Wellstar Paulding Hospital Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

A cancer surgeon at Wellstar Health System since 2005, Dr. Sahir Shroff never thought his journey to medicine would lead him to find a passion for art. Referring to it as a "serendipitous encounter with painting," Dr. Shroff’s career led him to be a world-class cancer surgeon who sees sick patients as the Surgical Oncology Subsection lead and the Kennestone Cancer Steering Committee Chair. Throughout the years, he realized he needed an outlet to help compartmentalize his life and destress. That is where his newfound passion came into play.

Officially, his journey into art began about a year ago; painting became a means of meditation for Dr. Shroff. As time passed, he realized this hobby offered him something more valuable than he had ever dreamed of- peace and tranquility. "More than what I'm doing - it is what I need to do. It allows me to focus on things other than medicine." The instant he picked up the brush and started painting, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

"I do not consider myself an artist. I am an amateur. I am self-taught; I experiment with different paint mediums and brushes to create the desired effect." Dr. Shroff continued, "Art has never been a big part of my life in the past. Being a physician, I have naturally gravitated towards the STEM topics."

Dr. Shroff was born in Mumbai, India, and completed his residency and fellowship in the United States. He met his now wife, Dr. Paulomi Shroff, a breast surgeon with Wellstar Health System in medical school, and they share a beautiful family. After becoming empty nesters in the past few years, Dr. Shroff realized converting one of his children's bedrooms into an art studio was the perfect culmination of his life's works and his newfound passion for art. Not only is it helping him, but Dr. Shroff has also found that art is a beautiful tool to connect to his patients. His canvasses line the walls at Kennestone Regional Medical Center's Cancer Center, where patients can find a time for respite from the chemotherapy and radiation treatments that so often fill their lives with the angst of the "C Word."

From his art titled "Home Coming" featuring the wildebeests and huts he has found along his travels to villages in Tanzania to the hyenas and big moon in his art 'Blue Moon in the Serengeti' and a cheetah and her cub in 'Now You See Them, Now You Don't.' These moments have inspired Dr. Shroff in so many ways. With this reflective approach to better understanding life's purpose, the love of art has been life-changing for Dr. Shroff, "our role as humans on this earth and our responsibility to safeguard this delicate ecosystem."

Tameka Pearson experienced the best and the worst of women’s health in a decade. When she overcame her first health challenges, a new breast cancer diagnosis tested her again. As Tameka conquered cancer with the support of her family and her Wellstar cancer care team, she only grew fiercer in her dedication to self care.

Overcoming health challenges

Look back a decade and you’ll see Tameka, a mom of three, teaching middle school students. She started out as a special education teacher, then became an English and language arts teacher. She said, “I truly loved trying to figure out how to help the students learn the curriculum in a different way and to help them cope with their disabilities.”

She was also coping with her own issues at the same time—fibroids, heavy bleeding and pain. After five years, she had a hysterectomy and went through menopause at 36 years old. It took a year to recover, and she gained 60 pounds, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression.

“The heaviest I could lift was my clothes basket,” she remembered. “When I got clearance to exercise, I changed my eating habits, my mindset and my life for the better.”

A new focus on building strength shaped her into a new woman—inside and out. She rose at 4 AM daily, lifted weights, taught students and returned home for time with her family.

A second diagnosis

In peak physical condition at 43 years, Tameka scheduled her routine annual mammogram. She got called back for a second mammogram due to dense breast tissue.

“Getting a call back after a screening mammogram means that the doctor wants to look at something more closely,” said Diane Harris, RN, a certified oncology nurse navigator at Wellstar Douglas Medical Center. “It does not mean you have cancer, but if you do, finding it earlier could save your life.”

But for Tameka, further imaging led to more tests and finally, a needle-guided biopsy. Two days later, she got a call confirming she had triple negative breast cancer. She said, “I felt like this little bump can pretty much dictate the rest of my life. When I heard the term ‘breast cancer,’ my world stopped. I cried for about two weeks straight.”

This article was originally published on Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 14, 2023.

The key to avoiding health problems is prevention, and the keys to prevention are annual checkups, regular screenings and vaccinations. With the start of the next school year looming in late summer, healthcare experts in Atlanta say it’s a good time for families to get back into the routine of scheduling and keeping these important appointments—not just for children, but for parents too, especially that one parent who tends to be the primary scheduler, often the mother.

