Wellstar Offers Life-Changing Adult Scoliosis Surgery

Lead Khristen Flennoy is on a mission. As the new director of the Wellstar Healthy Start program, she wants to enroll hundreds of women in Butts, Spalding and Troup counties in a program that cares for mothers and babies before, during and after childbirth.

“There is a great need to expand women’s health services in Butts, Spalding and Troup counties, and we’re grateful for the resources the Healthy Start grant provides,” said Flennoy. “After an extremely competitive application process, Wellstar is now part of Healthy Start’s 33-year legacy of improving the health of women and families. I am ecstatic to lead the charge alongside a dynamic team to create a lasting impact for the people in these communities.”

For the first time in her new role, Flennoy led a community consortium meeting on Friday, October 25. The group was formed to serve as a voice for the community after Wellstar received the $5.5 million Healthy Start federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. The highly competitive grant invests in communities to improve health outcomes before, during and after pregnancies.

According to the Georgia Department of Health, maternal deaths during pregnancy are increasing. Black women are twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Wellstar is the first grant recipient in the state to embed the Healthy Start program in its OB/GYN offices.

Participants include pregnant women, new moms of babies up to 18 months old, and fathers and other caregivers. So far, more than 50 participants in Butts, Spalding and Troup counties have signed up. Many are already receiving the services at no cost, which include case managers, nurse navigators and doula services, as well as classes on pregnancy and infant care, parenting and nutrition. The grant also covers transportation needs.

“This grant allows us to better connect clinical expertise with community support to improve the health of women and families in Georgia counties that have the greatest need," said Preston Hendrickson, assistant vice president of Women’s Health at Wellstar. “We’re thrilled about the opportunities that the Healthy Start grant will make available to families that live, work and play in Butts, Spalding and Troup counties.”

A family’s income or insurance status does not factor into who qualifies. Any expectant or new parent can receive care through the program. To apply, fill out the confidential questionnaire at wellstar.org/healthystart.

This article is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $5.5 million with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.

Innovative technology at Wellstar is offering patients a minimally invasive option for lung biopsies, reducing complications and helping expedite lung cancer treatment.

The Ion system is a robotic-assisted platform for performing lung biopsies. If a lung cancer screening or any other CT scan shows a suspicious nodule, providers will need to perform a biopsy to determine if the patient has lung cancer and how to proceed with care.

“Those nodules may not be cancer, but in certain situations we still need to know what it is,” said Wellstar Pulmonologist Dr. Timothy Udoji. “The Ion technology helps us biopsy those nodules to get an answer so that additional workup can be done immediately. If it is cancer, we want to catch it at an early stage.”

The system uses a three-dimensional spatial recognition technology that helps guide a catheter down the airway, deep into the lung, all the way to small nodules where biopsies can be performed. The robotic catheter maintains its shape and stability throughout the biopsy process significantly improving diagnostic yield compared to other modalities.

“The better the image and the more certainty we have of the spatial location of the catheter, the better we can avoid complications by making sure we are not too close to a blood vessel or the edge of the lung,” said Wellstar Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Daniel Fortes.

During the biopsy, providers can also use the Ion system to mark an area in the lung, making it easier to find later during surgery.

“If something is very small and hard to find in surgery, Ion can be used to mark that area with dye, or contrast, that allows us to find it in surgery,” Dr. Fortes said. “With this technology added to the surgical robotic system in the operating room, we can better identify those lesions and remove smaller portions of lung, also called segments.”

Technology to help provide peace of mind

The Ion system also has further reach than previous technologies and is able to more easily biopsy nodules in the peripheral areas of the lung. For many cancer patients, this will allow them to initiate care earlier and improve their outcomes, as well as give them peace of mind during the treatment process.

“Mental health impacts physical health. We are able to confidently biopsy and identify these nodules and that means a lot for our patients,” Dr. Udoji said. “Now, with this new technology we are able to get a biopsy done much earlier which has huge outcome implications for malignant nodules.”

At Wellstar, cancer care is tailored for each patient. In the Wellstar STAT Clinic for Lung Cancer, patients meet with multiple specialists at once to discuss their care options and create a personalized treatment plan. Specialists in the STAT Clinics, which are located at Wellstar Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone Regional, North Fulton and Paulding medical centers, work with patients to determine the optimal course of treatment and will talk with patients and families about biopsy options, including the Ion system. The STAT Clinics give patients the opportunity to have their diagnoses managed right away, and literature shows that the clinics’ diagnostic and treatment model improves outcomes for patients.

The Ion system is currently in use at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where the team has completed 500 procedures. Learn more about lung cancer care at wellstar.org/lungcancer.

It’s not every day that a young man survives a nearly fatal car accident and takes a victory walk through the hospital hallways to thank his care team. After suffering a rare cricotracheal separation that left Chris LoCurto unable to effectively breathe on his own, that’s exactly what happened.

Coordinated EMS & hospital care set Chris up for survival

At 22, Chris was in a car accident that caused serious injuries he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive. He fractured his jaw, clavicle and spine and his lung collapsed. His most life-threatening injury was a tracheal separation—his airway was cut in half.

