Wellstar National COVID-19 Resiliency Network Partnership Reaches Over 1 Million People

Wellstar Center for Health Equity and Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center have launched the Food as Medicine program. In partnership with Feeding the Valley Food Bank, this initiative supports Wellstar’s strategy to improve food access in high-need communities.  

Patients will be screened during primary care visits at offices in the LaGrange area for food insecurity. Clinicians will then connect patients who screen positive for food insecurity to a medically tailored meal program offered by Feeding the Valley.

Participants will receive 10 healthy, prepared meals each week for 90 days. They will also gain access to Cooking Matters classes held at Wellstar West Georgia’s Enoch Callaway Cancer Center, where they will learn to shop for and cook healthy meals on a budget. By equipping patients with practical nutrition knowledge, budget-friendly cooking skills and a three-month supply of healthy meals, Wellstar aims to support people in making lasting, health-boosting changes to their diets and overall well-being. While food insecurity is a concern identified by our Community Health Needs Assessment, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses are also a major threat to our community’s well-being.

Wellstar is increasingly working toward healthy food solutions that address both food access and health. Our efforts with Wellstar Mobile Markets, in partnership with Goodr, and our food rescue initiatives, in collaboration with Goodr and Second Helpings Atlanta, show our commitment to increasing food access.

Learn more about the Wellstar Center for Health Equity. 

Wellstar is honored to be recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity in 2024. According to Newsweek, Wellstar and the other large and mid-size companies were identified for “genuinely respecting and valuing individuals from different walks of life.”

“Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is part of our roadmap for success as a healthcare organization,” added Le Joyce Naylor, SVP and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Wellstar. “It is mission-driven work that touches everything we do, beginning with how we care for our patients, team members, and communities. It is also an ongoing journey that impacts our every action and is demonstrated in the compassionate care we provide to the people in the communities we serve.”

For a second year in a row, Wellstar was named to the list. Newsweek and market data research firm Plant-A Insights Group utilized public data, interviews with HR professionals and an anonymous online survey to determine the scoring. Wellstar, with more than 31,000 team members, is included in the large company category.

With the support of systemwide DEI ambassadors, physicians and team members are trained to increase their cultural competency and awareness of patients, team members and community members from all walks of life. Examples of this programming includes:

• Systemwide training to create a shared language, foundational understanding of conscious inclusion and tools to help embed those practices with intention.
• Lunch and Learns feature nationally recognized speakers to expand awareness of national recognition and heritage months, observances and holidays. All 12 events garnered more than 14,000 live and recorded views.
• Wellstar’s Underrepresented Minority Physician BRG worked with the Center For Health Equity to reach 1,000 team members during April’s Minority Health Month Lunch & Learn Speaker Series.
• Ten separate “Inclusion Cafés” – events designed to help team members find common ground through discussions – connected more than 500 participants.
• Through our team member app, nearly 30,000 users consumed DEIB content in 2023.
• An inclusion index was added to our Great Place to Work engagement survey to understand our current culture better and provide a baseline for measuring ongoing initiatives.

“We are cultivating an environment where every individual feels valued, heard, included, and can have a true sense of belonging,” said Naylor. “Fostering a sense of belonging is more than a goal. It’s a fundamental part of our culture. We’re creating spaces where everyone can thrive, contribute their unique perspectives, and become an integral part of our collective success."