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Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center

Equipped with the latest technology and medical expertise, Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center is committed to delivering quality, personalized care, tailored to you. Wellstar North Fulton is a Level II Emergency Cardiac Care Center, Level II Trauma Center and Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center.

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Address

3000 Hospital Boulevard
Roswell, GA 30076

Phone Number

(770) 751-2500
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(770) 751-2656
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(678) 581-5900
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(470) 245-9998
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Visitor Information

Wellstar North Fulton understands that having loved ones by your side can help with your healing and care. You have the right to choose and prioritize visitors from among family, friends, partners, personal care aides or other individuals (regardless of the person’s gender or your relationship to the person). To provide a restful and safe environment, we ask that visitors follow these guidelines:

Visitor Guidelines

  • Smoking is prohibited on the campus.
  • Please refrain from visiting if you have a cold, sore throat, fever or other illness.
  • Avoid noisy, disruptive behavior to help respect the healing of all patients.
  • Ask before bringing foods, drinks or other items that might trigger allergies like balloons, flowers or perfume into patient rooms.
  • Wash your hands before entering patient rooms.
  • Make sure children have a supervising adult with them at all times.
  • Some areas may restrict children or limit the age of children allowed to visit. Please check with the nursing staff.
  • Dress appropriately and wear shirts and shoes.
  • If a family member stays overnight, he or she must be of the same sex in semi-private rooms.

After-Hours Visiting

All visitors entering Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center between 9:00 PM and 5:30 AM, or planning to stay past 9:00 PM, must check in at one of the visitor management kiosks. Please bring a form of government ID. A Security Services team member will print you a FastPass® photo ID badge. A new pass is required daily for each after-hours visit.

Waiting Areas

Specific waiting areas have been designated for families of patients in the Critical Care Unit, the Emergency Department and Surgery.

Quiet Time

To provide healing and rest, Wellstar observes quiet times from 2 PM to 4 PM and 10 PM to 6 AM each day. Visitors are encouraged to turn off televisions and cellphones.

Spiritual Health Hours and Availability

Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Outside these hours and Saturday and Sunday, ask any of our team members to contact the chaplain or call (866) 462-8449 to reach the on-call chaplain.

Become a Wellstar Volunteer

Welcome to the Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center Volunteers! We are ecstatic that you are interested in participating in serving your community through hospital volunteerism. We have new and exciting opportunities to engage volunteers with patients. Volunteers are essential to the services provided by Wellstar North Fulton and we appreciate your interest in becoming a part of our team.

Most volunteer opportunities are available 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday though Friday. Volunteers are asked to commit to one 4-hour shift each week for six months or 100 hours, whichever comes first. Please call us with questions at (770) 751-2884.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at Wellstar North Fulton

Accreditations & Recognition

Quality & safety
  • Georgia Oglethorpe Award for Performance Excellence
  • Aetna Elective Delivery Infant Safety Recognition
Emergency care: heart, stroke & trauma
  • Mission: Lifeline® - STEMI Receiving Center - GOLD by the American Heart Association
  • Mission: Lifeline® - NSTEMI Receiving Center - SILVER by the American Heart Association
  • Level II Emergency Cardiac Care Center by the Georgia Department of Public Health — This is the highest level that can be achieved without offering open-heart surgery, which is available through partner hospitals in our cardiovascular network
  • Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association
  • Get With The Guidelines - Gold Plus Achievement with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy and with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll by the American Heart Association
  • Level II Trauma Center
Cancer care
  • First to be recognized in Georgia as a Network Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
Hyperbaric medicine
  • Awarded reaccreditation "With Distinction" by the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) — one of only 47 hyperbaric programs in the country with this type of designation

Nursing at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center

At Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, it takes a village to deliver personalized care to the community. Our healthcare heroes are more than just nurses, doctors and staff helping people overcome illnesses. We are truly friends caring for friends, family caring for family and neighbors caring for neighbors.

Learn more about the nursing culture at Wellstar North Fulton

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World-class care for your brain, spine and nerve health, including stroke care.

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Spine & Pain Care

Non-surgical and surgical treatment for chronic and acute pain. 

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Ongoing Care

Heart Health

Reducing risk of heart disease with complete cardiovascular care. 
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Cardiac Rehabilitation

A medically supervised program designed to improve quality of life.
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Cancer Care

Providing comprehensive cancer care through every step of your journey.

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Hyperbaric Center & Wound Care

Customized care for non-healing or chronic wounds.
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Inpatient Physical Rehab

Improving quality of life after stroke, injury or surgery. 
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Infusion Center

Fast, powerful treatment administered directly into your bloodstream.
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Labor & Delivery

Recently awarded Newsweek Best Maternity Care award.

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Robotic Surgery

Smaller incisions, less pain and quicker recovery.
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Inpatient Imaging

Full-range of state-of-the-art imaging services for hospitalized patients.

