Georgia’s Augusta University Health System (AUHS) has announced that they have signed a letter of intent with Wellstar Health System in Atlanta to form a partnership that will expand their educational and research missions, and allow Wellstar Health System to more broadly affiliate with the university’s Medical College of Georgia (MCG) as AUHS joins the Wellstar Health System.
According to a press release from AUHS, the “proposed partnership would innovate clinical care, training and research while adopting a successful model of bringing together community-based health systems and academic medical centers such as MCG and its teaching hospitals. MCG and Augusta University are part of the University System of Georgia (USG), and MCG serves as the only public medical school in the state.”
“AUHS, Augusta University and the Wellstar Health System have a shared mission to solve Georgia’s health care challenges,” USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “By joining forces and working together, we can leverage Wellstar’s clinical platform and leading-edge systems to support patients while providing more opportunities for students to learn, train and care for residents in local communities across Georgia.”
After reaching a definitive agreement and receiving regulatory approval, the partnership will focus on “Expanding digital health offerings to create more convenient access to care and provide more individualized care regardless of location” and “Growing the pipeline of physicians and other health care providers serving Georgia by increasing the number of students who train and conduct research through MCG.”
It will also focus on “Developing new treatments, innovative care offerings and scalable care models to optimize the health and well-being of every patient.”
“By bringing Augusta University Health System together with Wellstar Health System and leveraging our respective strengths, we would improve the health of the community, address social determinants of health and expand access to quality care for all Georgians,” said Candice L. Saunders president and CEO of Wellstar Health System.
The partnership is expected to significantly improve existing health care facilities and expand access to health care across Georgia.
“Providing health care has never been as dynamic and complex as it is today, and this partnership with the Georgia-based, not-for-profit Wellstar Health System would enable us to extend our mission of improving health through excellence in patient care, education and research for the benefit of Georgians,” said Brooks A. Keel, PhD, acting CEO of Augusta University Health System and president of Augusta University.