The flag is representative of the state where the Floyd health system was founded and is a nod to Floyd's influence in Georgia, which includes an economic impact on the local and state economies of $656 million in 2017, generating 7,052 jobs across the state. Floyd is a state-designated Level II Trauma Center and the Region C Coordinating Hospital for Health Care Preparedness. In addition, Floyd is an active advocate of health care public policy at the state level.
This photo shows Floyd Hospital as it looked in 1956. The original five pavilions built in 1942 are the horizontal buildings with connecting hallways in the middle of the photo. The two-building 1948 addition, built of rock, is at the top of the photo, and the four-story 1956 addition is on the left side of the photo. Turner McCall Boulevard is at the bottom of the photo. North Second Avenue is at the upper right corner. Parts of these additions were funded by the Hill-Burton Act of 1946,which gave hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities grants and loans for construction and modernization. In return, they agreed to provide a reasonable volume of services to persons unable to pay and to make their services available to all persons residing in the area near the facility.
The need for a community hospital in Floyd County was an important election issue with a slate of commission candidates running for the Floyd County Board of Roads and Revenues on the promise of building a new hospital. The headline states, "The Sick of Rome Have Never Had a Chance." Those running for office were E.M. Jones, S.A. Padgett, J.A. Erwin, W.J. Biddy and Dr. W.H. Lewis.
The original Floyd County Hospital opened its doors on July 4, 1942. The new hospital had five wings, 70 beds, X-ray, an emergency department and a three-room operating suite.
This depiction is one of several three-dimensional expressions of Floyd entrances over the past 75 years.
This portion of one of the original 1942 structures is encased in acrylic and serves as a commemorative item honoring the past and focusing on the growth of the future. The inscription reads: A Piece of the Past Paves the Way to the Future. Floyd Medical Center 1942 Original Structure.
Dr. William Howard (W.H.) Lewis was one of the original proponents of building a community hospital in Floyd County and a staunch defender of the hospital as it grew.
Dr. William Howard (W.H.) Lewis was one of the original proponents of building a community hospital in Floyd County and a staunch defender of the hospital as it grew. He also was an early director of Floyd Hospital.
This ad is an example of many in the Rome News-Tribune placed by Dr. W.H. Lewis to defend Floyd Hospital operations to the public in the years after the hospital opened. The ad states: "The original 1942 building cost $225,000 and the 1948 addition $300,000 for a total of $525,000." The advertisement also states: "In 1954 nationally the average bill of the patient was $169.73. The same figure for Floyd was $109.99 (newborn and first aid not included)."
This advertisement placed by Dr. W.H. Lewis M.D. in 1939 was a precursor to future political ads placed in the Rome News-Tribune to promote election of a slate of Floyd County Board of Roads and Revenue Commissioners who would commit to building a county hospital. It states: "Upon the County Board rests the grave responsibility of deciding if thousands of our citizens, now and through the years to come, shall continue to be deprived of a medical service which they need or whether a beginning shall be made to relieve the distress which every intelligent citizen knows exists and should be provided against. The advantages of modern medicine must be made available to all our people. It is a question of life or death, illness or health, efficiency or dependency, production or waste."
This advertisement appeared in the Rome News-Tribune on Friday, July 3, 1942, announcing the hospital would be open for inspection beginning Saturday, July 4, 1942 and announcing the creation of the Floyd County Hospital Authority composed of Homer Davis, Albert Littlejohn, Smiley Johnson, Joe Turbidy and J.A. Erwin.
This Rome News-Tribune clipping announced the signing of the contract to begin construction on the 1956 $1.1 million addition to Floyd Hospital. Among those featured in the photos is C.G. Kirkland, chairman of the Floyd County Board of Roads and Revenues.
This audit summary from 1957 features the signature of Dr. W.H. Lewis and details accounts receivable of $107,362 and reflected a net loss of $16,440.
This illustration depicts an addition to Floyd Hospital, including the new main entrance, which opened in October, 1962.
This undated photo shows patients arriving at Floyd Medical Center. Note the tall, wicker back wheelchairs on the right and the student athletes on the left.
The article details the opening of the 1962 addition, bringing the total number of beds to 249 once all renovations were completed. The article also discusses the addition of a psychiatric department: "When completed, six beds for mentally ill patients, with complete nursing facilities, will be provided with room for further expansion as needed."
Donated by Floyd President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel. The toy metal shovel was given as a keepsake commemorating the groundbreaking for the 1962 addition to Floyd Hospital.
This brochure features a photo of Dr. Dee Russell, former residency director and eventual Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. The brochure touts the benefits of the residency program.
Topics was a popular communication newsletter for employees. This issue from November of 1984 featured Bill Waters, Executive Director, discussing the new parking deck that was to be constructed across Turner McCall Boulevard from the main entrance of Floyd Medical Center.
This bow tie was donated by Dr. Dee B. Russell, whose sartorial style always included a bow tie. Dr. Russell joined the Floyd family first as assistant director of the Family Medicine Residency program in the mid 1980s. He later became director of the program and eventually served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Floyd.