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Outpatient Imaging

Comprehensive, convenient imaging services.

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Outpatient Physical Rehab

Improving quality of life after stroke, injury or surgery. 
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Orthopedics

No matter the injury, we've got everything you need to get moving again.
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Awards and Accreditations


Wellstar is frequently recognized for its commitment to providing world-class healthcare and excellent patient service

Comprehensive Stroke Center

The Joint Commission seal
Recognized by The Joint Commission for Comprehensive Stroke care.

Georgia Oglethorpe Award for Performance Excellence

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Recognized by the Florida Sterling Council.

Level II Emergency Cardiac Care Center

Georgia Department of Public Health
Designated Level II Emergency Cardiac Care Center by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
View of Lobby at North Fulton Hospital
Innovative technology and design
Providing state-of-the-art medical, surgical and nursing care in a 218-bed facility
CyberKnife technology
CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System
This state-of-the-art treatment delivers high-dose radiation with pinpoint precision to tumors anywhere in the body, painlessly and without incisions.
Biplane
Advanced Vascular Imaging Technology
State-of-the-art technology used to diagnose and treat blood vessel issues in the brain, neck and spine with microsurgery or minimally-invasive endovascular techniques.
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Wellbean Cafe
Grab a delicious breakfast, or convenient lunch on the go. Proudly serving Starbucks coffee.
Wellstar North Fulton Hospital named "Best Maternity Hospital" by Newsweek
Best Maternity Hospital 2020
If you're thinking about starting or expanding your family, you know that what matters most is the health of mother and baby. Choosing the right maternity hospital can be key to achieving that all-important outcome.
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Quality, integrated care

A broad spectrum of medical specialists working together to meet your medical needs

Upcoming Events

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For the health and safety of our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, all events and classes are limited. For a complete list, see our event calendar.

News


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Don’t forget your keys to family health—checkups, screenings and vaccinations

Republished with permission of the Atlanta Business Chronicle Published on: July 2023

This article was originally published on Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 14, 2023.

The key to avoiding health problems is prevention, and the keys to prevention are annual checkups, regular screenings and vaccinations. With the start of the next school year looming in late summer, healthcare experts in Atlanta say it’s a good time for families to get back into the routine of scheduling and keeping these important appointments—not just for children, but for parents too, especially that one parent who tends to be the primary scheduler, often the mother.

In an Atlanta Business Chronicle panel discussion in partnership with Wellstar, physicians from Wellstar and Cobb & Douglas Health District discuss why checkups are important and how families can overcome obstacles to stay on track with preventative care.



Taking care of the family and the family’s No. 1 manager

David Rubinger, Atlanta Business Chronicle market president and publisher: When we think about family wellness and how it intersects with our daily work routines, it can get very complicated, given how busy working professionals are. We’re trying to figure out a way to manage not only our children’s health, and maybe our parents’ health if we’re in the sandwich generation, but our own health. The checklist is longer and longer every day. Let’s start with the basics. We’re a few weeks away from the start of school. Dr. Stinson, what are you telling your parents of kids of school age right now?

Dr. Carrie Stinson, Chief, Pediatric Service Line, Wellstar: The summer is a great time to get caught up on all the things that fall through the cracks during the busy school year. Our lives are very hectic, and when school starts back, things get even busier.

One big thing is the annual well-child exam. Every child should have a well-child exam every single year. When you have babies and toddlers, it’s routine — you’re scheduling these frequently. When kids get older and busier, these visits may feel less important and fall off your radar.

Well visits are important every year. They focus on the comprehensive health and well-being of your child. Pediatricians focus on physical health, development, emotional, social, and even behavioral health. During these visits, the care team collects information on patient and family history, talks about developmental milestones and how your child is doing in school socially. We also assess sleep habits and nutrition. As they become adolescents, well-child exams become even more important as we ask questions about your child’s mental and sexual health.

Those are important conversations to start having and your pediatrician can be a great facilitator. Sometimes parents are uncomfortable talking about those topics with their children even at an early, pre-adolescent stage, so those well checkups are really great places to get insight on how to approach sensitive topics.

Rubinger: Dr. Stinson, since COVID, tell me what you’re seeing that’s different in terms of talking to both parents and children. I am sure the pandemic took some families off their schedules for well checkups. How has the doctor-patient pediatric conversation changed over the past couple of years?

Dr. Stinson: What we’re hearing from our pediatricians since COVID is also what we’re hearing in the news. The behavioral and mental health crisis that we’re experiencing in this country has been really impactful on children, especially teenagers. During COVID, the social isolation of being out of school for periods of time had a significant impact on adolescents. The rise in social media popularity during that time also had a negative impact on pediatric mental health.

