September 2017 Partners Newsletter

3WellStar Douglas Hospital
provides hurricane support
8Camp Tranquility helps
grieving children
10
WellStar
Spalding
opens local book drop
PARTNERS
NEWS FOR TEAM MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
SEPTEMBER / 2017
IN FOCUS: HOW CAN I IMPROVE
WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM?
System’s Opportunities 2010/2012 initiative,
one team member’s idea and support from
leadership led to the development and
piloting of a blood conservation program
at WellStar Cobb Hospital.
As a leading healthcare system in
Georgia, staying ahead of industry
trends and responding to the needs
of our patients is essential. FOCUS,
our new initiative underway that will
provide a framework for sharing ideas
for improvement, is intended to use the
expertise of our most valuable resources
– WellStar team members – to help
drive not only the overall advancement
and success of our System, but also
to effectively serve and impact our
communities.
Over the past year, the WellStar Board
of Trustees and System leadership
have made a concerted effort to
align our efforts around our Strategic
Direction, “an unwavering focus on
exceeding the expectations of our
patients and consumers,” and the
Five Strategic Themes.
FOCUS is part of a long-term System
strategy of delivering quality and
value to our patients and consumers
via performance improvement. It
is designed to create consistent
processes, reduce waste, eliminate
unnecessary re-work and enhance
workforce satisfaction across One
WellStar, all while ensuring safe, highquality
care with an outstanding patient
experience for years to come.
WellStar team members have a strong
track record of helping to reduce
expenses, create new business
opportunities, enhance revenue
collection and refine processes.
For example, in 2011, as part of the
The Cobb Hospital blood conservation
program established clinical guidelines
to reduce the number of routine, nonemergent
transfusions given to patients.
When expanded to all WellStar hospitals,
the program achieved a 32-percent
reduction in transfusions, which led to
fewer complications and an annual savings
of $560,000.
Continued on page 4...
Being part of an organization
that centers its goals around our
patients means we each have
a personal obligation to voice
ideas for how we can improve
our departments, facilities and
processes to achieve our vision
and strategic objectives.
– Carrie Owen Plietz, executive vice
president and chief operations officer,
WellStar Hospital Division
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BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW
NAMES WELLSTAR HEALTH
NETWORK AN ‘ACO TO KNOW’
Becker’s Hospital Review has named
WellStar’s Accountable Care Organization
(ACO) to its list of 110 ACOs to Know.
WellStar’s ACO, called WellStar Health
Network, was one of the country’s
pioneers in a multifaceted program
sponsored by the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services (CMS), in which
groups of physicians, hospitals and other
providers come together voluntarily to
focus on achieving the healthcare “tripleaim:”
better care and more access to care
while bending the cost curve.
Through the innovation and
commitment of our dedicated
physicians, case managers and
healthcare coordinators, we have
proven that the CMS “triple-aim”
goals are achievable.
– Jim Budzinski, WellStar Health System
executive vice president and chief
financial officer, and WellStar Health
Network president
This goal is being achieved by WellStar’s
ACO through a focus on wellness and the
improved management of chronic illnesses
and the related coordination of care, to
ensure patients, especially the chronically
ill, get the right care at the right time to
maintain their optimal health, and avoid
the need for high-cost emergency and
hospital care. When an ACO succeeds
both in delivering high-quality care and
keeping people healthy, less money will be
spent on healthcare.
WellStar’s ACO was founded in 2012 and
is the largest ACO in Georgia, with nearly
50,000 members and 1,400 physicians.
“It is all about improving quality, costs
and satisfaction, which is very consistent
with what we were already doing prior to
the formation of our ACO,” said Valery
Akopov, M.D., senior vice president,
WellStar Medical Group, and WellStar
Health Network board chairman.
“We have been successful in delivering
the right care in the right place with the
right resources at the right time, and
have an 88 percent quality score from
CMS to prove it,” Dr. Akopov said.
The Becker’s editorial team selected
ACOs for inclusion based on quality and
cost performance, advanced tracks of
the Medicare Shared Savings Program
and the innovative nature of commercial
agreements. This list includes ACOs
that have experienced success with their
quality metrics.
“Through the innovation and commitment
of our dedicated physicians, case
managers and healthcare coordinators,
we have proven that the CMS “triple-aim”
goals are achievable,” said Jim Budzinski,
WellStar Health System executive vice
president and chief financial officer, and
WellStar Health Network president.
