AU Medical Center does well in state ranking of racial inclusivity, Wellstar less so
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A new study of the racial inclusivity of hospitals across the country show the former Augusta University Medical Center is among the best in Georgia, while the Wellstar Kennestone Hospital and North Fulton Hospitals in the Atlanta area have some of the lowest ratings.
The ranking by the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan thinktank, examined how hospitals were serving people of color in the surrounding communities by comparing the demographics of people in the geographical area near the hospital to the makeup of patients in the hospital, using Medicare data.
AUMC, now part of Wellstar-MCG Health, is ranked No. 8 in the state for racial inclusivity, while Candler and St. Joseph's Hospital, who the Medical College of Georgia is partnering with to create a four-year medical school campus in Savannah both make the top 10 in the state.
Wellstar, the large nonprofit health system that AU Health formally merged with in late August, has hospitals across the rankings; but their North Fulton and Kennestone Hospitals are ranked in the No. 101 and No. 102 slots, respectively for racial inclusivity. Part of the merger agreement between Wellstar and AU includes setting up a clinical campus for MCG students at Kennestone, the first such MCG campus in the Atlanta area.
"We’re reviewing the survey and its findings," wrote Matthew O'Conner, executive director of public relations for Wellstar in an email. "Our long-standing dedication to serving diverse communities is a core part of our mission and is essential to our community benefit programs."
The statement from Wellstar also highlighted their work to identify and reduce health disparities and work with community partners. Two of Wellstar's hospitals, including Kennestone, ranked in the first and second places for nonprofit health systems delivering more in care than they receive in tax breaks in Georgia according to a prior Lowns Institute report.
Atlanta included two of the 50 most racially inclusive hospitals in the country, according to the ranking, but it also landed 11th among the most segregated hospital markets in the country.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: AUMC among most racially inclusive hospitals in Georgia, study says