The Family Medicine Residency program was established in 1976 and has trained generations of doctors, many of whom choose to establish their practices in Rome and the surrounding communities. This photo shows the residents and faculty from the mid-1990s. The program accepts eight allopathic and osteopathic physicians into the three-year residency program each year.
This key tag is one of the original tags for My House, a guest house for out-of-town families of critically ill patients. Built in 1990, the five-bedroom house was the brainchild of Leeta McDougald and was funded for many years by the popular Bed Race and the Dogwood Ball, a gala produced by Floyd Healthcare Foundation and the Floyd Medical Center Auxiliary.
My House served Floyd Medical Center families for 15 years, before closing due to a lack of demand for guest house services and a need to expand parking for Floyd Medical Center. It included a living room, den, kitchen, dining area and laundry facilities for families to use during their stay. The two-story brick home was located on West Fifth Street, adjacent to Historic Barron Stadium.
"Floyd Signs Contract for Hospital Addition" is the title of the article announcing the construction of the 100-bed 1956 addition to Floyd at a cost of $1.3 million. Construction plans called for "increased patient rooms for the maternity floor, labor room facilities and will approximately double the capacity of the general nursery." The photo features seated, from left, Mac Watts, County Manager, T.H. Selman Sr., Cliff C. Glover, of the Batson-Cook Company, and standing, from left, Robert Murphy, Hospital Administrator, Dick Hand, Claude Booker, N.N. Burnes Jr., and F.L. Baker, all members of the Floyd Hospital Authority.
This full-page ad from the Rome News-Tribune is dated August 22, 1952, and features statistics from the first 10 years of Floyd Hospital. The article states the hospital opened for business on July 5, 1942, which is the date the first patient was admitted. At this time the hospital had 121 beds, five operating rooms, 39 bassinets or cribs and 180 employees. Operating expenses for the fiscal year totaled $559,678.41. Of note is the number of newborns by year. Birth numbers at Floyd are evidence of the post World War II baby boom. In 1945, the year the war ended, 442 babies were born at Floyd. The following year 808 babies were born.
This brochure dates from the late 1950s. Inside are 11 facts about Floyd Hospital from those years, specifically promoting the hospital's new, four-story wing built in 1956. Upon completion of the new wing, the hospital's capacity increased to 178 beds and 25 bassinets. The addition was built at a cost of $1.17 million. The hospital employed approximately 288 people, and the payroll was approximately $500,000 per year.
Dated July 10, 1942, the article states in part: "Mrs. Anna King, of 815 Avenue B, Rome, had the honor this morning of being the first patient to be admitted to the new Floyd County Hospital, which was opened for the first time this morning for medical patients."
This photo is of the first entrance to the newly constructed Floyd Hospital in 1942. The hospital opened for tours on July 4, 1942, and for business operations on July 5, 1942.
This advertisement encourages voters to approve a bond issue to pay for a four-floor, 95-bed expansion to Floyd Hospital. The ad is signed by the current Hospital Authority members: F.L. Baker Jr., Chairman; F.D. Hand, Vice Chairman; N.N. Burnes, Jr., Secretary; Robert M. Murphy, Administrator; Randall Minor; Claude Booker; Harry Oldham and Hugo Shipley.
Dated July 15, 1942, the article states in part: "First prize in the 'Stork Derby' at the new Floyd County Hospital went to Charles Walter Broom, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Broom, who was born at 6:15 o'clock this morning. The mother, the former Miss Beatrice Pierce, said today that she was "very happy to be the first mother in the hospital."
This newspaper article from July 1970 announces Ben. A. Ansley as the new administrator of Floyd Hospital, succeeding Fred M. Walker. Mather Payne was the chairman of the Hospital Authority at the time.
The Floyd Medical Center campus stands as a medical care hub in the center of the Coosa River Valley.
Topics, a popular and long-lived communication newsletter for employees, officially debuted in February 1969 as the second edition of a new hospital newsletter. The newsletter also announced the opening of Floyd's Coronary Care Unit.
This edition of the employee newsletter features an editorial originally printed in The Rome News-Tribune, applauding growth in the hospital's emergency department.
The employee newsletter announced an EMS Service Award and recognized summer Youth Volunteers, including Kathy O'Connor. The main EMS photo recognizes: front from left, Steve Boatfield, David Loftin, Barry Free, Donnie Canada and Larry Rummel. Second row: Charles Bishop, Rusty Andrews, Rodney Blankenship, Donna Clinton, Linda Camp, Durran Floyd, Kim Canada, Richard Wynn and Stanley Payne, Manager. Third row: James Hovers, Bill Winfrey, Darrell Brock and Gordon Peach.
The employee newsletter had an updated look and touted Floyd Medical Center's official designation as a Trauma Center for North Georgia. The photo features Bill Waters, Associate Director; Dr. Fred Chambless, Director of Emergency Services; Dr. Virginia Hamilton, District Health Director; Ben Ansley, Executive Director; and Frank Tidwell, District Coordinator of EMS.
