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MARIETTA, Ga. (Feb. 20, 2025) – Wellstar Health System announced today the launch of residency programs at two more of its hospitals: Wellstar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram and West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange.

Including its partnership with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Wellstar MCG Health, Wellstar will now operate seven teaching hospitals in the state. In addition to Wellstar Paulding and Wellstar West Georgia, four other Wellstar hospitals—Wellstar Kennestone, Wellstar Cobb, Wellstar Douglas and Wellstar Spalding Medical Centers—are already designated as teaching hospitals.

Known as Graduate Medical Education (GME), the Paulding and West Georgia residency training programs will create 60 new physician positions—30 in each hospital. Both programs will focus on internal medicine with an emphasis on rural primary care.

In the last decade, Wellstar has grown its GME program from 14 trainees in 2016 to nearly 300 today, many of whom have remained with Wellstar and in Georgia.

Through Wellstar’s partnership with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center is the primary clinical training site for more than 500 GME positions. The new residency slots mean Wellstar will soon support more than 860 physicians in training.

Wellstar executives said one of their goals is to help fill an increasingly dire need for physicians in rural areas.

“We know that doctors are more likely to stay in communities where they train,” said Wellstar President and CEO Candice L. Saunders. “Because of that, we’ve committed significant resources to training physicians who care for people in rural areas where the need is much greater for highly skilled clinicians.”

“We must all work together to ensure students who graduate from medical schools in Georgia can remain in our state for residency and beyond,” said Augusta University President Russell T. Keen. “Programs like these are an essential part of ensuring a healthier future for our state. I am thankful to our educational partners at Wellstar for their vision and investment and I look forward to finding new ways to ensure our partnership continues to positively impact the lives of the people of Georgia.”

Later this year another hospital that serves rural areas, Wellstar Spalding in Griffin, will graduate its first class of resident physicians. The 10 graduates will be offered positions within the healthcare system. Wellstar is also pursuing a Rural Track Program (RTP) designation, which would allow for additional physician trainees to be based at Wellstar Kennestone but practice at rural hospitals across the state.

“Besides improving the health and wellness of Georgia’s rural communities, we’re also helping to make them stronger economically,” said Dr. Val Akopov, senior vice president of Wellstar Medical Group. “These new physicians and their families live and work in these small towns, which positively enhances our shared vision for our state.”

“Now with 304 students per class, Medical College of Georgia is among the top five largest medical school class sizes in the nation but is a net exporter of medical students,” said MCG Dean Dr. David Hess. “Growth in undergraduate medical education is only one part of addressing our nation’s and state’s growing physician shortage. We must also invest in GME—Georgia is one of the fastest growing and most populous states yet we still rank 40th in residents per capita. Statewide growth and expansion of residency slots is certainly a step in the right direction.”

Wellstar is also investing in its current educational portfolio through the expansion of its medical libraries, capital improvements to its Center for Healthcare Simulation, the construction of a new Anatomical Skills and Research Lab and new medical technologies to assist patients at the bedside.

Everyone deserves high-quality healthcare and social services—no matter where they live. But people in many communities simply don’t have access. At Wellstar Center for Health Equity, we believe technology can be part of the solution. That’s why we created the Community Transformation Program (CTP) in 2020.

Each year, CTP invites local organizations to request support for a new or existing tech-based initiative that addresses health disparities in our communities. The winners receive a $10,000 grant to help fund their initiative. They also receive capacity-building support through:

• Mentoring and coaching
• Networking opportunities with other funding organizations
• Opportunities to learn about innovative technology solutions from Catalyst by Wellstar
• Brainstorming sessions
• In-person site visits
• Mid- and end-of-year evaluations
• Participation in the CTP’s annual Community Transformation Summit

This holistic approach ensures each organization’s tech initiative thrives. To date, CTP has touched over 18,000 lives in vulnerable populations across Metro Atlanta and beyond.

Meet our fifth cohort of partner organizations

This year, CTP chose eight organizations to be part of our growing network of difference-makers. These partners exemplify the diverse approaches needed to tackle our region’s complex challenges.

Each organization is in a unique position to make a profound impact. They include:

• Be Well, Black Girl—This initiative is launching a resource portal to empower Black women and girls to prioritize their well-being.
• CareLink of Northwest Georgia Inc.—CareLink is introducing language-interpretation services to better serve non-English-speaking patients.
• Cobb Collaborative—The collaborative’s technology platforms provide families with information about and support for early childhood development.
• Milestones Community Development Corporation—The organization is creating a comprehensive digital platform to address social determinants of health for South Atlanta residents.
• Open Hand Atlanta—The organization’s new enterprise resource planning system streamlines meal production and delivery for vulnerable populations.
• Rock Springs Clinic—The clinic addresses transportation barriers and integrates telehealth solutions to improve healthcare access for rural communities.
• Roswell Organization for Community Development—The organization’s telemedicine program improves healthcare access for Black and Hispanic populations in North Fulton and Cherokee Counties.
• Troup Cares Inc.—This organization is upgrading its telehealth program to provide comprehensive care for uninsured and underinsured residents.

A history of success

The organizations participating in CTP make a difference—sometimes in unexpected ways. Last year, Bethesda Community Clinic transitioned from being a brick-and-mortar practice to a fully mobile healthcare model. The clinic used CTP funds to equip their mobile health vehicle with telehealth kits. Patients sit inside the clinic’s vehicle, and doctors meet with them virtually. The doctors use the kits to conduct a full health assessment. This new model enables many more patients to receive care they otherwise may not have access to.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation learned about the clinic’s care model and enlisted them to bring these telehealth kits into hotels. This model provides care to victims of human trafficking and serves as a lifeline for rescue. The FBI is now exploring this model as a standard nationwide.

A shared vision for a healthier Georgia

This year’s CTP partners represent another step toward a Georgia where every individual can achieve their full potential. Wellstar is transforming lives by empowering our partners to address inequities with innovative, community-focused solutions. Success stories like this demonstrate that when we work together, there’s no limit to what we can do.

Learn more about Wellstar Center for Health Equity and our initiatives

John Kerndl has joined Wellstar Health System as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He will provide strong financial stewardship as the nonprofit health system continues to grow and expand access to care for Georgians across the state.

“John’s wealth of experience in healthcare financial leadership will allow us to invest in the technologies, resources, services and, most importantly, the people that enable us to deliver world-class care to the patients and communities we serve,” said Candice L. Saunders, President and CEO of Wellstar Health System.

Over his 30-year career, John has held senior executive positions in healthcare organizations across the nation. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer for Traditions Health, a $350M hospice and home health system consisting of 113 locations in 18 states. In this role, he oversaw all financial planning and analysis activity, treasury, central intake, revenue cycle, information technology and security, supply chain, risk and insurance, accounting, and managed care, among other responsibilities.

John previously worked as the EVP and chief financial officer for Beth Israel Lahey Health, a Boston-based health system consisting of 10 acute care campuses, 4,000 physicians and 35,000 team members. He also served as EVP and chief financial officer for Beaumont Health System, the largest care provider in Michigan.

John received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.