Our pediatricians are really seeing that impact now. They’re feeling the strain our teenagers are experiencing. We’re seeing many more cases of depression and anxiety, and cases that escalate to dangerous proportions such as suicidal thoughts and actions.

We’re trying to respond to it by increasing the resources in our communities, but it’s hard to move fast enough to keep up with the demand. At Wellstar, we are developing an integrative model for behavioral health into our pediatric offices. Five of our pediatric practices will have embedded behavioral health professionals, so pediatricians can make direct referrals and patients have immediate access to behavioral health providers in their pediatric office setting.

Rubinger: Dr. Greaves, the mother might be the caretaker who takes care of the child. Most mothers would put their kid’s health ahead of their own health. Tell me what you are experiencing in terms of women’s health as it relates to those people who are the caretakers. What are the issues that they’re having to face to address their own needs?

Dr. Paula Greaves, Chief, Women’s Health Service Line, Wellstar: Women are usually considered the CEOs of their households and the drivers of healthcare in the community. Most women are the care bridge between several generations. They take care of their children, their parents, their partners and at times their communities.

Unfortunately, they sometimes forget to take care of themselves. As physicians, it is our duty to ensure that women are made aware of the warning signs their bodies may be sending them and encourage them to seek help earlier to improve health outcomes.

There are nine signs that I tell my patients to watch out for:

  1. Fatigue: Most women think, “Oh, I’m tired. It’s because I’m doing too much or I’m not getting enough sleep.” But fatigue can be a sign of something more than simply lack of sleep. It could be thyroid dysfunction. It could be menstrual irregularities causing them to be anemic and thus feeling fatigued. It could be heart disease. Fatigue could also be a sign of depression or menopausal symptoms. Every household should own a blood pressure monitor, and women should know their numbers (blood pressure, weight, and last menstrual period).
  2. Women should be aware of physical changes within their bodies, including breast changes. Changes in the texture of the skin or a lump or pain in the breast should always be checked out.
  3. Bloating is another subtle symptom to be aware of. Most women feel bloated and think, “Oh, it’s time for my menstrual cycle, so that’s why I am bloated.” But bloating can be a sign of a gastrointestinal problem or an enlarged pelvic organ. If you have bloating that doesn’t resolve after one or two cycles, let your doctor know.
  4. Chest discomfort, shortness of breath and pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, shoulder, or arm are also red flags. Heart attack signs and symptoms can be completely different in women than the typical ones seen in men. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, so it is very important that these signs are not ignored.
  5. Lung cancer isn’t just a smoker’s disease. If you notice an unusual cough or wheezing, have it checked out.
  6. Weight changes: Either too much weight gain or unexpected weight loss should be mentioned to your physician. Fluid retention can also affect weight gain.
  7. Blood in the urine or stool should be reported.
  8. Irregular or heavy periods—heavy enough to change pads every hour or soil through clothes.
  9. Skin changes such as discolorations, new moles or growths are definitely worth having a professional take a look.


Rubinger:  Is there ever a situation, Dr. Stinson, where you are treating a child and you see a mother whom you can tell is having health issues, even without an exam? As a pediatrician, do you ever say, “Hey, I think you need to get that checked out?”

Dr. Stinson: As pediatricians, we really focus on the whole family. While we’re seeing the child, we’re also interacting with the parents, guardians, grandparents, or whoever’s bringing the child in to see us on a routine basis.

I think we often get questions from family members about their own health because of exactly what Dr. Greaves mentioned. People think, “I am in a doctor’s office. I don’t have time to go to my own doctor. Let me just see if I can get this question answered.

While being careful not to give medical advice to a patient who is not ours or who is outside of our scope of practice as pediatricians, we are very willing to give recommendations on where that person should seek care. One benefit of our health system is we have the expertise to take care of patients from before they’re born until they need end-of-life care. We have a scope of providers within our system who can help with pretty much any problem that might come up. I would not hesitate to refer a patient to Dr. Greaves and say, “This mom is really worried about her own health. Can you please help? She’s very busy, but her symptoms sound concerning. Can you maybe work her into your schedule?

I practice in the hospital, and we have sent several parents to the emergency room in our hospital for their own health while we’re taking care of their child in the pediatric unit.

How providers are addressing rising mental health needs

Rubinger: Dr. Memark, you get to look at this from the standpoint of two counties that are in great need of public health support. What are the trends that you’re seeing at a 30,000-foot view? What do you see within your communities that your organization tries to address?

