Media Room

The system continues to build on its legacy and commitment to serving communities by actively listening to best understand and respond to what consumers want, need, and expect from their healthcare provider.

“As a leader in healthcare, we must take action to meet the evolving needs of people and communities. Health equity connects to everything we do, and recognizing hardships, disparities, and inequities is just the first step,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “Through strategic partnerships and programs, Wellstar is committed to supporting people and communities to make a tangible and lasting difference, enhancing the health and well-being of everyone we serve.”

Wellstar Center for Health Equity addresses community needs at a grassroots level

The Wellstar Center for Health Equity (WCHE) – an extension of Wellstar’s long history of community engagement and allyship to provide people-centric care – was formed to drive lasting change at a grassroots level. The six areas of focus were informed by Wellstar’s triennial Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) of 2019: Primary Care, Behavioral Health, Food Insecurity, Suicide, Cancer, Women’s Health.

Each of these strategic domains connects to Wellstar medical service lines to bring to bear the deep expertise and broad bench of resources needed to identify pertinent needs, relevant partnerships, and viable programs.

To create meaningful impact, Wellstar has forged strategic partnerships with government agencies, businesses, philanthropies, non-profit organizations, academia, and citizens. Examples of how WCHE has activated resources in the community include:

Walk-up, pop-up family COVID-19 testing: With the support of community partners, Wellstar conducts free walk-up, pop-up family testing at churches and school lunch pick-up sites and distributes safety kits in English and Spanish. To-date, WCHE has orchestrated 29 pop-up testing sites, administered over 3,000 COVID tests, and distributed more than 51,000 wellness kits with culturally and linguistically appropriate safety information.

Reaching faith-based congregants with vital information and vaccines: WCHE is hosting a series of community town halls to debunk myths about COVID-19 and vaccines in partnership with the Wellstar Congregational Health Network. In April, WCHE hosted a Hispanic town hall to address community questions and launched a series of equity-centric and language-proficient vaccination clinics for congregants at faith-based organizations.

Providing nutritious meals to food-insecure communities: In partnership with Goodr, an organization that provides food resources for people in need, and funded in part by Wellstar Foundation donations, the WCHE “Mobile Market” hosts “pop-up” farmers’ markets in seven communities, feeding over 700 families monthly.

Enabling technology-driven community health transformation: WCHE launched a year-long initiative to enhance access to medical care via technology with leading community partners. Supported by contributions to the Wellstar Foundation, the “Community Health Transformation” program enables the following community organizations to reach, engage, and support at-risk individuals with measurable results: Bethesda Community Clinic; Empowerment Resource Center; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia; Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb; and MUST Ministries.

Anchoring vulnerable patients with vital healthcare resources: When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 80% of COVID-19 patients in eight Georgia areas were Black people, WCHE developed “Anchoring Vulnerable Patients,” a project in Clayton County to assess and address the medical and social needs of Black patients with co-morbidities that put them at risk for contracting COVID-19.

Wellstar endorses diversity, equity, and inclusion pledges

Wellstar joined the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) ATL Action for Racial Equity, a multi-year action plan designed to address the effects of systemic racism. Over 150 metro Atlanta-based companies have joined the initiative, including Atlanta Hawks, Coca-Cola, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Newell Brands, Prime Revenue, and UPS, to “leverage the size, scale, and expertise of the region’s business community to advance racial equity.” Saunders has also endorsed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge, aimed to rally the business community to advance diversity and inclusion at work. The pledge outlines actions the signatory CEOs will take to cultivate a trusting environment where employees feel comfortable and empowered.

Wellstar Foundation launches Innovation Series

Wellstar Foundation has launched a series of virtual roundtable discussions with local leaders in the philanthropy and corporate communities to discuss and address pertinent community health and well-being issues. The series aims to facilitate conversation and collaboration that will lead to meaningful action and a pathway to transforming healthcare in Georgia. The first Innovation Series event, “Bridging the Gap: A Collaborative Approach to Health Equity,” took place on March 29 featuring experts from across Wellstar, an impassioned message from NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, and a keynote presentation from Dr. Gail C. Christopher, executive director of National Collaborative for Health Equity. More than 100 participants attended the inaugural event and engaged in discussion about how to enhance health equity. Future topics include digital health innovation, behavioral health and wellness, women’s health and pediatrics, and workforce planning.

Wellstar Health System, one of the largest healthcare systems in Georgia, announces multiple accolades, including national, regional and local recognition for facilities, service lines and leaders. Awards and accreditations for quality, safety, performance excellence and community service exemplify Wellstar’s commitment to world-class healthcare. 

