We’re helping expand access to care well beyond our walls that prioritize the whole person. Care that allows everyone to live their healthiest life and spend more time being a person than a patient. That’s what we mean when we say we’re about More than Healthcare — we’re about PeopleCare. And that’s what your generosity supports. Every donation of every size made to the Foundation makes a big difference in improving access to quality care for all.
Georgia ranks 43rd overall in the nation for health outcomes.
With a focus on preventative, whole-person care that extends beyond our walls and into our communities, Wellstar is leading the way in transforming healthcare. Explore our strategic focus areas to learn more about how we’re making an impact and accelerating action through your compassion and donations.
In Georgia, health outcomes are significantly impacted by where you live and disproportionately correlated to other demographic dimensions, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity and citizenship status. Wellstar is the only health system in Georgia with an established Center for Health Equity. This Center activates system-wide strategies, initiatives and programs across service lines and in the community that address health disparities, with a current focus on access to care, behavioral health, food access and healthy living, pediatrics and women’s health.
We’re helping to ensure all Georgians have access to high-quality healthcare, behavioral health services, nutritious food, chronic disease management, housing, pediatrics, women’s health services and preventative care.
In partnership with Wholesome Wave Georgia, a SNAP-enrollment specialist is available on-site to support families and provide education and resources that empower individuals to make healthy decisions that better our youth, community and workforce.
This coalition includes leading organizations such as the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, United Way, Atlanta Speech School Rollins Center and Marietta City Schools — all committed to ensuring youth have the literacy skills needed to succeed in life.
In partnership with Susan G. Komen, National Breast Cancer Foundation and It’s the Journey, we’re helping support anyone requiring further treatment to high-risk and low-income patients.
Georgia ranks 34 out of 50 for access to mental health services, and suicides among young Georgians have doubled over the last decade. Wellstar is committed to changing that — providing holistic care that promotes physical and mental well-being. We’re establishing an integrated approach to behavioral care that combines innovation, best practices and evidence-based treatments to offer care centered around the needs of the individual.
With behavioral health needs among youth on the rise, grant funding provided from the Mary Alice and Bennett Brown Foundation is providing a way to integrate behavioral health services into pediatrics and offer additional resources and safety measures for youth struggling with their mental health. Listen here or watch these videos.
This helps us measure and allocate resources that best support our team’s mental health and wellness, leading to improved healthcare outcomes for our patients and everyone we serve.
Wellstar is focused on investing in fresh, bold ideas for improving healthcare for all Georgians. From advanced preventative treatments to new wearable technologies that help individuals track and manage their health better, Wellstar is at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge, convenient care that helps patients proactively manage their health and wellness journeys.
Catalyst aims to build better healthcare by addressing challenges, creating solutions and partnering across industries to deploy a true ecosystem of care.
Wellstar also received the Center for Global Health Innovation HRSA Grant, which deploys community health workers to continue our efforts focused on increasing COVID vaccination rates, including making vaccines available at community events.
With 90%+ accuracy, this diagnostic equipment delivers real-time results, providing enhanced imaging and improved efficiency to inform and deliver better treatment protocols. At this time, Wellstar’s program is the only one in the metro Atlanta area to make this equipment available to patients.
People power our mission to deliver world-class healthcare. Wellstar is helping to build a sustainable pipeline of healthcare professionals who reflect the communities they serve, ensuring that future generations of Georgians have access to high-quality care from expert providers and healthcare career pathways that enable greater economic mobility.
This program helps address healthcare provider shortages in metro Atlanta and strengthen the nursing pipeline. It offers students the opportunity to complete their certification and state licensure while being paid full-time employees.
This community-based clinic has been a valued partner to Wellstar since 2018, providing non-urgent care to individuals in need. With the clinic's current physician retiring, the Foundation is supplementing the cost of a new physician to care for patients twice a week, reinforcing Wellstar’s commitment to building a sustainable community-focused healthcare workforce.
In 2022, Wellstar Foundation awarded 94 educational scholarships totaling nearly $150,000 to develop our existing healthcare workforce and build the pipeline for generations to come. And, more than $644,000 was awarded to 422 Wellstar team members facing unexpected financial hardship, often due to a house flood or fire, sudden illness or loss of a loved one.
At Wellstar, PeopleCare means working relentlessly to exceed national standards for care and treating every patient as a person while we do it. It’s ensuring access to world-class personalized care whenever and wherever it’s needed. And through philanthropy and partnership, we’re accelerating our ability to provide holistic, personalized and innovative care for generations to come.
The Illuminate Aortic Surveillance Software Program brings aortic care teams together to create a Comprehensive Aortic Program that will lead to improved health outcomes and help manage and track aneurysms.
As an EMS provider for Spalding County, Wellstar ambulances have been outfitted with advanced technology and safety measures for first responders, including lift assist to prevent injury. And, our pediatric emergency departments have been equipped with C-MAC technology that offers video-assisted intubation, providing enhanced care and outcomes.
Thanks to philanthropic support, the dedicated hybrid neurovascular suite at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center is equipped with innovative bi-plane technology that allows neurosurgeons to view highly detailed images of brain vessels and customize treatments in real-time.
Your donation matters. Together, we can build a healthier Georgia for today — and for generations to come.
Bird Blitch is an Executive Advisor at Waystar and has served on the Wellstar Foundation Board of Trustees since 2021. He will serve as the Board Chair effective July 2023. Before joining Waystar, Bird founded and served as CEO of Patientco, a cloud-based patient payments vendor that was acquired by Waystar in 2021, and co-founded telecom expense management company, BroadSource.
Bird served as the chair of the HIMSS Revenue Cycle Improvement Task Force and as an advisory board member for the Advanced Technology Development Center. A graduate of Georgia Tech, he was awarded the university’s Outstanding Young Alumnus/Alumna award in 2010 and is a member of the Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Anna, and children Eleanor and Bird, Jr.
Randy Koporc serves as president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank Georgia. In his role, he is responsible for the growth and strategic alignment of our Commercial, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses to deliver distinctive value to the Bank’s customers and community impact in the region.
In addition to serving on the board of the Wellstar Foundation, Randy serves as a cabinet member for the Westside Future Fund and on the Board of Directors for the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Chamber, Atlanta Sports Council, the Buckhead Club, the Buckhead Coalition and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He is also a Member of Atlanta Rotary, a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and recognized in Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta 500 and Georgia Trend’s Georgia 500.
Randy received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida and a master’s degree from the University of Central Florida. He lives in Roswell with his wife Amie and children Carson, Cameron and Ryan.
Julie Teer joined Wellstar in 2020 as senior vice president and Wellstar Foundation President, bringing more than 20 years of experience and expertise in nonprofit and national political fundraising, communications and government relations.
Currently, Julie oversees Wellstar Foundation, Marketing & Communications and Strategic Community Development. Prior to joining Wellstar, she served as Chief Development & Public Affairs Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Vice President of Development for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and as a leading advisor, communications strategist, and fundraiser for national political leaders. Julie lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband Billy, sons Charlie and Johnny, and dog Boss.
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