EMS professionals arrived on the scene. Although Chris was talking and walking, they could hear something abnormal in his breathing. The paramedics coordinated care with Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center so the trauma team would be assembled and ready for Chris upon arrival.

“I was trying to breathe but I wasn’t getting air,” Chris said. “Going to the hospital, I was honestly thinking I wasn’t going to make it.”

How the trauma team put Chris on the road to recovery

Led by Dr. Daniella Kington, the trauma team was waiting when Chris arrived. Immediately, they intubated him so he could breathe. They used a bronchoscope, a special camera, to see inside the airway to diagnose the injury and learn important details to plan treatment.

Chris was then put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This highly-advanced machine helps the heart, lungs or both heal after extreme trauma or organ failure.

“For Chris, ECMO supported his breathing and oxygenation during the intricate surgical repair of his trachea,” said Jamie Van Ness, MBA, BSN, TCRN, director of Trauma Services at Wellstar Kennestone.

Now a Level I Trauma Center, the hospital is one of a few in Georgia that offers ECMO.

Dr. Nelson May, a head and neck trauma surgeon, was assisted by Dr. Nicholas Mildenhall to perform Chris’ tracheal repair. The surgery required the surgeons to reattach Chris’ larynx to his trachea. Then they placed a tracheostomy tube so Chris would be able to breathe, swallow and talk again.

To allow his airway to heal, Chris was sedated for a few weeks. When he woke, his injuries had been treated but he was fighting pneumonia. He was transferred to intensive care and his condition improved within a week.

Throughout his time in the hospital, Chris received the right treatment at the right time thanks to Wellstar’s multidisciplinary approach to care.

“Coming to Wellstar Kennestone made a difference in Chris' outcome,” said trauma surgeon Dr. Ginger Justice, a physician who got to know Chris on her daily rounds. “He came to a trauma center that had all the resources to care for him—pretty much from the moment he hit the Emergency Department to discharge.”&

Providing specialized trauma care

When Chris was a patient, all the specially trained doctors and advanced technology were available to help him recover from his life-threatening injuries. Shortly after, Wellstar Kennestone was verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Trauma Center, the highest level of trauma care offered.

“The first and most crucial piece [to Level I Trauma Center verification] is that we have all the different subspecialists available in one place to provide full care for our patients,” Dr. Kington said. “If a patient comes in, no matter where they’re injured, we have a subspecialist who can help with all those different injuries.”

That was exactly what Chris needed. In addition to helping people get trauma care fast, Wellstar Kennestone is home to a residency program, training the next generation of trauma doctors.

For about a month and a half, Chris recovered in the trauma unit, ICU and intensive inpatient rehabilitation. In Wellstar Kennestone’s inpatient rehab, specially trained speech, occupational and physical therapists create a specialized care plan to help each patient achieve their goals and get back to living life.

Compassionate nurses made a lasting impact on Chris

While the trauma team saved his life, Chris credits his nurses with keeping him motivated.

“Every nurse I met who came in, we ended up forming some sort of relationship,” Chris said. “They took care of me like their own. That’s not in their job title, nobody asked them to do that, which is why I’m so grateful. They went above and beyond what they get paid to do to make me better physically and mentally.”

For example, one nurse found out about Chris’ love of aviation and brought him to see an air ambulance helicopter. Another nurse shared his love for hunting and planned a reunion for Chris and his hunting companion, his dog Maddux.



“While the future was kind of unforeseen, the nurses connected with me,” Chris said. “I got to spend some time with my dog too. It was huge for my mental well-being.”

Coming back to say thanks

Chris defied the odds by walking, talking and being able to eat. Today, he’s taking steps toward a full recovery. While learning to live with a tracheostomy tube, he’s working out and increasing his cardio exercise. He spends a lot of time walking Maddux.

“I’m slowly introducing myself to normalcy again,” he said.

A crucial part of recovery was visiting the hospital and saying “thank you” to his care team.

“He and his family walked in,” Dr. Justice remembered. “I saw Chris in normal street clothes, walking with his sunglasses on. He said, ‘Hey, I’m doing great!’ To see this young man with so much potential have a good outcome was very inspiring.”

Chris made sure to thank as many care team members as possible. “Their motivation and drive to get me going is without a doubt one of the reasons I’m moving around as good as I am today,” he said.

Dr. May added, “It was gratifying to see the real-life implication of Chris’ care and to be able to participate in getting him to where he is today.”

A bright future thanks to expert trauma care

Overall, without the first-rate trauma response of Chris’ medical team at Wellstar Kennestone, he would not be where he is today—back in the wilderness with Maddux.

“The coordination of many different teams and doctors with different areas of expertise in different phases of his care allowed him to be where he is today,” Dr. May said.

Wellstar Kennestone provided the advanced care Chris needed with excellent trauma services. Now with a Level I Trauma accreditation, the trauma team can keep offering advanced care—and preparing the physicians of the future to do the same.

Learn more about Trauma Care at Wellstar.