For Earth Day this year, Wellstar Health System is making a difference for our environment and supporting our neighbors facing food insecurity. The recently launched Organic Recycling Program at the Wellstar Corporate Office (WCO) in Marietta has already diverted almost one ton of food waste from landfills, preventing over 675 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Article Category: Newsroom
Wellstar Celebrates Earth Day with Programs Addressing Food Waste
Published on April 21, 2023
Last updated 12:05 PM April 21, 2023
Wellstar launches organic recycling program
The WCO Bistro prepares food for all of Wellstar’s health parks, hospital bistros and the entire system’s catering.
This recycling program at the WCO is a partnership between Wellstar Community Health, the Wellstar Foundation, Catalyst by Wellstar, Wellstar Strategic Community Development and Goodr, a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company.
Food scraps like onion and banana peels are recycled and composted at Gainesville Waste and Recycle. Special bins are used to collect the scraps. Food compost helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients, reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers, and sequesters carbon dioxide (storing it in the soil away from the atmosphere), according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The benefits to our environment don’t stop there. Every three pounds of waste diverted creates one pound of soil, which means we have created about 650 pounds of healthy soil in one month. In a year, it’s also calculated that the carbon sequestered would be the same as 4.4 acres of forest – the size of over three football fields.
Wellstar also has other programs that reduce our carbon footprint and give back to our communities on a systemwide level.
The surplus food recovery program with Goodr launched in September 2020 at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center. Leftover food is donated to food delivery resources for underserved communities. The program has expanded to Wellstar Windy Hill Hospital and Paulding Medical Center, helping serve over 14,000 meals and preventing over 17,000 pounds of waste and nine thousand pounds of carbon emissions. Another partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta to deliver food from the Wellstar Corporate Office has already served 3,304 meals, diverting nearly two tons of food from landfills. Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit organization working to reduce hunger and food waste in metro Atlanta.
As a nonprofit organization, Wellstar is committed to the health and well-being of our communities, and that commitment extends beyond the walls of our hospitals and health parks. For more information on how the Wellstar Foundation makes these programs possible, visit wellstar.org/foundation.
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Newsroom
Support Children’s Health During iHeartMedia Cares for Kids Radiothon
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.
Newsroom
A Heart for Collaboration: Wellstar Cardiovascular Quality Forum 2024
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.
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Newsroom
Wellstar & Someone Cares Team Up to Serve Vulnerable Communities
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.