Volunteers Play Important Roles   

ROME, Ga., April 24, 2024 – Four outstanding volunteers at Atrium Health Floyd are being recognized – one of them posthumously – as Good Samaritans for their service to patients and visitors.

April is National Volunteer Month, and the week of April 21-27 is National Volunteer Week, when Atrium Health Floyd has traditionally honored its volunteers.

These honorees include Pat McGivaren, who passed away on April 17, Rogena Cordle, Wanda Hilyer, and Lori Lotz.

Volunteers perform a variety of important duties:

• Hospitality specialists greet and escort patients and provide reading materials.
• Retail specialists help in our gift shop and thrift shop.
• Clerical helpers answer phones and assist with mailings.
• Musicians and artists perform for patients and lead them to explore their own artistic abilities.
• Trained therapy dogs and handlers share their unconditional love with our patients, helping them to relax, connect and heal.

According to those who nominated them:

Pat McGivaren was a familiar face at the 330 Physicians Center for over eight years, acting mainly as a greeter. “Even the most discerning eye wouldn't detect a bad day beneath his cheerful demeanor." Mr. Pat, as he was known, was one of the first volunteers to return after the COVID lockdown and functioned as a mentor to many college volunteers, sharing his experience and ensuring their first steps into mission work were filled with confidence a purpose.

Rogena Cordle is a retired pediatrician who is a volunteer at Heyman Hospice Care at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center. Cordle was instrumental in helping start the volunteer companionship for patients at hospice. “Through her volunteering she formed friendships with patients that gave the extra needed attention to each patient's life she touched."

Wanda Hilyer has been a faithful volunteer at the Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center Gift Shop. “Wanda is precious to me and many others. Taking a minute to go into the Gift Shop and talk with Wanda brightens everyone's day. She is dedicated to her job, and without volunteers like her we would be unable to have the Gift Shop we all love so much," her nomination form stated.

Lori Lotz does whatever is required at Cancer Navigators. Lotz was praised for her punctuality and her willingness to do anything asked of her. “She can stock shelves, is such a wonderful organizer as well and helps keep the office running smoothly by answering phone calls, updating food pantry lists and other resources, as well as waiting on patients."

Atrium Health Floyd – which includes Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center, Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center – hosts 237 active volunteers who speak a total of 11 different languages including Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Arabic, French, German, Twi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi and English.

About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,500 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health – a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility in Rome – and also primary care and urgent care network locations throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits. 

About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.