Salude is a nominee in Gwinnett Chamber’s IMPACT Regional Business Awards

Gwinnett County (METRO ATLANTA) GA – Salude has been recognized as a leading area organization by being nominated for an IMPACT Regional Business Award.

Designed to be reflective and unique to Gwinnett and across metro Atlanta, the program pays tribute to premier organizations in top industries that are driving economic development and job creation, while enhancing our quality of life.

“We have been proud to serve the community of Gwinnett County since 2014, and our recent deficiency free healthcare survey proves our commitment to providing exceptional care for our patients,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “We are humbled and honored to be recognized for the dedication and support we give each day to our patients in recovery care.”

Recipients will be selected in the following sectors:

• AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction)
• Education
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Information Technology
• International
• Nonprofit
• Service 
• Small Business

“Bringing together leaders across these important industries is another example of how the Gwinnett Chamber can fulfill its mission to serve as a community forum,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, President & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. “We are honored to provide a platform that showcases these excelling organizations, which are what makes the metro region a leader in so many areas.”

The awards ceremony will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 10 at the Infinite Energy Forum. 
An overall IMPACT Regional Business Awards recipient will be selected from one of the above category winners.

Salude Hosts “Walk the Talk” to Promote Wellness

Suwanee, Georgia (Feb. 7, 2017) – Want to improve your health and stay active? Salude hosts “Walk the Talk!” this Saturday, Feb. 11 at George Pierce Park. This free informative walk with Salude health professionals will help you learn how to reduce heart health problems and live a longer, healthier life.

“We care about our community, and the best way we can help them avoid more severe health issues to educate the public about preventative health measures in this casual format,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “This monthly walk gives people the chance to ask our health professionals for advice in a more relaxed format than scheduling a regular physician appointment.”

Walkers will get to interact with Salude’s expert team including a physician, therapist, nutritionist/dietician and exercise physiologist. Learn not only what to do to stay healthy but also how each activity or dietary shift impacts your overall health.

“Walk the Talk!” events are scheduled for this Saturday, Feb. 11. In March, the walk will be held on Saturday, March 11. The April walk will take place Saturday, April 8 and the May walk will be held on Saturday May 13. All walks begin at 9 a.m. at George Pierce Park in Suwanee.

Register at www.gwinnettparks.com or contact Marie Pinela at 770-822-3197.

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Physician Spotlight — Physiatry Services at Salude

Dr. Sunil Bhole is Salude’s consultant Physiatrist. Physiatrists are physicians who specialize in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and are consulted when pain, weakness or disability is preventing a patient from achieving their desired level of independence. Dr. Bhole has been an integral part of Salude since its opening and sees patients to address issues related to their rehabilitation and pain management. As part of the Physician Advisory Board at Salude Dr. Bhole meets quarterly with community physicians and Salude’s leadership to explore ways to improve and enhance the care and services at Salude. 

Dr. Bhole has been a part of the community for over 25 years. He opened Glancy Rehabilitation Center, affiliated with Gwinnett Medical Center, in 1988 and has remained its Medical Director since that time.  Under his leadership, Glancy Rehabilitation Center has ranked in the top 3% of Rehabilitation facilities nationwide,  has received the highest level of accreditation  by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and  been designated as a Stroke Specialty Program. Dee Desai, Executive Director at Salude recalls meeting Dr. Bhole prior to the opening of Salude when we were looking for a physiatrist to join the team. “When we presented the concept, he was very enthusiastic about a new Transitional Care facility and very excited to be a part of it,” says Desai. “Dr. Bhole had the perfect background, experience, vision, enthusiasm and energy to be a part of our team.” 

Dr. Bhole has worked very well with our attending physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and therapists as well as community physicians to help create individualized rehabilitation programs for our patients. He provides educational inservices as needed and is always available to answer questions. Desai continues, “Salude is very fortunate to have Dr. Bhole as a part of its team.”

Annual Community Service Grant Awarded

As part of an annual commitment to give back to the community, Salude presented a $1,000 check to the Palliative Care Program at Gwinnett Hospital System Foundation in November.

Dr. Alan Wang, Salude Chief Executive Officer, and Dee Desai, Salude Executive Director, presented the check to Cindy Murphy, Associate Director of Development for Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation; Beth Ziegler, NPC, Palliative Care; Dr. Murtaza Cassoobhoy, Palliative Care Director and Nish Patel, Vice President and Administrator of Gwinnett Medical Center-Duluth. 

“The compassionate, innovative work GMC is doing in palliative medicine is a perfect fit for Salude’s community service grant dollars,” said Wang. “We strive to support organizations impacting patient quality of life, a mission to which we are both whole-heartedly dedicated.” 

“We formed a strong bond with Salude leaders while working to find the perfect beneficiary of Salude’s generosity,” said Cindy Murphy, Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation Associate Director of Development. “It was a pleasure working with the entire team to make this happen.”

GMC Foundation accepted its first donation directed to Palliative Care in 2015. Since then, there have been 61 individual donors, many of whom are hospital associates who give through the employee giving program.  There have been three organizational donations, only one of which is related to a medical field.  There have also been three organizational gifts from companies that matched donor gifts.  One donor established a Palliative Care Endowment as a tribute to her late husband. 

