Wellstar Paulding Improves Patient Safety

HIRAM, Ga. — With shovels in hand and plans in motion, leaders of Wellstar Paulding Medical Center officially broke ground Thursday, September 4, on a $300 million expansion project that will double the hospital’s inpatient capacity and bring new resources to one of Georgia’s fastest-growing regions.

The hospital, which currently operates 112 beds and a busy emergency department with 40 adult and pediatric bays, is nearing full capacity. As Paulding County continues to grow, so does the need for accessible, high-quality healthcare. Wellstar’s expansion aims to meet that demand head-on.

“This is a big moment for Paulding County,” said Wellstar Paulding President Todd Kennedy. “We’re responding to the needs of a growing community and laying the foundation for a healthier future.”

The new hospital tower will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase—opening in November 2027—adding 56 beds, expanding heart and vascular services, and increasing imaging testing capacity. An additional 56 beds will be added by 2029 as part of the second phase.

“We’re building more than just a new tower,” said Robert S. Owens, chair of the Wellstar Paulding Tower Campaign Cabinet and vice chair of the Wellstar Paulding Regional Health Board. “We’re building the future of healthcare in Paulding County.” 

A $20 million parking deck, featuring more than 460 new spaces, is also set to open this November, improving access for patients and visitors.

In recent years, Wellstar has expanded its footprint across Paulding County, adding 69 exam rooms at seven practices across the county to help ease pressure on the hospital and provide more convenient care. Locations in Hiram and Dallas now offer services ranging from primary care and pediatrics to behavioral health and specialty care. Another 46 exam rooms are planned over the next three years.

Wellstar Paulding’s Emergency Department remains one of the busiest in the region, rarely diverting patients despite high volumes. To help manage demand during construction, the hospital has added EMS drop-off spaces, opened a new waiting area for people with less urgent medical needs and created a discharge lounge to free up beds more quickly.

“The newest expansion at Wellstar Paulding is part of our system strategy to expand care across our markets,” said Mary Chatman, executive vice president of acute care operations at Wellstar Health System. “Not only will this provide additional capacity for our Paulding campus, but it will also support our efforts to manage capacity across our footprint.”

Wellstar Paulding has received numerous awards for quality and safety, including the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, Magnet Nursing Facility designation, Leapfrog “A” rating and a CMS 4-star rating for quality.

With approximately 1,900 employees, Wellstar Paulding is also one of the county’s largest employers, playing a key role in both healthcare and the local economy.

Wellstar Urgent Care has locations in Evans, Grovetown and South Augusta, or you can use our Virtual Urgent Care.

Emergency Care

In a life-threatening medical emergency, every second counts. Never put off getting the proper care when lives are on the line. Remember, driving yourself to the Emergency Department (ED) may delay care, so call 911 for the fastest access to emergency care. 

When the unexpected happens, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center’s Emergency Department is always ready. Our trained team provides expert emergency care 24 hours a day for people of all ages. At Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia, the dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department team is specially trained in treating children.

Recognize the signs of a medical emergency: 

• Fainting or loss of consciousness 
• Sudden, severe pain 
• Uncontrolled or severe bleeding 
• Choking, coughing up blood or severe vomiting 
• Changes in mental status, such as confusion or unusual behavior 
• Traumatic injury due to a motor vehicle or other accidents 
• Broken bones with an open wound

Remember, call 911 right away in a medical emergency. That way, care can begin sooner during the crucial time it takes to be transported to the hospital.

Some conditions, such as sports concussions or gout, may be best treated by a primary care or orthopedics clinician. Our Ortho-On-Demand team can refer you to other Wellstar locations if needed.

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.