Cancer Surgeon Finds New Hope in a Newfound Talent

This holiday season, you can support Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia, a Children’s Miracle Network hospital, by tuning in to the 24th Annual iHeartMedia Cares for Kids Radiothon.

Tune into 104.3 WBBQ, 96.3 KISS FM and 105.7 The Bull or watch News12 NBC26 to hear stories of hope, healing and inspiration as patients and families share how Wellstar Children’s has had a positive impact in their lives.

December 5 & 6
6 AM to 7 PM

December 7
8 AM to 1 PM

Wellstar Children’s offers dedicated, world-class care to the youngest patients in our state and beyond. The hospital is home to a 24/7 Pediatric Emergency Room, a dedicated Level II Trauma Center, a Level IV NICU and the only Level I PICU outside of Atlanta.

Giving is easy! Here’s how:

• caresforkidsradiothon.com
• During the event: Call the SRP Federal Credit Union Phone Bank at (866) 412-KIDS (5437)
• Anytime: Call (706) 721-4004
• By mail: Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia 1446 Harper Street, BT 1845 | Augusta, GA 30912
• By text: Text CHOG to 51555 at any time

Learn more at caresforkidsradiothon.com.

Wellstar’s ongoing commitment to improving patients’ health and wellness was on full display when more than 100 cardiovascular healthcare providers gathered for the third annual Cardiovascular Quality Forum last spring. The forum, which was hosted at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, serves as a way to share best practices across the Wellstar Center for Cardiovascular Care in order to enhance patient care systemwide.

“All of our Wellstar cardiovascular programs across the system are constantly working to improve clinical processes in order to improve patient outcomes, whether it be reducing mortalities, decreasing complications, reducing length of stay, etc.,” said Wellstar Quality Manager Dave Bloomquist. “Our annual Cardiovascular Quality Forum allows us to share the work being done at each individual hospital so all Wellstar hospitals can benefit from each other’s improvement efforts.”

The centerpiece of the forum is the poster competition, an idea borrowed from the American College of Cardiology’s annual Quality Summit. Each Wellstar hospital is encouraged to share its cardiovascular improvement successes in the form of a poster submission. Submissions can come from any stakeholder across the care continuum, including inpatient, outpatient, procedural, wellness and post-acute care areas. The posters are then judged by a panel of physicians using an objective scoring tool.

“After three years of holding this event, our physician leaders are still quite eager to devote the time necessary to score the ever-increasing number of posters,” Bloomquist said. “When we held the first Cardiovascular Quality Forum, we had 12 poster submissions. Last year we received 20 submissions, and this year we received 32 submissions.”

The posters represent the hard work from Wellstar teams to enhance and sustain a culture of high-level cardiovascular quality. This year, the top five posters belonged to Wellstar Kennestone, Wellstar MCG Health, Wellstar North Fulton, Wellstar Paulding and Wellstar West Georgia Medical Centers. Wellstar West Georgia earned the top overall score for its poster on decreasing telemetry calls, or the overuse of cardiac monitoring.

Additional highlights of the 2024 forum included a keynote address delivered by Mayo Clinic Cardiologist Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh and an awards presentation that honored Wellstar Cobb Medical Center with the overall cardiovascular quality award.

For the first time, the event also recognized outstanding provider leadership in quality. Wellstar Kennestone Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistant Deleen Huff received the APP quality leader award, while Wellstar North Fulton Cardiologist Dr. Suresh Ramamurthy received the physician quality leader award. The awards are based on nominations, which may be submitted by any individual from any hospital.

“It was quite moving to read the nominations for physician quality leaders,” Bloomquist shared. “There was so much love and respect shown for our physicians by their clinical teams that it brought tears to my eyes as I read each nomination.”

Tears also flowed during the forum when a patient who survived a heart attack took the stage to share his testimonial alongside the Wellstar care team members who treated him.

“As we do each year, we invited a patient to join us to tell their story and recognize their Wellstar care team,” said Bloomquist. “There was not a dry eye in the room when the patient and his family told their journey at Wellstar—which ended with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD)—and thanked his care team for their love and care.”

As the Cardiovascular Quality Forum continues to grow, Wellstar patients will benefit greatly from care teams who are dedicated to improvement through collaboration. Bloomquist noted that the forum has been increasingly recognized by system leaders, including a number of hospital presidents who attend.

Looking ahead, Bloomquist said he is eager to see even more heart care leaders acknowledged for their contributions to the service line. “We will continue to grow the list of cardiovascular stakeholders that will be recognized for their improvement efforts to include inpatient nurses and EMS partners,” he shared.

The next Cardiovascular Quality Forum will be held March 2025.

It’s simple for many of us to find a primary care physician or advanced practice provider that we trust and feel comfortable with. By booking online or making a quick phone call, we can make an appointment and feel confident about the level of care we will receive. We know how and where to get the help we need when we need it.

Many people lack access to care, making their path to high-quality care more challenging. It could be because they don’t have insurance, are unable to pay for medical services or don’t have a way to get to their appointments. This isn’t how it should be.

At Wellstar, we believe every person deserves to live their healthiest life, regardless of their circumstances. The Wellstar Center for Health Equity has partnered with local clinics like Someone Cares to make healthcare accessible to everyone in our communities.

A safe and welcoming space

People who rely on Someone Cares include those who are underinsured or have difficulty accessing healthcare due to transportation or financial issues. The clinic is a one-stop shop that offers care at a brick-and-mortar location in Marietta. Services include:

• Primary care
• Addiction treatment
• Behavioral healthcare
• Lab services, including confidential HIV/AIDS testing
• Onsite pharmacies
• Other diagnostic testing
• Treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

In addition to their Marietta clinic, Someone Cares has two mobile units. They travel to communities throughout mtro Atlanta to provide HIV and STD testing, health screenings, health education and vaccinations. It’s a convenient option that allows people to get the care they need, where and when they need it.

Someone Cares also offers specialized services for individuals in the transgender community, including gender-affirming hormone therapy.

How Wellstar supports Someone Cares

Wellstar and Someone Cares began their partnership in 2023 when the organization was applying to become a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

FQHCs are community-based centers that receive funds from the federal government to provide primary healthcare services in underserved areas. FQHCs typically work with a hospital or health system to ensure patients have easier access to services that are unavailable in the primary care setting, such as inpatient behavioral health services.

Someone Cares will officially become a FQHC in February 2025. The designation allows them to expand their services, further supporting vulnerable communities.

Each partnership is unique

Someone Cares is one of about a half-dozen clinics in the Wellstar Community Clinic Network. The Wellstar Center for Health Equity launched the network eight years ago to serve the most under-resourced populations in our communities better.

Each partnership is unique and customized to the community-based clinic’s needs. A few examples of the services we provide include:

• Lab services
• Medical imaging
• Patient education
• Reduced-cost outpatient medical care and health screenings
• Telehealth services

We’re grateful for our Community Clinic Network partners, who help Wellstar create a healthier Georgia for all. Together, we’re making a difference in people’s lives across the state.

Learn more about the Wellstar Center for Health Equity.