Gwinnett Hospital System Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable not-for-profit organization as determined by U. S. Department of Treasury.  Known as GMC Foundation, the Foundation supports of the mission of Gwinnett Hospital System and Gwinnett Medical Center in order to provide quality healthcare in our community.  

Salude to Hold Blood Drive on August 30

ATLANTA (August 12, 2016) – Salude, an upscale transitional care and rehabilitation facility focused on providing specialized short-term care in a state-of-the-art environment located in Suwanee, Ga., will be holding a blood drive with the American Red Cross on Tuesday, Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m at Salude located at 601 Northholt Parkway. Prizes, giveaways and a raffle will be held to encourage donations.

Donors may schedule a time at www.redcrossblood.org/give-blood or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for availability. Walk-ins are welcome. Blood donations usually take about an hour.

“Please join us this Aug. 30 by donating blood and saving a life. A single blood donation may help up to three different people,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “As a steward of health and wellness, we are holding this blood drive to support our community and in turn possibly helping a future patient as they may choose to recover here after a surgery or other health-related illness.”

Those eligible to donate must have not have donated within the last 56 days, be in good general health and feeling well, at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 lbs. 

Before donating, the American Red Cross recommends these easy steps to make the donation experience as safe, successful and pleasant as possible. Try to eat iron rich food before donating as well as get a good night’s sleep and drink an extra 16 oz. of water before the donation.

According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood meaning approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells that are needed every day. The Red Cross works with more than 58,000 blood drive sponsors each year to hold more than 145,000 blood drives, providing convenient locations for people to give blood. 

This will be the first American Red Cross blood drive held at Salude.

Salude Sponsors City of Suwanee’s August Concert and Wing Contest

ATLANTA (August 8, 2016) – Salude, an upscale transitional care and rehabilitation facility focused on providing specialized short-term care in a state-of-the-art environment located in Suwannee, Ga., sponsors City of Suwanee’s August Concert and Wing Contest and provides first aid during the event.

The August Concert and Wing Festival will be held August 13 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Town Center Park located at Buford Highway and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road in Suwanee. The event features Toad the Wet Sprocket and a Wing-Eating Contest.

“We are proud to support our City of Suwanee and surrounding community,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “We look forward to meeting and serving our community throughout the night at the First Aid tent.”

The entertainment schedule is: 

• 5 p.m. – LJ3
• 6:15 p.m. – Luke Wade
• 7 p.m. – Wing-Eating Contest
• 7:15 p.m. – New Mantra
• 8:30 p.m. – Toad the West Sprocket

Last year was the first year Salude sponsored the event and provided first aid during the August festival. 

Karlene Cordwell Named Salude 2015 Employee of the Year

ATLANTA (May 31, 2016) – Salude named Karlene Cordwell 2015 Employee of the Year at an all-employee meeting this spring. Karlene was one of 12 employees who were nominated for the Employee of the Year award. As one of the Employee of the Month honorees, all Salude employees voted to chose the 2015 Employee of the Year. 

Karlene is a nurse unit manager and joined Salude in August 2014, shortly after it opened. She worked previously for Golden Living in several roles. A native of Queens, New York, Karlene earned her Practical Nurse Certification from Nassau Tech BOCES in 1998. She has worked in a variety of health care settings during her career including hospitals, hospice, long term care facilities and clinics. 

“It has been a pleasure to see Karlene move into a managerial role. She began working with our team as a floor nurse and was quickly promoted to unit manager,” said Dee Desai, Salude Executive Director. “Karlene is an exceptional mentor to new nurses, lending help whenever needed. She has the clinical knowledge and experience to provide quality care to our patients. In the past year Karlene has assisted with new employee orientations and assisted other clinical management functions. She is friendly and has a kind heart. She is caring and thoughtful to our patients, their families and her colleagues.” 

This is the first Employee of the Year award at Salude. Since opening in July 2014, Salude has admitted well over 1,000 patients providing outstanding outcomes in terms of quality and patient experience.

Salude Congratulates C.J. Caballero for Completing the 10th Annual Publix Georgia Half Marathon

ATLANTA (March 31, 2016) – Salude, an upscale transitional care and rehabilitation facility focused on providing specialized short-term care in a state-of-the-art environment located in Suwannee, Ga., congratulates its business office administrator, C.J. Caballero, for completing his first half marathon.

“After letting other priorities take over, my girlfriend, Misty Criddle, and I realized that we needed to make a change and improve our work/life balance,” said Caballero. “We decided during last year’s Thanksgiving to incorporate running into our daily routine and join a training program. We then challenged ourselves to work on getting more sleep and better eating habits.”

Caballero added, “We ran despite suffering injuries because we counted on each other to endure to the end of the race. It was important to have a supportive partner as well as train with a running group. Through training, I could sense that I was improving both physically and mentally – sleeping better, making better food choices and gaining mental toughness – and completing set goals whether that was running a steep hill or a work-related activity.”