“Our members are particularly pleased
with our care coordination, which they
rank in the 95th percentile and we
pledge our unwavering commitment to
exceed the expectations of our patients
and consumers in future years as well,”
Budzinski said.
WellStar is one of only 15 ACOs in the
country and the only one in Georgia
to save CMS more than $40 million
during the first three reporting periods,
while meeting the quality and patient
experience goals of the program.
“As one of the most integrated health
systems in the country, WellStar is
pioneering ways to better care for our
community,” said John Brennan, M.D.,
executive vice president and chief clinical
integration officer.”
“As a not-for-profit health system, our
goal is to create healthier communities.
Through our population health initiatives,
we are providing the right care at the
right place, at the right time for our
patients,” said Dr. Brennan.
According to CMS, there are 480 active
Medicare Shared Savings Programs
operating in the United States covering
more than 12 million Medicare beneficiaries.
PARTNERS / SEPTEMBER 2017

WellStar Douglas Hospital Team
Members and Community Unite
to Aid Hurricane Harvey Victims
As we know, the 2017 hurricane season already has been a
deadly and devastating one, and we are grateful and proud
of the outpouring of generosity and compassion shown by
WellStar team members to help those in need.
Upon learning of the devastating effects of Hurricane
Harvey on the residents of Texas, team members from
WellStar Douglas Hospital rallied to send much needed
supplies to storm victims.
Partnering with a local business, American Contractors
Grading and Paving, Inc., of Lithia Springs, Ga., Douglas
Hospital Bed Control Department team members Nicole
Lewis, lead specialist, and Susan Butler, RN, organized a
drive to collect donations of personal care items, clothing,
water, pet food, nonperishable food items, first-aid
supplies and baby supplies from their colleagues.
Fellow team members were quick to respond, and
on the rainy morning of Aug. 31, their generous
contributions filled a 14-foot trailer that was taken to
American Contractors to be offloaded onto one of two
53-foot tractor trailers and driven to a Dallas storm-relief
donation center.
WellStar Douglas Hospital team members donated much needed
supplies to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Pictured left to
right: Hank Butler, husband of team member and drive co-organizer,
Susan Butler (not pictured); Marie Frantz, RN, Critical Care Unit; and
Nicole Lewis, lead Bed Control specialist and drive co-organizer.
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH
NEEDED SUPPLIES
WellStar Atlanta Medical Center and WellStar Atlanta Medical
Center South recently completed a Back to School drive for
Union City. Thanks to the efforts of 21 departments from
both AMC campuses and community donations, 62 book
bags were donated – all packed with necessities such as
paper, pens and pencils. This effort helps provide a crucial
foundation for underserved children and their families
in South Fulton and supports WellStars commitment to
education in our communities.
Pictured left-right: WellStar Atlanta Medical Center South team
members, Rashan Noble, Marketing and Communications Specialist,
Community Education & Outreach and Carol Espinal, Executive
Assistant, prepare to load the donated supplies into new backpacks.
3

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In FOCUS, continued from page 1
“Being part of an organization that
centers its goals around our patients
means we each have a personal
obligation to voice ideas for how we
can improve our departments, facilities
and processes to achieve our vision
and strategic objectives,” said Carrie
Owen Plietz, executive vice president
and chief operations officer, WellStar
Hospital Division.
“Team members understand their job,
department and location the best, so as
subject-matter experts, they can submit
ideas to improve processes that affect
them as a WellStar team member, and
ultimately impact our patients. FOCUS
empowers everyone – providers, leaders,
caregivers and team members – to
share their thoughts and ideas where it
counts,” said Plietz.
As we push forward, it is critical that we
have the involvement and feedback of
everyone in the organization. Our team
members who are on the “front line”
of patient care and customer service
are vital resources of knowledge and
information as to how we can continue
to improve and align processes across
WellStar in support of our strategy.
Once an idea is submitted, it will be
tracked through the FOCUS process. You
will be updated on the status of your idea
throughout the process.
More information about FOCUS will be
shared at upcoming System meetings,
such as Leadership WellStar Day and
the fall Town Hall in October. Additional
information, including the various areas
of FOCUS, and the idea submission
process, can be found by visiting the
FOCUS page or by clicking the FOCUS
button on eSource.
OPEN
ENROLLMENT
OCT. 2 - 31
Open Enrollment for the 2018
WellStar Employee Medical
Plan, dental, vision and life
insurance plans, Flexible
Spending Accounts (FSA), as
well as voluntary benefits,
begins on Oct. 2 and continues
through Oct. 31, 2017.
A complete Open Enrollment
guide will be mailed to team
members’ homes in late
September. The guide will include
schedules for our facility-based
Benefit Enrollment Centers.
As a reminder, Benefit
Navigators are available
throughout the year to assist
with benefits-related inquiries.
For questions regarding your
2017 insurance coverages,
please call the Benefits
Communication Support Line
at 1-888-926-2992 or contact
the Benefit Representative for
your facility.
What are your ideas for exceeding the expectations of our patients
and consumers? Submit your idea online or through your manager –
no suggestion is too small.
During Open Enrollment, the
Benefit Navigators will be
available in the facility-based
Benefit Enrollment Centers.
Aetna and BenefitWallet
representatives also will be at
many of the Centers with the
Benefit Navigators.
PARTNERS / SEPTEMBER 2017

WellStar North Fulton Inpatient
Rehabilitation Team Delivers Hope
When admitted to WellStar North Fulton Hospital’s inpatient
rehabilitation unit (IRU), patient Jose Fernandez depended
on others to help him with daily tasks, like getting dressed,
shaving and tying his shoes.
He recently had undergone spinal surgery and battled
significant upper and lower extremity weakness, as well as a
loss of sensation. He could only walk five feet with a moderate
amount of assistance from two people and a walker, according
to Alan Harben, M.D., Ph.D., North Fulton’s medical director of
Rehabilitation Services.
After receiving intensive physical and occupational therapy
from the IRU team, Fernandez began to increase his mobility
and regain the ability to care for himself.
Jose Fernandez and North Fulton Hospital therapists, Amy Jefferson
(left) and Adriane Shapiro (right).
“It’s incredible what they did for me in three weeks. I worked
hard, but I never thought I would get this far,” said Fernandez.
“And the level of care… there’s great communication,
everyone works as a team.”
For Tricia Needs, PT, interim director of Rehabilitation Services
at North Fulton, the key to achieve a result like this is having
a therapy and nursing team that is highly competent and
passionate about the work they do.
“The team members at North Fulton Rehab truly consider it a
privilege to care for people like Mr. Fernandez and teach them
how to care for themselves
and how to walk again,”
said Needs.
“There is a tremendous
amount of teamwork here
and that is so important
in the treatment of our
patients,” she said.
.
It’s incredible
what they did for
me in three weeks.
I worked hard, but I
never thought I would
get this far.
– Jose Fernandez
Oct. 15-21
Systemwide
FALL TOWN
HALL
FALL SYSTEMWIDE TOWN HALL
OCT. 15-21
Mark your calendar to attend WellStar’s fall Town Hall
meetings, which will take place Oct. 15-21.
This fiscal year is packed with important initiatives and key
priorities that reflect our System goals and strategy, and we
want to make sure our team members are kept well-informed.
Town Hall meetings also provide team members with an
opportunity to provide feedback to members of senior
leadership.
Further details and a master meeting schedule will
be emailed to all team members in early October and
posted on eSource.
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PARTNERS / SEPTEMBER 2017

SCHOLARSHIPS PROPEL WGMC NURSES
Eight registered nurses at WellStar West
Georgia Medical Center have received
a scholarship that will allow them to
complete an online Bachelor of Science in
Nursing degree at LaGrange College.
This is the second year the Fuller
E. Callaway Foundation, through
partnerships with WGMC and LaGrange
College, has made the scholarships
available. LaGrange College launched
an online RN-to-BSN program in fall 2016
and has offered a traditional Bachelor
of Science in Nursing degree program
since 1995.
New RN-to-BSN Scholars
are, from left, Jennifer
Treadwell, Marianne
Nelson, Melissa Cole,
Leeann Mullis, Wendrich
Clements, Robin Daniels
and Sarah Hersey. Not
pictured is Christy Harry.
“The RN-to-BSN program allows our
nurses to grow their skills and advance
their careers while maintaining a
[balanced] work and family life,” said
WGMC’s Tracy Gynther, RN, MSN, vice
president and chief nursing officer.
“By investing in our clinical staff so they
can continue their nursing education,
it creates a culture of excellence and
leadership that ultimately will touch every
member of our community,” Gynther said.
This year’s recipients are Wendrich
Clements, Twin Fountains Home; Melissa
Cole, Intensive Care Unit/Step-Down Unit;
Robin Daniels, Surgical Services; Christy
Harry, Hospital Medicine; Sarah Hersey,
Surgical Services; LeeAnn Mullis, Infection
Control; Elizabeth (Marianne) Nelson,
Endoscopy; and Jennifer Treadwell,
Performance Improvement.
The scholarships are awarded annually
to fund LaGrange College online BSN
tuition exclusively for WGMC nurses who
hold an associate’s degree in nursing, are
current WGMC team members in good
standing, and have recommendations
from their supervisors.
Area students who received the Sims Scholarship funded by Fuller E. Callaway Foundation
are front row, from left, Hayley Olive, Evelyn Willimon, Hayley Morris, Megan Wallace,
Krystle Miller, Kourtney Cullefer and Ashlynn Croft. On the back row are Kendra Kissun, Alivia
Maxwell, Alexandria Walker, Brooke Yarbrough, Hannah Fairchild, William Smith, Mallory
Pressley and Abbie Kennedy.
Additionally, 15 area students have been
chosen to receive the George E. Sims
Nursing Scholarship as they begin to earn
their college nursing degrees this fall.
Also funded by the Fuller E. Callaway
Foundation and administered by the
LaGrange-Troup County Hospital
Authority, the scholarship includes
all costs associated with fulfilling the
requirements of a nursing degree. In turn,
the recipients agree to work at WGMC
for one and a half to three years after they
graduate, depending on the duration of
the scholarship. This year’s 15 scholarships
total approximately $600,000.
Fuller E. Callaway Foundation has
provided more than $21.5 million in
scholarships for 1,273 nursing students
since the Sims program’s inception in 1967.
7

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Need Help
Caring for Family?
WellStar WorkLife Services offers many benefits
to help team members lead balanced lives,
including care for children, adults and even pets,
as well as test prep and tutoring.
BRIGHT HORIZONS BACK-UP CARE
Full and part-time benefit-eligible team members
have access to up to 80 hours of back-up child
and adult/elder care at subsidized rates. Highquality,
low-copay replacement care is available
in home or in a childcare center for children,
and in-home care for adult and elder loved ones
throughout the U.S. Team members can enroll
at any time for back-up care, which will make the
process even easier when an urgent need arises.
Visit careadvantage.com/wellstar.
BRIGHT HORIZONS CARE DIRECT
As another benefit to eligible team members,
WellStar also offers free membership to schedule
full-time care, evening and weekend sitters, house
cleaning, and even pet walking and pet sitters.
CHILD CARE CENTERS
WellStar has partnered with Bright Horizons to
offer high-quality, educational childcare for team
members. The newest childcare center, Bright
Beginnings Children’s Center, is in Midtown and
is particularly convenient for those working at
WellStar Atlanta Medical Center and AMC South.
Bright Horizons WellStar Learning Academy, is
located near the Kennestone campus. Child care
also is available onsite at Cobb Hospital and at
the YMCA located approximately one mile from
Paulding Hospital.
Camp Tranquility Brings Healing to
Grieving Children and Families
WellStar Community Hospice recently hosted CampTranquility, a
unique, family bereavement day camp for children ages six-17, and their
parents and caregivers.
More than 100 people attended the event, including 54 families and
dozens of WellStar and community volunteers. The camp was made
possible through an estate gift to the WellStar Foundation designated
for WellStar Community Hospice given by Pamey Brotherton.
“You have blessed families and provided a safe, healing experience for
children and their parents who are grieving the loss of a special loved
one,” said Natalie McNeal, executive director of WellStar Community
Hospice, about Brotherton’s generous donation.
Youth campers enjoyed lots of fun activities, such as expression art,
recreation therapy, ‘Ask the Doc.’ journaling and group time, while
making friends with other kids who had shared the experience of loss of
a loved one.
Parents and adult caregivers had the opportunity to spend time with both
Michael O’Neill, M.D., Tranquility at Kennesaw Mountain medical director,
and Timothy Horton, M.D., medical director of CampTranquility. Parents
also had group time to assist with understanding their child or teen’s grief
throughout their development and healthy ways to be supportive.
Recreational therapy was offered by Brian Prichard, M. RTh, with
help from post-graduate students from Georgia State University’s
recreational therapy program.
In fall 2018, WellStar Community Hospice plans to host the camp again
at Red Top Mountain Park. For more information, contact Hospice
Bereavement Coordinator Barbara Ingram at 770-732-6710.
TEST PREP AND TUTORING
It’s back to school time. Discounted tutoring
services for SATs/ACTs, standardized tests,
Common Core subjects is available for team
members and their family members.
To learn more about WorkLife Services, visit
eSource>Human Resources>WorkLife Services.
Camp Tranquility, hosted by WellStar Community Hospice, provided a safe,
healing experience for children and their parents who are grieving the loss of
a special loved one. Pictured are camp attendees and volunteers.
PARTNERS / SEPTEMBER 2017

Successful Blood Culture Program Gets National Recognition
Last August, WellStar Kennestone’s
Emergency Department identified
an opportunity for improvement.
They wanted to reduce blood culture
contaminations and ultimately improve
patient care.
“With an average of 1,300 blood
cultures per month in our busy
Emergency Department, our
contamination numbers were not where
we wanted them to be,” said Nancy
Doolittle, DNP, executive director
of Nursing, Emergency Services,
Kennestone.
Blood culture contaminations can lead to
delays in treatment, increased cost and
extended hospital stays.
To address the issue, Amanda Coetzee,
Jamie Van Ness, BSN, RN, and the ED
team looked to the Emergency Nurses
Association and other resources to help
identify best practices and evidencebased
protocols. Based on their
research, several major changes were
implemented:
• The creation of a dedicated blood
culture team, who received specific
education and training;
• Practice changes to draw blood
cultures only from dedicated sites and
not with IVs;
• Mandatory education for the entire
team to inform every one of the
department’s goals and how they can
achieve them together;
• Continually monitored results and
provided direct feedback to impacted
staff when a blood culture was
contaminated.
(Left-right): WellStar Kennestone Hospital
team members, Jamie Van Ness, BSN, RN,
and Nancy Doolittle, DNP, executive director
of Nursing, Emergency Services. Van Ness
will present the team’s success at the
Emergency Nurses Association’s National
Conference this month.
Within the first month following the
new practices, there was a significant
decrease in contaminations. By October
2016, the department had achieved its
goal of meeting the national benchmark
WELLSTAR COMMUNITY
MEDICATION TAKE BACK DAY
Saturday, Sept. 23 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
LOCATIONS:
WellStar Acworth Health Park
4550 Cobb Parkway NW | Acworth, Ga. 30101
WellStar East Cobb Health Park
3747 Roswell Road, NE | Marietta, Ga. 30062
Cobb Senior Services
1150 Powder Springs Street | Marietta, Ga. 30064
of a contamination rate no greater than
2 percent and has sustained that goal,
or exceeded it, every month since.
“I’m very proud of how the entire
team has come together to make this
a success,” said Doolittle. “These
changes are making meaningful
impacts for our patients.”
Thanks to the team’s success, the
project was selected as one of the top
three evidence-based practice posters
to be presented at the upcoming
Emergency Nurses Association’s
National Convention.
The team also worked with the
Kennestone Pediatric Emergency
Department to implement an observer
role, age specific collection guidelines,
and the same dedicated collection team
protocols. As a result, the Pediatric ED
has had a zero contamination rate for
eight months.
No registration
required.
For questions
regarding these
events, call
770-793-7373.
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WellStar Spalding Regional Opens County’s
First Little Free Library Book Drop
Just outside the entrance to WellStar
Spalding Regional Hospital’s Women’s
Center is something visitors don’t expect
to see on a hospital campus – a “Little
Free Library” Book Drop.
The Little Free Library is a new initiative
of the Spalding County Collaborative
Authority for Families and Children.
The goal of the project is to improve
children’s access to books in locations
beyond the county’s brick and mortar
libraries.
WellStar Spalding Regional’s book drop
is the first to open in the county. Its
purpose is to gather books and provide
inventory for the Little Free libraries.
