WellStar Health System is seeking honorees to be recognized at the 2007 Universal Sisters: Celebrating Health & Soul event on June 2 in Marietta.

Nominees should be women who have positively impacted the health, well-being and/or personal safety of other women of color. The honoree program builds on the concept that an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is maintaining healthy relationships.

Nominations will be accepted until April 15.

Universal Sisters, a health program of Speaking of Women's Health, has been educating women of color about the significance of preventive health care since 2001. The event will include speakers, breakout sessions, free health screenings and lunch. This is the fifth year that WellStar has hosted the event.

For information, a nomination form or tickets, call 770-956-7827 or visit www.wellstar.org.

AUTISM AWARENESS: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report issued Feb. 8 said that one in about 150 American children is affected by autism. It is estimated that more than 10,000 children in Georgia have some form of autism, a disorder with no known cause or cure.

Two organizations, The Marcus Institute and Autism Speaks, are joining forces to raise awareness and funds with a three-mile charity walk. The 2007 Georgia Walk for Autism will be held May 19 at Atlantic Station in Atlanta. The groups are calling on Georgians to form walk teams and register.

For information, go to www.autismwalk.org/georgia or call 404-419-4120.

OH NELLIE: The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University will hold its fifth Oh Nellie 5K Trail Run/Walk at Lullwater Park at 8 a.m. on April 28. Money raised at the event will benefit the nursing school's Partners in Caring fund, which helps pay for scholarships, service learning and research.

WGCL sports anchor Gil Tyree will emcee the event. Gayle Barron, a five-time winner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, will be a special guest at the event.

Registration is $20 online at www.active.com (search for "Oh Nellie"); the cost is $25 after April 19. For information, contact Cynthia Beckles at 404-727-6917 or cbeckle@emory.edu.

NURSING EXCELLENCE: The South Carolina Association of Perianesthesia Nurses recently recognized Krista LaRussa, a perioperative services nurse at MCG Health System, for her commitment to excellence in perianesthesia nursing and service to the association and other nursing organizations.

LaRussa, RN, BSN, CAPA, has been a registered nurse at MCG Health System for 14 years. She is vice president of the Georgia Association of Perianesthesia Nurses.

GMC AWARD: CARE, the Georgia Hospital Association's performance measurement system, recently named Gwinnett Medical Center a Top CARE Hospital, its gold standard for excellence in patient care. Gwinnett Medical Center was recognized for its improvement and performance in six key areas of clinical quality, patient safety and financial management.

HOSPITAL PURCHASE: Piedmont Healthcare recently purchased Newnan Hospital. The Coweta County hospital will become Piedmont Newnan Hospital Inc.

Piedmont Healthcare will provide initial capital investments to support existing services, as well as new technology and services. Piedmont will also pursue the necessary state approvals to build a state-of-the-art hospital complex in the fast-growing county.

The purchase excludes the Newnan Hospital Health and Fitness Center and the Newnan Hospital Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

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