“In Veerless, we found a partner who understands both the complexity of healthcare and the critical importance of ESG integration. Their ability to translate our values into a strategic, data-informed roadmap has been essential in helping us advance our mission with clarity and accountability. Their thoughtful, steady guidance has earned our trust as we navigate this evolving landscape and set a new standard for ESG in healthcare.”
Overview
Wellstar, a large integrated not-for-profit healthcare system, partnered with Veerless to build a future-ready ESG program. Recognized nationally for its high-quality care, inclusive workforce culture, and commitment to innovation and community well-being, Wellstar sought to align its values with a modern sustainability strategy. Since 2022, we’ve worked side-by-side to define a clear ESG vision, build an actionable roadmap, and implement the tools to track and demonstrate real impact.
The Situation
While ESG is still emerging across the healthcare sector, Wellstar recognized its strategic relevance in improving health outcomes, workforce resilience, and long-term sustainability. With strong leadership alignment and a values-driven foundation, Wellstar saw an opportunity to formalize and elevate its ESG efforts. Together we began integrating ESG into enterprise strategy and decision-making, positioning Wellstar to lead by example and set a new standard for healthcare’s role in advancing commitment to people, communities, planetary health, and future readiness.
The Solution
Veerless supported Wellstar across three essential areas:
- Situational Analysis and Benchmarking
We began with a strategic ESG landscape assessment, including peer benchmarking and internal diagnostics. To establish a clear view of existing efforts and how they could anchor future ESG initiatives, we engaged key stakeholders in a focused materiality process using interviews and surveys. This work mapped current programs aligned with ESG outcomes and identified opportunities to integrate them into a more structured strategy. - ESG Strategy and Roadmap Development
From this foundation, we helped clarify priority issues, industry dynamics, and ESG-specific risks and opportunities. We reviewed existing metrics, uncovered data gaps, and proposed meaningful KPIs and targets. The resulting roadmap outlined a set of immediate, short-, and mid-term actions to guide implementation and enable measurable, transparent progress. - Stakeholder Engagement and Data Collection
To activate the roadmap, we partnered with Wellstar’s strategy team to co-develop a draft ESG dashboard and guide implementation of a supporting technology platform. This included designing data-tracking architecture, coordinating with internal data owners and the software provider, and resolving challenges in real time. We also supported refinement of KPI definitions to ensure the solution was scalable, adaptive, and fully aligned with Wellstar’s operational model.
Ongoing Impact
By embedding ESG into enterprise strategy, Wellstar is demonstrating what ESG leadership looks like in healthcare. Together, we’ve built a foundation that equips the organization to respond to evolving stakeholder and regulatory expectations while staying rooted in its mission.
With Veerless as a long-term strategic partner, Wellstar is positioned to refine, report, and expand its ESG impact over time, keeping the work dynamic, actionable, and aligned with both community needs and organizational growth.
Beth Kost
Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer