A note from the editor
I love good news, don’t you? At Pulse, we hear about hospital and practice achievements and events, and occasionally readers share their happiness also. We want more of that good stuff!
So, we’re making it official, starting with this issue. Check in here every month to read the latest about your professional community. Awards, milestones, promotions, work anniversaries, volunteer news: we want to know.
Got something to brag about? Send it in! (And be sure to include contact information, or we might not be able to include it.)
Veteran writer Cindy Grace will be leading the charge, so drop her a line at ajc.cindygrace@gmail.com
Thanks!
Lane Holman
Special projects editor
lane.holman@ajc.com
Northeast Georgia Health System has increased access to Urgent Care services and stabilizing primary care in Lumpkin County, where Chestatee Regional, the sole area hospital, recently closed.
Urgent Care Dahlonega, located in front of Home Depot at the intersection of GA-400 and Highway 60, treats minor injuries and illnesses for people aged six months and older. The location is projected to care for more than 16,000 patients this year.
Meanwhile, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Dahlonega Internal Medicine recently welcomed a physician assistant and a nurse practitioner – Raymond Polk and Vicki Simmons – to the group. Polk and Simmons previously worked at Dahlonega Family Practice until its recent closure.
“We’re thrilled we are able to keep these talented providers in Lumpkin County,” said Tina Walden, vice president of Operations for NGPG. “Primary care is the foundation of wellness and preventive health care for a community, so preserving that access is key.”
“Roughly 37 percent of Lumpkin County EMS patients were taken to Chestatee Regional Hospital in 2017, and we believe a number of those patients could have been appropriately treated in a different setting – like an urgent care center or primary care office,” said Chris Dockery, chairman of the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners. “Increased access to those services will definitely help people in this community get the care they need, and the timing couldn’t be better.”
In addition to the Urgent Care center and two NGPG primary care practices, NGHS currently provides other healthcare services in Lumpkin County including:
Women’s care through NGPG’s OB/GYN practice
Cardiology care through The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Physical rehabilitation services through The Rehabilitation Institute.
Northside Hospital CEO Bob Quattrocchi has been named a winner in the sixth annual Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards. Quattrocchi ranks #32 on the list of the top 100 CEOs in the United States and is one of only two Georgia-based CEOs to and one of about a dozen healthcare CEOs to make the list.
Healthgrades, an online resource for information about physicians and hospitals, has recognized Northside Hospital’s three facilities (Atlanta, Cherokee and Forsyth) for Outstanding Patient Experience. They are among only ten Georgia hospitals to be recognized and the only three from the Metro Atlanta area to make the list.
Northside Hospital Atlanta has completed its new eight-story patient tower. The first major expansion of the Atlanta facility in more than a decade, the new east tower will add an additional 84 beds and expand the inpatient capacity from 537 to 621. This includes more beds for pulmonary/thoracic, oncology, blood and marrow transplant and medical/surgical patients.
The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) has named WellStar Health System one of the Top 10 Nonprofit companies for executive women for 2018. WellStar has earned a spot on this list for nine years in a row and is proud to be recognized as an organization that identifies and promotes women through its ranks.
WellStar also notes that its eight facilities has had a $3.9 billion economic impact on the State of Georgia.
WellStar Cobb Hospital just celebrated its 50th anniversary in June. According to the Wellstar team, “What began as a 50-acre peach orchard is now a nationally recognized campus for hope and healing with 382 licensed beds and 2,200 staff members who care for more than 104,000 patients annually.”
WellStar’s Kennestone campus has a new ED under construction. The 162,825 square foot, $126 million world-class facility will increase capacity and access for incoming patients. Construction is expected to be competed in late 2019 and patient care will begin in early 2020.
That’s a wrap for this month. Please be sure to send me your good news items to ajc.cindygrace@gmail.com
About the Author
