Article Category: Newsroom
Published on April 29, 2024
Last updated 09:47 AM April 29, 2024
At Wellstar, every patient’s care plan is tailored to their needs. When it comes to head and neck cancers, a team of expert specialists form an interdisciplinary care team that supports the patient and their family through the whole treatment process.
In Wellstar STAT Clinics—short for Specialty Teams and Treatments—patients can see multiple cancer specialists to be diagnosed, have questions answered and finalize a treatment plan in a single day at one location. This reduces the need to drive to different locations and helps the patient start treatment faster.
“The concept of multidisciplinary care is tried and true and shown to be effective for cancer patients,” said Dr. Fiyin Sokoya, a Wellstar head and neck cancer surgeon. “This model decreases the time to proceed with and receive care.”
First, a team of medical experts, including a head and neck cancer surgeon and facial plastic surgeon, a radiation oncologist, a medical oncologist, a pathologist and a neuroradiologist, review the patient’s pathology and imaging as a group to diagnose, stage and create a personalized treatment plan.
Next, the patient and their family meet with the experts. This is an opportunity for the patient to learn about the recommended treatments and ask questions.
“Traditionally, patients must drive to several different appointments to learn the stage of their cancer, meet with different specialists and make decisions,” said Wellstar Medical Oncologist Dr. Nagender Mankan. “At that point, four to five weeks have gone by. In STAT Clinics, we are expediting the complicated decision-making process.”
The patient also meets with a nurse navigator. This specialized nurse helps coordinate many aspects of care for the patient including scheduling appointments and connecting patients with support team members, such as a registered dietitian, a speech therapist or a dentist who may help relieve irritation in the mouth and throat.
While Wellstar is well-equipped to help you fight head and neck cancers, there are steps you can take to prevent cancer from forming, including limiting exposure to the sun and cutting out tobacco and alcohol. Your Wellstar care team can work with you on a plan to keep your head and neck healthy and set achievable goals to prevent cancer.
Learn more about head and neck cancer care at Wellstar.
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Newsroom
Wellstar Family Medicine in Morrow is Relocating
Wellstar Family Medicine in Morrow is relocating to Douglasville.
Starting April 29, you can find us at:
Wellstar GME Family Medicine - Douglasville
6002 Professional Parkway, Suite 220
Douglasville, GA 30134
(770) 968-6464
We appreciate the opportunity to serve as your healthcare partners, and we hope you will continue your care with us in our new location.
Our last day in Morrow is April 19. If you have an appointment between April 22 and April 26, we will contact you to reschedule. Patient appointments scheduled for April 29 or later will take place in Douglasville.
We are committed to helping you find a location that is both convenient and the right fit for your health needs. Call us at (770) 956-STAR (7827) if you would like assistance in finding a new provider. Several options for continuing care in the Morrow area are:
1.The Family Health Centers of Georgia will begin operating from our current Morrow location (1000 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 200) in early May. They are a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care, family planning and other specialized health programs—regardless of ability to pay. They will move to their newly renovated space nearby at 6685 Merchants Way in July 2024. Learn more about FQHCs.
2.CenterWell Senior Primary Care1821 Mount Zion Road, Morrow, GA 30260(470) 491-2020
3.Mayuga Family Medicine236 Stockbridge Road Suite B, Jonesboro, GA 30236(770) 742-9326
4.Wellstar Primary Care3890 Redwine Road Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30331(404) 344-0059
5.Wellstar GME Internal Medicine Clinic747 South 8th St. Suite B, Griffin, GA 30224(470) 604-8250
6.Wellstar Primary Care708 S. 8th St., Griffin, GA 30224(770) 228-5402
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Highlights
Expert Treatment for Head and Neck Cancers at Wellstar
Head and neck cancers include several different types of malignant tumors affecting parts of the head and neck, including the nose and sinus cavities, mouth, throat, voice box and salivary glands. Head and neck cancers typically involve the mucosa, or the tissues lining these areas, and represent about 4% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year.
