Wellstar Community Outreach
At Wellstar, community outreach is an important facet of our mission to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve.
- Community Outreach
Community Outreach at Wellstar
Wellstar Health System is a nonprofit organization and is committed to being an engaged community partner. At Wellstar, we are more than healthcare, we are PeopleCare, and our passion for people extends into the communities we serve. We are committed to elevating the health and well-being of our community through outreach and partnership that honors all voices. Wellstar relies on and values our community partners and the role they play in positively impacting the health and well-being of every person we serve. Wellstar partners with mission-aligned and other non-profit organizations to address priority health needs and social determinants of health as defined through our Community Health Needs Assessments, and that also further a social cause and provide community benefit. We work alongside our business and civic partners and leaders to amplify health awareness, contribute to economic development and growth, and to help our communities thrive through service. We also partner with both academic and other organizations dedicated to career development to help prepare the next generation of caregivers and healthcare workers in both clinical and non-clinical capacities. In addition to community partnerships, Wellstar also engages in our community through corporate volunteerism, sponsorships, event participation and speaking engagements that align with our areas of focus. Each request for Wellstar to provide community support is carefully considered. Please contact us about speaking engagements, sponsorships, events, and other partnership opportunities. If you would like to receive our monthly Community Update eNewsletter, please submit your request here: [email protected]Just a few outreach examples
Wellstar supports our partner organizations such as those providing access to food and housing by engaging our team members in volunteerism and community service through Wellstar’s CommunityCare initiative. Wellstar also provides health education and awareness on important health and wellness topics such as cardiac health and stroke prevention, breast and prostate cancer prevention, and mental health including suicide prevention, and substance abuse prevention and treatment.
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Wellstar Expanding Cancer Care in Spalding County
- Medical oncology services with partners in care Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers (NGOC), including the latest targeted therapies, immunotherapy and chemotherapy to fight various types of cancer
- Outpatient infusion services
- Infusion Pharmacy, an onsite compounding pharmacy for timely medication preparation
- Resources for patient education with a clinical pharmacist and nurse
- Onsite support services, including oncology nurse navigator
- Eight patient exam rooms
- Triage room
- 14 infusion chairs
- Two blood draw stations
- Dedicated lab
- Waiting area
- Administration offices
- Nurses stations
Newsroom
Wellstar Breaks Ground on Cancer Care Facility in Spalding County
Highlights
Expert Treatment for Head and Neck Cancers at Wellstar
Head and neck cancers include several different types of malignant tumors affecting parts of the head and neck, including the nose and sinus cavities, mouth, throat, voice box and salivary glands. Head and neck cancers typically involve the mucosa, or the tissues lining these areas, and represent about 4% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year.
Treating head and neck cancers
If you are diagnosed with cancer, Wellstar provides expert care. Oropharyngeal cancers are typically treated with surgery (with or without radiation therapy) or radiation therapy (with or without chemotherapy) at equivalent cure rates. Goals of treatment are to remove the cancer, prevent its return and limit side effects.
“Wellstar providers work with patients to tailor care to their needs—based on effectiveness of the treatment, tumor location and stage, accessibility of the tumor to a surgical approach, risk of side effects and patient choice,” said Dr. Kia Jones, a Wellstar ear nose & throat physician.
In the Head and Neck STAT Clinics at Wellstar Cobb, Douglas and North Fulton Medical Centers, the patient meets with their entire treatment team in a single day during treatment planning and may start treatment sooner, which may improve outcomes for patients and provides more peace of mind.
New surgical method improves treatment
Transoral robotic surgery, offered at Wellstar North Fulton, has changed the way oropharyngeal cancers are treated surgically.
“In this procedure, the surgeon accesses the cancer by passing tools through the mouth rather than making an incision,” said Dr. Jones, who performs the procedure.
For those patients with early-stage tumors and limited disease in the neck, the surgery offers the patient a cure at a single intervention without the need for tracheostomy or abdominal feeding tube, faster return to taking food orally, improved outcomes and faster recovery. This is preferred over traditional surgical methods, which require splitting the jaw and/or the tongue or gaining access to the throat via neck incision.
Reducing your risk
You can take action against common risk factors by decreasing tobacco and alcohol use and getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Some well-known risk factors for the development of head and neck cancers include heavy alcohol and tobacco use, especially if someone uses alcohol and tobacco together. Men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with oral and throat cancer compared to women, according to the American Cancer Society.
An additional risk factor is HPV infection, which is related to the development of oropharyngeal cancer specifically. The oropharynx is the midsection of the throat and includes the tonsils and the root of the tongue or tongue base where the vast majority of these tumors originate. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is more prevalent now than HPV-related cervical cancer in women. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer has been increasing in the United States over the last three to four decades, while the incidence of tobacco and alcohol-related tumors has been declining. More than 22,500 people are diagnosed with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer each year.
Learn more about how Wellstar cares for head and neck cancers.