Jason Jordan urging teammates to expand their reach

ROME, Ga., June 19, 2024 – Random acts of kindness can bring light to your community, where you live, work and play. Jason Jordan, director of pastoral care, is urging Atrium Health Floyd teammates to spread their compassion beyond the workplace this year.

While the summer solstice falls on June 20 (Thursday), Jordan wants to focus on June 21 as the celebration of the Longest Day to spread good deeds.

“For the past four years at Atrium Health Floyd we have held a winter solstice observance of the Longest Night as an opportunity to pause and remember the losses of the past year before advancing with hope to a new year," Jordan said. “The Longest Day observance is an opportunity to fuel kindness and use the extra daylight hours to encourage someone by doing something nice for them."

Jordan has some ideas to get you started in your celebration of the Longest Day:

• Write a personal note and word of encouragement to a friend, co-worker or family member
• Pay the bill for the person behind you in the drive-through or at the coffee counter.
• Invite a friend or co-worker to lunch and pay for it.
• Find out a friend or co-worker's favorite candy or dessert and surprise them with it.

“There are so many relatively easy ways to make someone's day better," Jordan said. “The key is being aware of what is going on with people you live and work with. If you are intentional about it, you can find a way to make a difference."

It is OK if you also use the day to be kind to yourself.

“As we provide care to members of our community it is easy sometimes for our teammates to forget to take care of themselves," Jordan said. “If we are well-rested, empathetic and energized, we will take better care of the people who depend on us."

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a few suggestions to boost your own well-being:

• Practice self-kindness and spend 30 minutes doing something you love today.
• Write a gratitude list in the morning and again in the evening.
• When you hear that discouraging voice in your head, tell yourself something positive — you deserve kindness too!

 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.