Dakota Rogers recognized for compassionate care

ROME, Ga., June 10, 2024 – “We met as strangers and said goodbye as family."

Bedside nurses don't always get that kind of praise from family members who go through the heartbreak of watching a loved one pass in the hospital. Those words were meant for Dakota Rogers, a registered nurse in Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit.

His determination to provide compassionate care for​ a dying patient and grieving family members made an impression as he worked to make sure they got what they needed.

“There was little time this nurse was not in the room with us monitoring her, checking her stats and making sure that my mom and I were cared for, too," wrote the family member who nominated Rogers for a DAISY Award. “It was a LONG night, and this nurse's passion, work ethic and ample knowledge …. was untouchable. This nurse is someone that you instantly feel the passion for the job from, and with every hurdle quickly jumped in headfirst to resolve the issue at hand."

As a result, Rogers was named the June winner of the DAISY Award at the hospital. He has been a teammate at Floyd for four years.

“I get to come up here a lot, and I am excited about that because that means you are a group of people who really love what you do and love your patients," said Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Floyd, who presented the award to Rogers.

The DAISY Award is an international program that recognizes bedside nurses for the exceptional care they provide. The family of Patrick Barnes established the award after he died from an auto-immune disease while being treated in a Seattle hospital.

Rogers was presented with a DAISY pin and a sculpture entitled “A Healer's Touch." Members of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe hand-carve the sculptures.

The nurse and his teammates were also treated with cinnamon buns, a DAISY tradition because it was one of the few things Patrick Barnes could eat while he was hospitalized.

“I certainly wasn't expecting it," Rogers said. “Getting to know people and helping them through hard times is a rewarding part of being a nurse."

His impact on the family will not be forgotten.

“This nurse has met their calling, and I know God is working through this person," wrote the family member. “Though things did not end as we expected, our family is incredibly thankful to have been assigned to this nurse. It made saying goodbye a little easier knowing the care we received was top tier."

​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. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. 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 155,000 teammates across 69 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 providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.