“Our congratulations go out to C.J. and Misty for staying dedicated and completing this half marathon. We are happy to support C.J. and all of our employees in striving for a healthy balance between work and life as well as to focus on their wellness,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “In many ways, C.J’s training is similar to our focused approach on health and wellness through therapy.”

The 10th Annual Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon took place on March 20 at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. The event is organized by the Atlanta Track Club, the second largest running organization in the United States. This year’s marathon and half marathon hosted approximately 10,000 runners and walkers.

Caballero has worked with Salude since May of 2014 and helped to open Salude in July of that same year. 

Salude CEO Nominated to 50 Most Influential Physician Executive Leaders

ATLANTA (Jan. 16, 2016) – Salude Chief Executive Officer Alan Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP has been nominated to Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Physician Executive Leaders. 

The final ranking of the top 50 from 150 nominees will be based on 50 percent readers’ votes and 50 percent on input from the senior editors at Modern Healthcare. Modern Healthcare Reader’s voting ends Feb. 19.  To vote, go to www.modernhealthcare.com/Vote50Most. 

“It is an honor to be recognized next to so many talented physician leaders,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “Here at Salude we have set the bar high in terms making our patients feel comfortable and peaceful so that their thoughtful recovery is top of mind. We have combined clinical excellence, comprehensive care into a beautiful surrounding. I am proud to say that Salude is changing the way we think of transitional care.”

A nominee must demonstrate contributions or achievements in the following areas to be included in the voting list: Executive Responsibility, Leadership, Professional Achievement, Innovation and Community Service.

Dr. Wang helped start the Emory Hospital Medicine Program. He served as site medical director at several locations in Atlanta. From October 2008 – July 2013, he served as the director of the Emory Section of Hospital Medicine. Under his leadership, the Division of Hospital of Medicine grew to be the largest academic hospital medicine program in the country and the largest hospital medicine system in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Wang has brought a passion for leadership and team development to Salude, improving transitions of care between the acute hospital setting and post acute care settings. He has shown a commitment to providing clinical excellence to every patient. Since opening in July 2014, Salude has admitted well over 1,000 patients providing outstanding outcomes in terms of quality and patient experience. Dr. Wang is a Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine and Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Salude CEO Named Winner at Gwinnett Chamber’s Healthcare Excellence Awards

ATLANTA (Jan. 8, 2016) – Salude Chief Executive Officer Alan Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP won the Gwinnett Chamber Healthcare Excellence Award in the Physician of the Year – Specialist category. The winners in each award category were unveiled at the annual Healthcare Excellence Awards ceremony on Dec. 15 at the Infinite Energy Forum in Duluth emceed by WSB-TV’s Jocelyn Dorsey. 

The program recognizes excellence and innovation and honors the efforts of individuals and organizations making a significant impact in the healthcare community. The finalists provide examples of best practices to emulate in providing quality healthcare.

“It is an honor to be recognized among industry leaders and humbling to be picked as Physician of the Year among so many talented physicians in the category,” said Salude CEO Dr. Alan Wang. “We appreciate the community’s recognition and support and look forward to another exciting year in bringing the best healthcare to our patients at Salude.”

“Access to quality healthcare is one of the most important factors in determining a community’s quality of life,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, President & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. “Not only does it affect every individual on a personal level, but it is also considered a strategic economic development tool for attracting companies to relocate to or expand and invest in Gwinnett County. A readily available, well-trained workforce will have its pick of the best jobs in Gwinnett’s healthcare arena. For fast growth communities such as ours, it is critical to have a quality healthcare system with state-of-the-art-technology supporting it.”

Dr. Wang helped start the Emory Hospital Medicine Program. He served as site medical director at several locations in Atlanta. From October 2008 – July 2013, he served as the director of the Emory Section of Hospital Medicine. Under his leadership, the Division of Hospital of Medicine grew to be the largest academic hospital medicine program in the country and the largest hospital medicine system in the state of Georgia.

Dr. Wang has brought a passion for leadership and team development to Salude, improving transitions of care between the acute hospital setting and post acute care settings. He has shown a commitment to providing clinical excellence to every patient. Since opening in July 2014, Salude has admitted well over 1,000 patients providing outstanding outcomes in terms of quality and patient experience. Dr. Wang is a Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine and Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

The Physician of the Year category recognizes an individual who has exhibited excellence by giving outstanding patient attention and responding to the needs of their families, while also leading a top-performing practice.

Recipients were as follows:  Community Leadership—Carolyn Hill, Gwinnett Health System; Corporate Achievement—Georgia Gwinnett College’s School of Health Science Program; Executive Administrator—Thomas Shepherd, Gwinnett Medical Center; Healthcare Agency—Gwinnett Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine; Healthcare Professional—Beverly Friedlander Ostrowski, VITAS Healthcare;  Physician of the Year—Uday Parikh, DDS (Dentist); Physician of the Year—Kevin Johnson, MD, FAAFP, Gwinnett Medical Center (Primary Care) and Physician of the Year—Alan Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP,  Salude (Specialist). 

For more information about this event, please visit HealthcareExcellenceAwards.com.