Emory and Wesley Woods
discuss expanded relationship
Emory and Wesley Woods administrators have begin study and negotiation
of the possible integration of the existing Clifton Road campus of Wesley
Woods into Emory Healthcare. The Board of Trustees gave the go-ahead to
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Michael Johns in December, and
the Board of Directors of Wesley Woods approved a similar action at its
November meeting, according to Wesley Woods President and CEO Larry Minnix
Jr.
Under the proposed merger, the components of Wesley Woods located on
Clifton Road would be combined into an entity called The Wesley Woods Center
of Emory University Inc., and this center would be integrated into Emory
Healthcare.
Such an agreement would make more formal a longstanding collaborative
relationship in which Emory physicians have staffed The Emory Clinic at
Wesley Woods, Wesley Woods Geriatric Hospital and Budd Terrace of Wesley
Woods. Dozens of medical and allied health students, residents and interns
train at Wesley Woods each year, and Wesley Woods and School of Medicine
faculty and employees are involved in numerous research projects related
to aging.
The Clifton Road operations of Wesley Woods include the geriatric hospital,
Wesley Woods Long Term Care Hospital, Wesley Woods Towers, Budd Terrace,
the Health Center and administrative offices. This new entity would become
an operating unit of Emory Healthcare like Emory Clinic, Emory Hospital,
Crawford Long and the Emory Children's Center.
There would be overlapping board members between Emory Healthcare and
The Wesley Woods Center of Emory University. Johns and Minnix believe this
move is a logical progression of the Emory/Wesley Woods relationship and
offers immense benefits to both institutions-and to the Atlanta community.
"This merger would position Wesley Woods and Emory Healthcare to
deliver comprehensive, state-of-the-art services for the elderly and those
facing specialized chronic care problems," said Minnix. "Together
we will achieve breakthroughs in treating conditions so costly to individuals,
families and the community."
"As we've moved through strategic planning in the Woodruff Health
Sciences Center this past year, it's been increasingly clear that our strong
relationship with Wesley Woods-and with Wesley Woods CEO Larry Minnix and
his staff-are great strengths in today's healthcare and research environment,"
Johns added. "The expanded relationship would provide Emory Healthcare
with an aging and chronic care component for its comprehensive healthcare
program. Wesley Woods would gain a strong partner in the fulfillment of
its mission."
At Emory, this proposed change comes on the heels of the creation earlier
this year of the Emory Children's Center, the largest pediatric multispecialty
group in Georgia. Negotiation and planning could be completed as early as
next month, according to Johns and Minnix. The final plan would need to
return to the Wesley Woods Board of Directors, the North Georgia Annual
Conference of the United Methodist Church and to the Emory trustees. Pending
their approval, the plan could be effective by July.
The existing Wesley Woods Inc. would continue as a corporation, encompassing
Wesley Homes, Wesley Woods of Newnan-Peachtree City, Wesley Woods of Athens,
The Cathedral of Christ the King-Wesley Woods and the Foundation of Wesley
Woods. The existing management of Wesley Woods Inc. would become senior
management of the new Wesley Woods Center of Emory University.
-Sylvia Wrobel
Return
to January 26, 1998 Contents Page |