Wellstar Innovation Series Explores Future of Healthcare

More than 450 Wellstar team members fanned out across metro Atlanta, West Georgia, Augusta and beyond on November 14, volunteering their time to improve access to healthy food and housing by supporting 20 local, community-based organizations.

They packed and distributed food, assisted in community gardens, and sorted food and clothing donations.

“It warms my heart to see so many team members participating in our annual Day of Service,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “As a nonprofit, community-based health system, our mission is to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve, and it’s always exciting to expand that mission outside the walls of our facilities.”

Wellstar volunteers participated in service projects for the following nonprofit organizations: Atlanta Community Food Bank (Atlanta and Marietta), Covenant House (Atlanta), Douglasville Community Garden (Douglasville), The Drake House (Roswell), Feeding the Valley Midland Warehouse (Muscogee County), Five Loaves & Two Fish Food Pantry (Griffin), Food Well Alliance – Roswell UMC Giving Garden (Roswell), Golden Harvest Food Bank (Augusta and Aiken, S.C.), Helping Hands of Paulding County (Dallas), LaGrange Personal Aid (LaGrange), MUST Ministries (Marietta Donation Center and Mobile Pantry at the VA Clinic), North Fulton Community Charities (Roswell), Our Giving Garden (Mableton), The Salvation Army (Atlanta, Griffin and Marietta), Sweetwater Mission (Austell) and the Warehouse of Hope (Douglasville).

KENNESAW, Ga. (Nov. 12, 2024) — Kennesaw State University (KSU) and Wellstar Health System have doubled the number of students at KSU’s Wellstar School of Nursing in the last four years, helping to fill the need for more nurses in Georgia.

The nationwide shortage of nurses is hitting Georgia particularly hard. Georgia currently has 21 percent fewer registered nurses than it needs and is expected to see the second-highest estimated shortage in the U.S. by 2035, according to the federal Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA).

“Our partnership with Wellstar not only enhances the educational opportunities for our students, but also makes a significant impact on the future of healthcare in Georgia,” said Kennesaw State President Kathy S. Schwaig. “Together, we are ensuring that more nurses are entering the workforce, highly trained and dedicated to providing essential care and support.”

To grow KSU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing enrollment, Wellstar in 2020 committed nearly $9 million over five years to fund nursing scholarships and the hiring of new nursing faculty and staff. As a result:

• Kennesaw State’s nursing enrollment has increased in each of the past four years — doubling from 512 in 2019-20, prior to Wellstar’s grant, to 1,155 students in the 2023-24 academic year. (Note: The 2024-25 nursing enrollment will be known once the Spring 2025 cohort is enrolled.)
• The Wellstar School of Nursing hired an additional 32 faculty members and 12 support staff employees.
• Kennesaw State added new sections of several nursing courses and skills labs, coinciding with Wellstar expanding its clinical nurse training opportunities and sites available to KSU students.

“At Wellstar, we have a responsibility to create pathways for our communities’ future healthcare workers,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “By working closely with Kennesaw State, we’re helping more students pursue medical careers through scholarships and the additional faculty to teach them. This collaboration is critical to help meet Georgia’s need for more healthcare workers.”

The Wellstar scholarships at KSU can be combined with the state-provided HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships, which are helping thousands of Georgia students attend an in-state four-year college or university, as well as other tuition assistance. Wellstar also offers its nurses and other clinical team members tuition reimbursement for ongoing education at KSU throughout the career.

“Wellstar Health System’s generous support directly addresses the critical nursing workforce need,” said Monica Swahn, dean of KSU’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. “Our commitment to excellence has remained steadfast, and as we look to the future, we will continue to lead and innovate in shaping the next generation of nurses.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses in metro Atlanta earn on average about $45 per hour, or $95,000 per year plus benefits, depending on their area of specialty.

The longstanding KSU-Wellstar partnership’s success supporting community health and well-being is outlined in the 2024 Wellstar School of Nursing annual report.

Kennesaw State has been collaborating with Wellstar for decades. Wellstar currently manages the University’s on-campus student health clinics and is the named donor of the College of Health and Human Services and its School of Nursing.

Wellstar, on top of its previous $18 million in contributions to KSU, recently committed $25 million to expand the relationship. Wellstar provided the lead funding commitment for a new state-of-the-art training and conditioning complex for KSU student-athletes, pending approval by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, along with a new Center for Research on Human Sport Performance and Wellbeing. Beginning July 1, 2026, Wellstar will be the exclusive orthopedics and sports medicine provider, partner, and sponsor of the KSU Athletics Association, providing key services for Kennesaw State student-athletes.

The Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center Pharmacogenomics Program (CaPP) has launched pharmacogenomics testing services for the center’s patients and oncologists. Pharmacogenomics employs genetic sequence alterations in drug metabolism genes to predict toxicity.

The tests measure changes in genes that make proteins that metabolize common chemotherapy drugs. If a patient has a mutation in these genes, their metabolism will not handle the drug properly. This may cause the patient to become sick.

“These tests can help people avoid severe toxicity from chemotherapy. We want to optimize treatment for patients who need a lower dose when they have any gene mutation,” said Dr. John W. Henson, director of neuro-oncology at the Medical College of Georgia and the Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center. The Pharmacogenomics Program is co-led by Henson in the Hereditary Cancer Clinic and Dr. Katherine Saunders-Wohlfrom in Oncology Pharmacy.

The program’s initial focus will be on patients with gastrointestinal cancers in conjunction with Dr. Asha Nayak. Henson said this is where the biggest impact will come right away. Other service lines, including breast cancer, will benefit as more testing is done.

“This is a valuable message to the community,” said Henson. “CaPP services will include testing support, report interpretation, document management, clinician consultation, and patient and family consultation.”

Henson also thanked Dr. Brandy D. Gunsolus in Clinical Laboratory Science for her help with the program, saying she was instrumental in developing the order process.