Local art teacher, Grace Anderson, and
her students from Rock Springs Christian
Academy, in Milner, Ga., designed
the look of Spalding Regional’s drop
box. WellStar Foundation’s Hospital
Development Officer Kathleen Smith
and Kim Stephens, clinical educator
at WellStar Spalding Regional, were
members of the Griffin-Spalding
Chamber Leadership 2017 team, who
conceived and organized the Little Free
Library book inventory system program.
Currently, there are eight Little Free
libraries open in the county. The libraries
operate through the honor system
of “take a book, give a book.” The
collaborative determines the lending
library locations and seeks organizations
to either buy or build a library, and
be responsible as stewards for their
individual library.
Readers may donate new or gently used
children’s and young adult books, for
reading ages 5 to 18, 24 hours a day, at
the hospital’s drop box.
(Left-right): WellStar Atlanta Medical Center
General Surgery residents Sharon Yu, M.D.;
Jacob Holloway, M.D.; Daniella Kington,
M.D., with son, Hayden; and Alejandro
Chavarriaga, M.D
RESIDENTS
WIN SURGICAL
OLYMPICS
WellStar Atlanta Medical Center
General Surgery residents recently
won the Resident Surgical Olympics
at the Georgia Society of the
American College of Surgeons
meeting in St. Simons Island. This
is the team’s fifth win since the
competition started eight years ago.
Team members were Sharon Yu,
M.D., Jacob Holloway, M.D., Daniella
Kington, M.D., and Alejandro
Chavarriaga, M.D.
WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital is providing the county’s first Little Free Library book
drop box location at the entrance to its Women’s Center. Pictured: Grace Anderson, Taylor
Jones and Larissa Prince, Rock Springs Christian Academy; Fred Rudbeck and Kathleen
Smith, Griffin-Spalding Chamber Leadership 2017; Tamara Ison, president, WellStar
Spalding Regional Hospital; Brett Bell, Griffin-Spalding Chamber; Doris Breland, Spalding
Collaborative; Lacey Barnes and Dale Ammons, Griffin-Spalding Chamber Leadership 2017;
(not pictured: Kim Stephens).
PARTNERS / SEPTEMBER 2017
The Resident Surgical Olympics is
a competition in which residents
compete against other resident
teams in surgical skills events. Events
include knot tying, suturing, stapling
and use of the ROBOA and da
Vinci ® robot. There also were teams
present from Mercer University
- Macon, Mercer University -
Savannah, Emory University and
Medical College of Georgia.
Also at the event, Philip Ramsay,
M.D., General Surgery Residency
program director, presented “Renal
Cell Carcinoma: A General Surgeon’s
Experience.”

2017 EMPLOYEE FLU VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
Influenza is a contagious viral infection of
the respiratory tract that is easily spread
from person to person via respiratory
droplets when an infected person coughs
or sneezes, or when someone touches
a surface contaminated with the virus.
Transmission of influenza to patients by
healthcare personnel (HCP) and from
patients to healthcare workers is well
documented. The most effective ways to
prevent seasonal flu infection is through
annual vaccination.
This year, flu vaccinations will begin
during the week of Sept. 18. All team
members must be vaccinated (or receive
an approved exemption) by Oct. 27.
For the convenience of team members,
free vaccinations will be offered
at a variety of times and locations
throughout our System. Once again,
WellStar is pleased to offer free flu
vaccinations to our team members’
spouses at any of the vaccination events.
BADGE STICKERS
All team members who receive
vaccinations by Employee Health,
provide documentation of vaccination
given outside of Employee Health, or
are approved for either a medical or
religious exemption, will receive a “Flu
2017” badge sticker.
EXEMPTIONS
The 2017 vaccination exemption forms
(medical and religious) are available on
the Employee Health eSource page.
The Vaccination Review Committee
will review all requests and notify
team members and their managers by
email if their exemptions are granted.
Exemption forms must be completed
in full for review by the Vaccination
Exemption Committee. The deadline to
submit either exemption form is Oct. 20.
• Medical Exemptions: If your physician
completed a medical exemption
form in prior years and documented
a need for permanent exemption, it
is not necessary to submit another
medical exemption form. All other
team members requesting medical
exemptions must have the forms
completed by their physician to have
their requests reviewed.
• Religious Exemptions: Team members
who are prohibited from receiving a
vaccine due to religious beliefs must
complete an exemption form as well.