Treating head and neck cancers
If you are diagnosed with cancer, Wellstar provides expert care. Oropharyngeal cancers are typically treated with surgery (with or without radiation therapy) or radiation therapy (with or without chemotherapy) at equivalent cure rates. Goals of treatment are to remove the cancer, prevent its return and limit side effects.
“Wellstar providers work with patients to tailor care to their needs—based on effectiveness of the treatment, tumor location and stage, accessibility of the tumor to a surgical approach, risk of side effects and patient choice,” said Dr. Kia Jones, a Wellstar ear nose & throat physician.
In the Head and Neck STAT Clinics at Wellstar Cobb, Douglas and North Fulton Medical Centers, the patient meets with their entire treatment team in a single day during treatment planning and may start treatment sooner, which may improve outcomes for patients and provides more peace of mind.
New surgical method improves treatment
Transoral robotic surgery, offered at Wellstar North Fulton, has changed the way oropharyngeal cancers are treated surgically.
“In this procedure, the surgeon accesses the cancer by passing tools through the mouth rather than making an incision,” said Dr. Jones, who performs the procedure.
For those patients with early-stage tumors and limited disease in the neck, the surgery offers the patient a cure at a single intervention without the need for tracheostomy or abdominal feeding tube, faster return to taking food orally, improved outcomes and faster recovery. This is preferred over traditional surgical methods, which require splitting the jaw and/or the tongue or gaining access to the throat via neck incision.
Reducing your risk
You can take action against common risk factors by decreasing tobacco and alcohol use and getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Some well-known risk factors for the development of head and neck cancers include heavy alcohol and tobacco use, especially if someone uses alcohol and tobacco together. Men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with oral and throat cancer compared to women, according to the American Cancer Society.
An additional risk factor is HPV infection, which is related to the development of oropharyngeal cancer specifically. The oropharynx is the midsection of the throat and includes the tonsils and the root of the tongue or tongue base where the vast majority of these tumors originate. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer is more prevalent now than HPV-related cervical cancer in women. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer has been increasing in the United States over the last three to four decades, while the incidence of tobacco and alcohol-related tumors has been declining. More than 22,500 people are diagnosed with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer each year.
Learn more about how Wellstar cares for head and neck cancers.
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Newsroom
Wellstar Recognized as a Top Employer Nationwide
Workers in the healthcare industry have been presented with many challenges over the past few years that include the pandemic and workforce shortages. Despite these challenges, Wellstar has been named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2024. This is the sixth time that the Marietta-based nonprofit community health system has been named to this prestigious list.
To deliver high-quality and compassionate care, the needs of the physicians, caregivers and team members must be heard. That is why Wellstar works to understand the unique experiences and perspectives of its team members—and fosters a culture of trust, honesty and transparency that empowers each team member.
A key piece of Wellstar’s strategy and culture is honoring every voice, which includes participating in the annual Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey. Every Wellstar team member is provided the opportunity to anonymously take the survey, and in 2023, 87% of Wellstar team members completed it. Leaders and teams across the organization utilize the survey results to create unique action plans where team members are directly involved to identify actionable opportunities to improve their work environment and relationships.
“This recognition reflects our commitment to fostering a culture of trust that empowers each of you to be difference makers as you care for our patients, communities and each other,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO. “It’s because of our team members that Wellstar has again earned a place on this prestigious list and was recognized as one of five health systems in the country, the only health system and one of six Georgia-based companies.”
In response to team member feedback, Wellstar invested $45 million over the past three years to expand benefits that personally and professionally support its team members. Benefits include growth and development programs, extra days off, on-demand access to mindfulness and meditation tools, cash payouts for self-care needs, and financial support for student loan payments, among others. These benefits are updated and refined based on continuing feedback from team members across the system.
“I am proud of the culture we have built and sustained,” said David A. Jones, executive vice president and chief human resources officer. “There is no finish line in the pursuit of continual improvement. Listening to our team members and honoring every one of their voices is part of who we are and how we will continue to be a place where people want to work throughout their careers.”
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