72 Hours
Date: October 23, 2006

Community service is inherent at Floyd. Co-workers are encouraged to serve in community, school, professional and church groups because there is a value, however intangible, that is generated from service. Our community sees our organization as compassionate and as a civic leader. Our employees develop a sense of pride, accomplishment, teamwork and moral duty. Our patients and their families recognize that the care in health care extends far beyond the doors of Floyd Medical Center, Floyd Behavioral Health Center or other Floyd locations.

Most recently a single Floyd department, in a single 72-hour period, watched over and attended to the needs of over 3,000 individuals in 5 community events by simply doing what comes natural to healthcare workers–caring.

James Coughlin, Melissa Dietz, Sean Higgins and Andwele Jolly volunteered their time and talents to the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a fund-raising and awareness campaign in Atlanta that draws 2,300 individuals from all over the southeast who have been touched by breast cancer. The four, decked out in Floyd green, provided the bulk of the sports medicine crew for the event, caring for walkers who walked 20 miles a day from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. for three days.

The injuries, for the most part, were not serious, but the walkers, most of whom gathered because of a personal encounter with breast cancer were. Floyd’s representatives, all members of the Rehabilitation Services department, tended to tendonitis, sprains and overuse injuries throughout the day and evening and camped out in tents at night.

“These people were very motivated to do this,” James said. “They were either walking for a family member or in memory of somebody. It’s a very emotional thing when they are afraid they can’t finish it.”

The presence of Floyd’s sports medicine experts on the scene helped ensure each individual could proudly finish and helped underscore this organization’s commitment to the communities we served. There were closer hospitals and teams from other hospitals participating in the walk, but it was Floyd’s team of dedicated individuals who came to serve.

While one team served at the Breast Cancer 3-Day, another Rehabilitation team served at a YMCA Soccer camp in Rome Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22. Karen Sablon, Jay Mills and Bo Bradshaw provided professional health care and stood by to provide medical assistance and physical therapy to more than 500 youth soccer players gathered in Rome to test their skills and learn more about the game.

As if that was not enough, also this past weekend, Floyd had teams of physical therapists and athletic trainers on hand to provide sports medicine care and physical therapy to Shorter College, Armuchee High School and Rome High School football players as well as Shorter College volleyball players. Many of those individuals put in extra hours simply to serve. Melissa, Jay and Bo joined Dawn Corbin and Adam Joseph at football games this weekend while Josh Tucker tended to the athletic needs of Shorter College ’s volleyball team.

 “These individuals represented Floyd very well. They were enthusiastic and knowledgeable and they sported our Floyd colors. They wore their Floyd hats and jackets. Everybody knew where we were from, and I heard many, many walkers comment on how unusual it was that we came from so far away and yet we were taking care of everything,” James said.

 “It made me feel good to know that this team would take on something this big knowing they would go largely unrecognized as individuals. They were willing to contribute to the success of these events and didn’t ask for anything in return.”

One organization. 3,000 individuals. Five events. Three days.

The value of those numbers, either added or multiplied, is priceless.

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