West Georgia Health and WellStar FAQs
Community FAQs
November 5, 2015
Now that West Georgia Health and WellStar have reached a definitive agreement to become
partners, we now have answers to many of the questions that have been submitted to
communityfeedback@wghealth.org over the past several weeks. Please take a few minutes to
review the information below.
What is the timeline for the partnership with WellStar to officially take place?
Now that WellStar and West Georgia Health’s respective board members have approved
the definitive agreement to become partners, the partnership must be reviewed and
approved by the Georgia Attorney General. We plan to submit paperwork to the Attorney
General’s office by mid-November to start that process. Regulatory approval, which will
include a public hearing held in Troup County, is expected to take approximately three
months. We anticipate integration of the new facilities to begin early in the 2016
calendar year.
What will the management structure at West Georgia Health look like when WGH
becomes a part of WellStar?
The current management structure in LaGrange will remain intact with Jerry Fulks as
West Georgia Health’s senior executive and WGH Vice Presidents Charis Acree, Paul
Perrotti, Liza Fritchley, Tracy Gynther, Tommy Britt and Tripp Penn overseeing their
current respective areas of responsibilities.
How will the WellStar partnership affect operations at West Georgia Health’s two nursing
homes?
When we began our search process for a partner organization, we were seeking a likeminded organization which shares West Georgia Health’s mission, vision and values. We
believe we found those qualities in WellStar, and we expect to continue operating as a
low cost, high-quality provider of healthcare services throughout our health system,
including West Georgia Medical Center, our two nursing homes and all other divisions of
West Georgia Health.
How will funds raised through the West Georgia Health Foundation be used?
After the partnership between West Georgia Health and WellStar becomes official, the
West Georgia Health Foundation will remain as a separate entity. Funds raised through
our Foundation for projects benefitting our local health system will be earmarked as such
and support the designated projects. West Georgia Hospice will become a part of
WellStar, but funds raised by the Hospice Advisory Committee through events such as
the Ely Callaway Golf Event will remain a part of the West Georgia Health Foundation
and will benefit West Georgia Hospice patients and programs.
How will the partnership affect the approximate $40 million of taxpayer-backed bonds
that Troup County Commissioners pledged toward the construction of the South Tower,
should West Georgia Health default on the loan?
In the unlikely event that Troup County would be called upon to make a payment for
bonds the county guaranteed when West Georgia Health built the South Tower, WellStar
has agreed to pay the necessary funding to meet the county’s debt service payment
obligation.
What differences will the LaGrange community see in the operation of WGH after the
completion of the affiliation with WellStar?
When the partnership becomes official, we expect the West Georgia Health’s operations
to appear seamless to our community. It will be “business as usual” for the first several
months so the merged team leaders will have the opportunity to evaluate operations and
determine how to proceed toward operating more efficiently and effectively. Not only do
we expect to continue offering all of our core clinical services, but also we may have the
opportunity to add new clinical services for our community.
How will cooperation between Emory at LaGrange (formerly known as Emory ClarkHolder Clinic) and West Georgia Health manifest itself with regard to referrals for
specialized care that is not currently available in LaGrange?
Referrals to specialists and other facilities for specialized care have always been made at
the discretion of the referring physician in partnership with his/her patient. Referrals will
continue to be at the discretion of the physician and patient. West Georgia Health’s
partnership with WellStar will expand options for local physicians to refer patients for
specialized care through new relationships forged with WellStar’s medical staff, as well as
WellStar’s affiliation with the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
How will the affiliation impact our citizenry, especially those who have not been involved
in the decision making related to the WellStar partnership?
We expect West Georgia Health’s partnership with WellStar to benefit our community
significantly for all the reasons previously addressed: operational efficiencies, expanded
group purchasing, population health management and access to the Mayo Clinic Care
Network, among others.
The decision to affiliate with WellStar has involved a thorough vetting process,
evaluation and careful consideration by the members of the LaGrange-Troup County
Hospital Authority, West Georgia Medical Center and West Georgia Health Services
governing boards. The members of these volunteer boards are lifelong or longtime
residents of our community whose roles are to represent the community and to make
decisions with the best interests of our citizens as their primary focus.
They have devoted hundreds of hours toward making this monumental decision to align
with WellStar – from launching the search, through the entire process to reaching a
definitive agreement to partner with WellStar – and we are sincerely grateful for their
time and efforts.