Any team member who does not get
vaccinated or receive an approved
exemption by the Oct. 27 deadline will
be removed from the schedule.
Please get your flu vaccination as early as
possible. The “Flu Information” button
on the eSource homepage links to a
complete list of vaccination sites and
times. For additional questions, contact
the Employee Health Department at
770-793-7222.
IMMUNIZATION MINIMIZES
TRANSMISSION OF VIRUS
It is important to be aware that
adults shed the infectious influenza
virus at least one day before any
symptoms appear and continue
to do so for five to 10 days after
symptoms begin. Immunized HCP
minimize the risk of transmission
not only to patients but also to
coworkers and family members.
MASKING
Receiving a vaccine does not
eliminate the need to follow
standard precautions regarding
masking. Therefore, any team
member who is experiencing flulike
symptoms should wear a mask
when in close contact with others.
If the team member is responsible
for a patient who is suspected to
be suffering from influenza, or who
actually is suffering from influenza,
the team member should wear a
mask when caring for the patient
and when the team member is
within six feet of the patient.
11

WellStar Teams Up with Atlanta Braves to
Promote Cardiac and Stroke Health and
Breast Cancer Awareness
Promoting healthy living is a mission shared by both WellStar Health System
and the Atlanta Braves. This season, we are partnering with the baseball club to
sponsor health awareness days at SunTrust Park.
Cardiac Awareness Day, the first such event, took place at the Aug. 27
Braves game, where fans enjoyed participating in fun and games promoting
cardiovascular health and nutrition and stroke education, including hands-on CPR
demonstrations and a photo booth with heart-health and baseball-themed props.
On Sept. 23, WellStar will sponsor the 11th annual Atlanta Braves Breast Cancer
Awareness Day, where the entire ballpark will be transformed into a wonderland
of pink in honor of breast cancer survivors—complete with 20,000 WellStarbranded
pink tomahawks.
Breast cancer survivors can visit the Braves Breast Cancer Awareness page at
www.Braves.com/ bcawareness. to register for the Sept. 23 game. Survivors will
receive a complimentary ticket, commemorative t-shirt and inclusion in a pregame,
on-field ceremony. Additional tickets are available for family and friends
for $22 each.
A portion of ticket proceeds from the Cardiac Awareness Days was donated to
the WellStar Foundation to support cardiac and stroke education and services.
WellStar is partnering with the Atlanta Braves
to host health awareness days at SunTrust Park
this baseball season. The first of two such
events, which focused on cardiovascular health
and nutrition and stroke education, was held
on Aug. 27. Pictured: WellStar staff educate
young Braves fans with a prize-wheel quiz
game and hands-on CPR skills demonstration.
A PUBLICATION FOR TEAM MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
PARTNERS
WellStar Health System Board of Trustees
Avril Beckford, M.D.
Randall Bentley
Charles Brock
Otis Brumby, III, Vice Chair
H. Speer Burdette, III
Robert N. Cross, M.D.
Paul L. Douglass, M.D.
David Hafner, M.D., Chair
Fitz Johnson
Charles J. Jones
Gary A. Miller
Mitzi Moore
Greg Morgan
Michael B. Patton
Tom Phillips
Walter G. Robinson
Frank Ros
O. Scott Swayze, M.D.
Jeffrey Tharp, M.D.
Ambica Yadav
Ex-Officio: Candice Saunders,
President & CEO
PARTNERS is published monthly by Marketing, Public Relations, Internal
& Digital Communications. Send submissions to Pat Torres, Internal
Communications Strategist.
About WellStar Health System
WellStar Health System, the largest health system in Georgia, is known nationally for
its innovative care models, which are focused on improving quality and access to
healthcare. WellStar consists of WellStar Medical Group, 240 medical office locations,
outpatient centers, health parks, a pediatric center, nursing centers, hospice,
homecare, as well as 11 inpatient hospitals: WellStar Atlanta Medical Center, WellStar
Atlanta Medical Center South, WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center
(anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital), WellStar West Georgia Medical Center,
and WellStar Cobb, Douglas, North Fulton, Paulding, Spalding Regional, Sylvan
Grove and Windy Hill hospitals. As a not-for-profit, WellStar continues to reinvest in
the health of the communities it serves with new technologies and treatments.
For more information, visit wellstar.org.
Learn how to become
a social media star at
wellstar.org/social.
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