“Dedication to excellence is a hallmark of Wellstar,” said David Jones, executive vice president and chief human resources officer of Wellstar. “People are at the center of everything we do. Achieving these accolades is a testament to our team’s hard work to enhance the health and well-being of every person, every time. It is not only our mission—it is our calling and our honor to offer tailored, compassionate healthcare to the people we serve.” 

National and regional organizations recognize Wellstar for quality, safety and performance excellence

• Healthgrades, which evaluates, recognizes and ranks hospitals that deliver superior care, recently named both Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and Wellstar Cobb Hospital in the top 5% in the nation for overall clinical excellence and ranked both in the 2021 “Top 250 Best Hospitals.”   

• Wellstar Kennestone Hospital was also recognized for: 

• America’s 100 Best Critical Care 
• America’s 100 Best Gastrointestinal Care 
• America’s 100 Best Pulmonary Care 
• General Surgery Excellence Award 
• Joint Replacement Excellence Award 
• Vascular Surgery Excellence Award 

• Wellstar Cobb Hospital was also recognized for: 

• America’s 100 Best Gastrointestinal Care
• America’s 100 Best General Surgery
• America’s 100 Best Pulmonary Care
• America’s 100 Best Stroke Care
• Vascular Surgery Excellence Award    

• Wellstar Douglas Hospital and Wellstar Paulding Hospital both earned the highest possible grade of A from Leapfrog, the only hospital rating focused exclusively on hospital safety.   
• Newsweek published “The World’s Best Hospitals 2021,” which included Wellstar Paulding Hospital as one of the top hospitals worldwide. The research conducted spans 25 countries and rates and ranks those that stand out for consistent excellence. This accolade follows Wellstar Paulding Hospital’s November 2020 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award—the nation’s highest performance excellence recognition. Wellstar is the first healthcare entity in Georgia and second company in the state to receive the award.    
• Georgia Hospital Association Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) recognized Wellstar Health System with the Circle of Excellence award and third place overall in the Hospitals and Health Systems category. Wellstar Douglas Hospital received two PHA awards in the Hospitals with 100-299 Beds category: second place for “Reductions of Both Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) & Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) Within the Intensive Care Unit" and third place for “The Clinical Nurse Leader: Improving Heart Failure Patient Outcomes.”              
• Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) recognized Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center with the WarnerMedia Community Leadership Award: Downtown Atlanta as part of a tribute to healthcare workers across Atlanta during the 2021 Annual Meeting. The award “pays tribute to leaders and institutions that have had an indelible impact on Downtown Atlanta.” 
• Cobb Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Meeting April 12, where Wellstar unveiled that it has been named one of the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® in the nation. Fortune also named Wellstar one of the 2021 Best Workplaces in Health Care & Biopharma™. At the event, the Chamber recognized healthcare workers for the Citizen of the Year award, including Wellstar Health System. Nadine Lynch, ICU manager at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, accepted the award on behalf of Wellstar healthcare workers. 
• Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center South recently obtained American Diabetes Association recognition as a site offering education, training and support for individuals with type 1, type 2, gestational and pre-diabetes. 
• Wellstar West Georgia Women's Health Center received accreditation as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. This “designation is awarded to breast imaging centers that achieve excellence,” offering world-class, quality breast care for people served by Wellstar West Georgia.       

Wellstar leaders achieve industry and community recognition for ongoing contributions 

• John Kueven, SVP and president of Wellstar Paulding Hospital and interim president of Wellstar Cobb Hospital, was named a 2021 International Hospital Federation Young Executive Leader. This program identifies and recognizes emerging hospital leaders from around the world and creates opportunities for “impactful international conversations” that help shape healthcare leadership.
• Callie Andrews, SVP and president, Wellstar Cobb Hospital, was named SVP and chief operating officer for Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, one of the largest and busiest hospitals in the state of Georgia. In this role, Andrews will serve as an on-site designated leader to bridge the daily corporate and local operations of Wellstar Kennestone and Windy Hill Hospitals, affiliated Health Parks, and Hospital Outpatient Departments.
• Dr. Chirag Patel, medical director of Population Health, Wellstar Health System, was selected as an American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) 2021 Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program Scholar. The “new generation of top-level healthcare leaders” participate in an advanced leadership program that fosters diverse and responsive healthcare organizations.
• Vicky Hogue, vice president of Patient Services and chief nursing officer for Wellstar Paulding Hospital, received the Nikki T. Randall Servant Leadership Award from the Georgia Women's Legislative Caucus. She was selected by Representative Kimberly Alexander of District 66 for exceptional leadership and service.
• David Jones, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Wellstar Health System, was listed on the inaugural Human Resources Director (HRD) Global 100. This list features leaders across a variety of sectors, specialties, and regions worldwide, celebrating “the very best” in human resources.