In an Atlanta Business Chronicle panel discussion in partnership with Wellstar, physicians from Wellstar and Cobb & Douglas Health District discuss why checkups are important and how families can overcome obstacles to stay on track with preventative care.

Taking care of the family and the family’s No. 1 manager

David Rubinger, Atlanta Business Chronicle market president and publisher: When we think about family wellness and how it intersects with our daily work routines, it can get very complicated, given how busy working professionals are. We’re trying to figure out a way to manage not only our children’s health, and maybe our parents’ health if we’re in the sandwich generation, but our own health. The checklist is longer and longer every day. Let’s start with the basics. We’re a few weeks away from the start of school. Dr. Stinson, what are you telling your parents of kids of school age right now?

Dr. Carrie Stinson, Chief, Pediatric Service Line, Wellstar: The summer is a great time to get caught up on all the things that fall through the cracks during the busy school year. Our lives are very hectic, and when school starts back, things get even busier.

One big thing is the annual well-child exam. Every child should have a well-child exam every single year. When you have babies and toddlers, it’s routine — you’re scheduling these frequently. When kids get older and busier, these visits may feel less important and fall off your radar.

Well visits are important every year. They focus on the comprehensive health and well-being of your child. Pediatricians focus on physical health, development, emotional, social, and even behavioral health. During these visits, the care team collects information on patient and family history, talks about developmental milestones and how your child is doing in school socially. We also assess sleep habits and nutrition. As they become adolescents, well-child exams become even more important as we ask questions about your child’s mental and sexual health.

Those are important conversations to start having and your pediatrician can be a great facilitator. Sometimes parents are uncomfortable talking about those topics with their children even at an early, pre-adolescent stage, so those well checkups are really great places to get insight on how to approach sensitive topics.

Rubinger: Dr. Stinson, since COVID, tell me what you’re seeing that’s different in terms of talking to both parents and children. I am sure the pandemic took some families off their schedules for well checkups. How has the doctor-patient pediatric conversation changed over the past couple of years?

Dr. Stinson: What we’re hearing from our pediatricians since COVID is also what we’re hearing in the news. The behavioral and mental health crisis that we’re experiencing in this country has been really impactful on children, especially teenagers. During COVID, the social isolation of being out of school for periods of time had a significant impact on adolescents. The rise in social media popularity during that time also had a negative impact on pediatric mental health.

Our pediatricians are really seeing that impact now. They’re feeling the strain our teenagers are experiencing. We’re seeing many more cases of depression and anxiety, and cases that escalate to dangerous proportions such as suicidal thoughts and actions.

We’re trying to respond to it by increasing the resources in our communities, but it’s hard to move fast enough to keep up with the demand. At Wellstar, we are developing an integrative model for behavioral health into our pediatric offices. Five of our pediatric practices will have embedded behavioral health professionals, so pediatricians can make direct referrals and patients have immediate access to behavioral health providers in their pediatric office setting.

Rubinger: Dr. Greaves, the mother might be the caretaker who takes care of the child. Most mothers would put their kid’s health ahead of their own health. Tell me what you are experiencing in terms of women’s health as it relates to those people who are the caretakers. What are the issues that they’re having to face to address their own needs?

Dr. Paula Greaves, Chief, Women’s Health Service Line, Wellstar: Women are usually considered the CEOs of their households and the drivers of healthcare in the community. Most women are the care bridge between several generations. They take care of their children, their parents, their partners and at times their communities.

Unfortunately, they sometimes forget to take care of themselves. As physicians, it is our duty to ensure that women are made aware of the warning signs their bodies may be sending them and encourage them to seek help earlier to improve health outcomes.

