classroom to their commitment at home, Mount Olive’s cohort has become a model of what’s possible when knowledge meets action.

First Baptist: Stepping Boldly into Wellness

With 14 committed participants, First Baptist brought steady engagement and deep personal growth:

• 74% average attendance
• 80% reported positive behavior change
• 43% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
• Two participants reported a reduction in medication dosage or number
• Three reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
• 4.69 rating in knowledge gained and overall rating of 4.77 out of 5

Their thoughtful conversations, openness to growth and willingness to step outside their comfort zones truly made this cohort shine. And yes—we danced our way into what’s next.

Looking Ahead: The Beat Continues with Art Pharmacy

While the classroom sessions have come to a close, our participants’ journey is far from over. As a next step, all graduates will now enter the next phase of Live to the Beat through our new partnership with Art Pharmacy—a social prescribing organization that connects individuals to arts and culture-based experiences to support long-term health and well-being.

Graduates will receive one “social prescription” per month for the next six months, focusing on connection, creativity and continued wellness. This phase was designed with intention—to ensure the momentum continues beyond the classroom and into real life.

We’ll also be conducting a 6-month follow-up to evaluate how behavior changes have been sustained over time, using lessons learned to inform the next cohort launching in September.

National Impact: CDC Foundation & LTTB Ambassadors

We were honored to have representatives from the CDC Foundation join our final celebrations to share how graduates can become Live to the Beat Ambassadors for the national campaign. Many participants expressed excitement about using their voice to inspire others to begin their heart health journeys too—a beautiful full-circle moment of community-led change.

One Chapter Ends, A Movement Continues

As we officially close out this year-long pilot, we stand in awe of what was accomplished—and energized for what’s ahead. To our participants: thank you for your courage and commitment. To our partners, service line leaders and supporters: thank you for believing in the vision.

Together, we proved that heart health isn’t just clinical—it’s cultural, communal and deeply personal. And as we prepare for the next chapter, one thing is certain:  The beat goes on… and it’s only getting stronger.