Northeast Georgia Health System Foundation

06/08/2026

Donor generosity makes initiatives like this possible. Through the NGHS Foundation's Change Grant program, new moms at our hospitals will now receive Roth ID Tags at discharge, a simple tool that can make a lifesaving difference in an emergency. We're grateful for the community support that helps our care teams go above and beyond for patients and families every day. Learn more about Change Grants and the difference they make at the link in our comments.

05/13/2026

The Chuck and Diane Stephens Hospice House is no longer just a rendering on paper. Recently, donors who helped make this project possible joined our Hospice team for a hard-hat tour and saw firsthand how their generosity is taking shape. We broke ground last fall, and the momentum since then has been remarkable. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to opening day.

04/24/2026

"Cheryl was the kind of person who made a room feel warmer the moment she walked in. The tournament means a lot to me because of Cheryl and the impact she's had on NGHS and others in the community." - Jim Edwards, NGHS Foundation Board Member

For Jim and Audra Edwards, co-chairing the Cheryl Shippey Memorial Golf Tournament isn't about golf. It's about honoring a woman who changed the way they saw their community. It was Cheryl who first encouraged Jim to join the NGHS Foundation board, and Cheryl who invited Audra to join the golf tournament's committee. Her commitment to helping connect people with NGHS in meaningful ways has left a tremendous legacy since her death in 2023.

Funds raised from the tournament will benefit the NGMC Braselton emergency department, a facility now serving more than twice the patients it was built for. The expansion will double the number of treatment rooms, meaning shorter wait times and more neighbors getting the care they need.

Learn more about this tournament and Cheryl's legacy at nghs.com/csm.

03/26/2026

When families leave our Newborn Care and Safety class, they leave more confident, with the skills to respond to an infant CPR emergency, practice safe sleep, and recognize maternal warning signs after birth.

Thanks to our donors, we're able to offer this class at no cost and provide infant CPR kits to every family who participates.

Families recently came together to learn the skills that help protect what matters most—hands‑on infant CPR and choking response, safe sleep practices, and recognizing maternal post‑birth warning signs. Their confidence grew with every demonstration and every moment of practice.

Thanks to the generous support from Northeast Georgia Health System Foundation, we can continue offering this high‑impact class and provide infant CPR kits to families who participate. Together, we’re strengthening maternal and infant safety one class at a time.

For more information about this class and others for expecting families, visit the link in our comments.

03/16/2026

Easter Sunday 2025, Rebecca Varner woke with severe nausea, facial drooping, and confused speech. Her husband rushed her to the ED at NGMC Lumpkin, where staff quickly recognized the signs of a hemorrhagic stroke and moved swiftly to get her the specialized care she needed.

Today, Rebecca is back on her feet and deeply involved in her community, serving with CASA, the CHP Board of Directors, and her church ministry. She returned to NGMC Lumpkin recently to meet with the care team she credits with saving her life, and her message to them was simple: "The work you do is more than medicine. It's a ministry."

We are so grateful for Rebecca's willingness to share her story, and for the extraordinary team at NGMC Lumpkin whose fast action truly saved her life.

03/13/2026

Just before the third anniversary of her passing on March 1, members of the Cheryl Shippey Memorial Golf Tournament committee toured the new Emergency Department expansion at NGMC Braselton. Proceeds from the tournament have supported the project since 2023.

Cheryl, along with Tony Funari and others, played an integral role in raising the funds needed to develop NGMC Braselton more than a decade ago, and her legacy continues to impact the hospital and the surrounding community.

To learn more about Cheryl and the Cheryl Shippey Memorial Golf Tournament, visit the link in our comments.

02/16/2026

This Valentine’s Day, our NGHS volunteers made the rounds delivering cards and cheer to patients and visitors at several of our campuses. Thanks to those groups and organizations who created and donated Valentine’s Day cards for our patients — your thoughtfulness brought warmth to their weekend. We are grateful for a community that shows up for our patients in such meaningful ways.

02/12/2026

Thanks to the generosity of the Jennings-Powell family, our medical community gets to learn from some of the brightest minds in medicine. On Feb. 9, we welcomed Dr. Danielle Ofri — physician, professor, author, and Editor-in-Chief of the Bellevue Literary Review — as the featured speaker for the 7th annual Henry S. Jennings, Jr. MD, Visiting Lectureship in Medical Humanities. We're so grateful to the Jennings family for making this incredible lecture series possible!

02/05/2026

After moving back to the U.S. following 30 years abroad, Chetana Mastroberardino didn't know anyone and felt scared when facing an upcoming surgery. Before his recent retirement, Pepper Brown, MD, alongside his team at NGPG Surgical Associates in Gainesville did what they do best, they worked to calm her fears. She recalls how they answered her many questions with genuine concern and kindness. She was so moved by their support she came back for a recent visit just to see them again. We are grateful to Chetana for recognizing Dr. Brown and his team, and proud of our many care teams who treat their patients with compassion and kindness every day.

01/30/2026

We're grateful to share that six NGHS employees received more than $55,000 in funding through our Change Grant program!

These grants support projects that will enhance patient care, improve the employee experience, and strengthen community health. The funding comes from WATCH, our employee giving club, where team members invest in making healthcare better for everyone. Thank you to every WATCH donor who makes programs like this possible!

Learn more at the link in the comments.