Dr. Janet Memark, District Health Director, Cobb & Douglas Health District: From my point of view, one of the big things that we do at Cobb & Douglas Public Health is a large community health assessment. Dr. Greaves is actually a member of our board. We just finished a 2016-2020 five-year assessment. This was at the beginning of the pandemic, so keep that in mind. Our next assessment will capture 2021-2025. One of the things that was surprising to me was looking at causes of death in our communities. The assessment showed that in older people, it’s what you’d expect. For example, in Cobb County for those age 75 and older, the leading causes of death are things like vascular disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s. For ages 65 to 74, it’s heart disease and cancer. But when we started looking at the lower age groups, I was very surprised at what I saw:

  • For people in their 30s and 40s, the leading cause of death was accidental poisonings, and that includes drug abuse and drug overdoses. Number two was suicide.
  • For ages 25 to 34, number one was overdoses and poisonings and number two was suicide.
  • For ages 20 to 24, motor vehicle accidents were number one. Suicide was also number two for this group.
  • For 15 to 19, suicide took the number one spot. Number two was motor vehicle accidents.
  • For 10 to 14, number one was motor vehicle accidents followed by suicide.


After the timeframe studied in the assessment, we went through two more years of the pandemic, which affected almost everyone’s mental health in one way or another. We’ve heard on the news how pediatricians in medical school are now being trained on how to provide more extensive mental healthcare because there just aren’t enough mental health experts.

It’s wonderful to hear Dr. Stinson say they are really trying to bolster up mental health screenings for our young people during their pediatric visits. I’d also like to add that we have high rates of maternal mortality in Georgia. The state Department of Public Health did a deep dive and found that mental health is a huge component of maternal mortality. You see these same themes of mental health running through several different medical specialties.

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Publications & Articles


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Lown Institute Recognizes Wellstar Among Most Charitable in the Country

A report by the Lown Institute ranking the value of nonprofit hospitals’ community investment found that Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Cobb Medical Center are among the top 25 hospitals in the nation providing significantly more community benefit than they are receiving in tax exemption. 

Wellstar Kennestone ranked No. 1 in Georgia, while Wellstar Cobb was No. 2. Wellstar is the only health system with two hospitals included on the national top 25 list.

As the top provider of charity care in the state and one of the top 10 providers nationwide, Wellstar is committed to bringing expert, compassionate health services to those who need them. Last year alone, uncompensated and charity care at Wellstar exceeded $1.2 billion, providing care for at-risk and underserved communities across Georgia.

In addition to Wellstar Kennestone and Wellstar Cobb, Wellstar Douglas Medical Center, Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, Wellstar Paulding Medical Center and Wellstar Spalding Medical Center were recognized for spending more on financial assistance and community investment than the estimated value of their tax exemptions.

Read the full report from the Lown Institute. 

Keep reading
Published on: June 2023
Illustration of blood clot

Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center Completes 250 Procedures Treating Venous Thromboembolism

The peripheral vascular care team at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, a leading facility in the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), has completed its 250th venous thromboembolism (VTE) procedure.

According to the American Heart Association, VTE is the third most common vascular diagnosis after heart attacks and strokes, and affects between 300,000 and 600,000 Americans each year. There are two types of VTE: 

  • Deep vein thrombosis is a clot in a deep vein. It usually occurs in the leg, but it can also appear in the arms.
  • A pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot breaks off the vein and travels to the lungs, blocking the blood supply.

VTE can be fatal and can cause lifelong disability. Early intervention is crucial. At Wellstar North Fulton, the heart care team was an early adopter of a groundbreaking treatment for VTE, which uses a catheter to remove the clot. The healthcare provider inserts the catheter through the groin and navigates it to the clot for treatment. 

“This has been a game changer in the treatment of this disease,” said Wellstar Cardiologist Dr. Ahsan Achtchi. “We’re seeing a lot less long-term disability and a lot less deaths in patients who come to the hospital with a blood clot.”

Wellstar North Fulton continues to receive referrals from around the region for this procedure and is one of the highest volume hospitals for VTE care in metro Atlanta. 

Previous treatment options included open chest surgery, blood thinners and clot-busting medications. These methods posed a higher risk of complications, especially for patients who have recently undergone another surgical procedure. Because a recent surgery can put a patient at higher risk for VTE, using a catheter to remove the clot is safer for many patients. This new treatment method has reduced patients’ hospital stays for VTE from an average of five to seven days to only one or two days, according to Dr. Achtchi.

“Typically with this procedure, patients feel better almost immediately, and their recovery outside the hospital is a lot more complete and brisk,” he said.

Recognizing and preventing VTE

If you or someone else is showing signs of VTE, seek emergency care as soon as possible.

Symptoms of VTE include:

  • Swelling of the legs
  • Lightheadedness or fainting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain

Risk factors for VTE include not moving for a longer period of time—such as when someone is on bed rest following surgery—as well as some medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clotting disorders or kidney disease. Your Wellstar provider can help you evaluate your risk of VTE and manage your risk factors.

Learn more about cardiovascular care at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. 

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Published on: May 2023
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