Wellstar Health System told 761 employees this week they are out of a job, cutting 2% of its 35,000-person workforce from corporate offices, administrative departments, and shared services.
What’s happening: The cuts do not affect doctors, nurses, or other frontline care workers. The people losing jobs work in back-office and administrative roles, including certain administrative positions within Wellstar Medical Group.
What’s new: The layoffs come while Wellstar’s finances are moving in the right direction. The nonprofit posted $307.4 million in operating income in its full fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, on $7.3 billion in revenue. In just the nine months that followed, from July 2025 through March 2026, Wellstar had already booked $323.2 million in operating income at a 5.6% margin, more than it earned in all of the prior year.
What The CEO said: In an internal email to staff, Wellstar President and CEO Ketul J. Patel wrote: “We take seriously the impact this will have on our team members and their families. We are committed to doing all we can to provide the resources and support our teams need and treat everyone leaving Wellstar with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Patel also wrote: “I know today will be difficult. Many of you will be saying goodbye to respected colleagues and friends, and you may have questions about what comes next. Your leaders will continue to communicate with you in the days ahead, and I encourage you to care for one another with the compassion and respect that define our system.”
Growth context: Wellstar is also expanding at the same time it is cutting staff. The health system recently acquired Mountain Lakes Medical Center and has plans to open a new hospital in Grovetown.
The path forward: Wellstar said leaders will keep communicating with staff in the coming days. The 761 workers who lost their jobs have already been notified.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
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