There are nine signs that I tell my patients to watch out for:

1. Fatigue: Most women think, “Oh, I’m tired. It’s because I’m doing too much or I’m not getting enough sleep.” But fatigue can be a sign of something more than simply lack of sleep. It could be thyroid dysfunction. It could be menstrual irregularities causing them to be anemic and thus feeling fatigued. It could be heart disease. Fatigue could also be a sign of depression or menopausal symptoms. Every household should own a blood pressure monitor, and women should know their numbers (blood pressure, weight, and last menstrual period).
2. Women should be aware of physical changes within their bodies, including breast changes. Changes in the texture of the skin or a lump or pain in the breast should always be checked out.
3. Bloating is another subtle symptom to be aware of. Most women feel bloated and think, “Oh, it’s time for my menstrual cycle, so that’s why I am bloated.” But bloating can be a sign of a gastrointestinal problem or an enlarged pelvic organ. If you have bloating that doesn’t resolve after one or two cycles, let your doctor know.
4. Chest discomfort, shortness of breath and pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, shoulder, or arm are also red flags. Heart attack signs and symptoms can be completely different in women than the typical ones seen in men. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, so it is very important that these signs are not ignored.
5. Lung cancer isn’t just a smoker’s disease. If you notice an unusual cough or wheezing, have it checked out.
6. Weight changes: Either too much weight gain or unexpected weight loss should be mentioned to your physician. Fluid retention can also affect weight gain.
7. Blood in the urine or stool should be reported.
8. Irregular or heavy periods—heavy enough to change pads every hour or soil through clothes.
9. Skin changes such as discolorations, new moles or growths are definitely worth having a professional take a look.

Rubinger:  Is there ever a situation, Dr. Stinson, where you are treating a child and you see a mother whom you can tell is having health issues, even without an exam? As a pediatrician, do you ever say, “Hey, I think you need to get that checked out?”

Dr. Stinson: As pediatricians, we really focus on the whole family. While we’re seeing the child, we’re also interacting with the parents, guardians, grandparents, or whoever’s bringing the child in to see us on a routine basis.

I think we often get questions from family members about their own health because of exactly what Dr. Greaves mentioned. People think, “I am in a doctor’s office. I don’t have time to go to my own doctor. Let me just see if I can get this question answered.

While being careful not to give medical advice to a patient who is not ours or who is outside of our scope of practice as pediatricians, we are very willing to give recommendations on where that person should seek care. One benefit of our health system is we have the expertise to take care of patients from before they’re born until they need end-of-life care. We have a scope of providers within our system who can help with pretty much any problem that might come up. I would not hesitate to refer a patient to Dr. Greaves and say, “This mom is really worried about her own health. Can you please help? She’s very busy, but her symptoms sound concerning. Can you maybe work her into your schedule?

I practice in the hospital, and we have sent several parents to the emergency room in our hospital for their own health while we’re taking care of their child in the pediatric unit.

How providers are addressing rising mental health needs

Rubinger: Dr. Memark, you get to look at this from the standpoint of two counties that are in great need of public health support. What are the trends that you’re seeing at a 30,000-foot view? What do you see within your communities that your organization tries to address?

Dr. Janet Memark, District Health Director, Cobb & Douglas Health District: From my point of view, one of the big things that we do at Cobb & Douglas Public Health is a large community health assessment. Dr. Greaves is actually a member of our board. We just finished a 2016-2020 five-year assessment. This was at the beginning of the pandemic, so keep that in mind. Our next assessment will capture 2021-2025. One of the things that was surprising to me was looking at causes of death in our communities. The assessment showed that in older people, it’s what you’d expect. For example, in Cobb County for those age 75 and older, the leading causes of death are things like vascular disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s. For ages 65 to 74, it’s heart disease and cancer. But when we started looking at the lower age groups, I was very surprised at what I saw:

• For people in their 30s and 40s, the leading cause of death was accidental poisonings, and that includes drug abuse and drug overdoses. Number two was suicide.
• For ages 25 to 34, number one was overdoses and poisonings and number two was suicide.
• For ages 20 to 24, motor vehicle accidents were number one. Suicide was also number two for this group.
• For 15 to 19, suicide took the number one spot. Number two was motor vehicle accidents.
• For 10 to 14, number one was motor vehicle accidents followed by suicide.

After the timeframe studied in the assessment, we went through two more years of the pandemic, which affected almost everyone’s mental health in one way or another. We’ve heard on the news how pediatricians in medical school are now being trained on how to provide more extensive mental healthcare because there just aren’t enough mental health experts.

It’s wonderful to hear Dr. Stinson say they are really trying to bolster up mental health screenings for our young people during their pediatric visits. I’d also like to add that we have high rates of maternal mortality in Georgia. The state Department of Public Health did a deep dive and found that mental health is a huge component of maternal mortality. You see these same themes of mental health running through several different medical specialties.