Corporate Spotlight – Wellstar Health System

Wellstar Health System is one of the largest healthcare systems in Georgia, with more than 24,000 employees across some 400 facilities in the region. With an established a standard for compassionate, customized patient care, Wellstar has been nationally recognized with numerous awards and accolades. From its flagship Kennestone Hospital and the historic Atlanta Medical Center to facilities dedicated to cancer treatment, urgent care, hospice, senior care and imaging, the Wellstar brand is deeply rooted in local communities and highly regarded. Although it has only recently launched a formal supplier diversity program, Wellstar is quickly making all the right moves to build a world class outreach and supplier engagement program.   The corporate commitment stems from a broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion effort of which supply chain equity and diversity is a major pillar. Executive leadership at Wellstar is fully focused on achieving excellence in this critical area, driving a systemwide promise to be ‘open, inviting and engaging’ to diverse suppliers.

The team leader for the Supplier Diversity program at Wellstar is Michael McCullough, the Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in supply chain management for the health care industry. Michael has been tasked with collaborating with the CEO to formalize company policies and practices for supplier diversity, in addition to building a systemwide framework for inclusive procurement across all of Wellstar’s facilities and departments, many of whom have independent sourcing functions for some of their commodities. Michael has convened a Supplier Diversity team comprised of leaders from various Wellstar functional areas, who discuss ways to advance the company’s agenda for engaging diverse suppliers and increasing their diverse spend significantly. He has established a supplier portal and data clearinghouse to support his network of suppliers and provide critical analytics that will help guide future decision-making. Wellstar is focused on learning from other established organizations and gleaning industry best practices, in addition to engaging with the GMSDC and other strategic certifying organization for diverse suppliers.  For a program that has only recently been restarted, Wellstar is on a fast track to peak performance in the Supplier Diversity space.

McCullough understands that importance of his Supplier Diversity effort to the overall Wellstar philosophy of care. “Our patients come from every possible segment of the community, across all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and socio-economic levels,” he says. “It is imperative that we offer business opportunities to companies that represent that broad diversity, especially those from communities who have been traditionally disadvantaged. Just as we pride ourselves on world-class patient care, we want to be known as a best-in-class sourcing and procurement organization as well. All of our leadership is on board and driving hard towards that goal.” We applaud Wellstar for the energy and engagement it has brought to bear on ramping up the program and look forward to a long a fruitful partnership. For more information, visit wellstar.org.