This Topics newsletter article announces the inaugural Dogwood Ball, which developed into an important fundraising and social event in the community. Co-chaired by Mary Sib Banks and Lynn Dempsey, the first ball was held at Coosa Country Club on April 17, 1982. Committee members included: Mollie Avery, Wesley Johnson, Ann Pinson, Margaret Gaines, Talitha Formby, Danielle Warner, Francis Davis, Nancy Smith, Pat Lake, Dot Stevens and Tooken Richardson. Tickets were $100 per couple.
Each spring in Floyd County is heralded by the appearance of blooming dogwood trees. These blossoms represent the Dogwood Ball, a social event that raised funds for Floyd Medical Center as a coordinated effort with the Floyd Medical Center Auxiliary and Floyd Healthcare Foundation.
The third-annual Dogwood Ball was a fundraiser for Floyd's Oncology Unit. The top photo features Mr. and Mrs. Max Weers; Dr. and Mrs. Billy Burk. Mrs. Weers and Mrs. Burk co-chaired the event. The bottom photos feature Tooken Richardson, Director of Volunteers; Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Wright and Mrs. William Maynard.
Kiki Petropole was a longtime local pediatric nurse, television chef personality and benefactor of the annual Kiki's Kids Camp for youth with diabetes.
The long-running Kiki's Kids Camp for Youth with Diabetes began in the early 1990s as a program of Floyd Healthcare Foundation. The camp is funded by a gift from Kiki Petropole, a pediatric nurse and local television personality.
Special People Involved Reaching Into Tomorrow, SPIRIT, is the employee-giving arm of Floyd Healthcare Foundation. Employees donate to SPIRIT through either payroll deduction or special fundraisers. Founded in 1983, SPIRIT generated more than $3 million in its first 30 years for Floyd Healthcare Foundation and Floyd Medical Center.
This Topics newsletter provides details about the upcoming Dogwood Ball and renovations to the Floyd Medical Center campus, which would bring the addition of an overhead pedestrian walkway and a new parking deck.
This mid-1980s photo shows the first phase of the new overhead walkway and parking deck allowing visitors to Floyd Medical Center to park in the deck and safely cross Turner McCall Boulevard to get to Floyd Medical Center's main entrance.
Dated March 13, 1989, the hospital's completed pedestrian walkway and new main entrance are showcased. The article also highlights Floyd's contributions to the economy: 1,000 jobs, a payroll of $20 million. At the time, Floyd was the county's third-largest employer behind Galey and Lord textile company and Inland Container Corp. The article quotes Phyllis Casey, the hospital's public information director at the time.
The mid-to-late 1970s saw the addition of a new Surgical Services area and a new Intensive Care Unit. The foreground of the photo, in 2017, is now the site of the hospital's physical plant. The road, Hospital Circle, was closed in 2003 to make way for expanded parking and a new entrance to Floyd Medical Center.
Floyd has provided EMS services in Floyd County since July 1, 1966. Over the years Floyd EMS has had many uniform patches, including this one.
Physicians are integral to the practice of hospital medicine. In 1942, when Floyd first opened, nine doctors were on the medical staff. In 2017, Floyd's 75th year, 328 physicians had privileges to practice at Floyd Medical Center.
Floyd became the first state-designated Level II Trauma Center in 1981, recognizing the expert care available and the commitment of Floyd to the community. One requirement of Level II Trauma Centers is that hospitals provide round-the-clock surgical services.
Reproduced from pins owned by Jackie Newby, a longtime nurse and Senior Risk Manager for Floyd, these pins represent a miniature history of Floyd, including the hospital’s nursing school from the 1970s, service anniversary pins with past logos from the 1980s and 1990s and a SPIRIT pin recognizing membership in the organization’s employee-giving club.
Architectural documents from 1956 show the addition of a four-story wing under construction and two proposed additions for a laundry and rehabilitation services.
New Hospital Wing Gets First Patient names Helen Millican as the first patient in the new addition to Floyd Hospital. The photo caption states: "Pretty Helen Millican, 8-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Millican, 41 Doncaster Dr., had the distinction Thursday of being the first patient to be admitted to the new addition at Floyd Hospital. Mrs. J.F. Latham, director of nurses, helps Helen into bed, as Robert M. Murphy, hospital administrator, and the child's mother look on."
Awarded to Jackie Newby, a nurse and eventual Senior Risk Manager at Floyd, on June 5, 1971. The diploma recognizes completion of a 3-year program and is signed by Kohn T. Sanders, Chairman of the Hospital Authority, Ben A. Ansley, Administrator, and M. Rita Conlon, RN, Director of Nursing Education.
The Floyd School of Nursing was an in-house college that trained registered nurses at Floyd Medical Center.
Page 3 of the first issue of Topics includes the names of key administrators and Hospital Authority members: Fred M. Walker, Jr., Administrator; Charles B. Eberhart, Assistant Administrator; B.G. Waters, Director of Personnel; and Mrs. Tom (Elene) King, Editor. Hospital Authority members included: Mather M. Payne, Chairman, W.H. Austin, W.A. Bethel, William P. Harbin, M.D., F.D. Hand, James R. Mehaffey and Kohn T. Sanders. Dr. Wayne Culbreth wrote the "As I See It" column as President of the medical staff.
Visible are the 1948, 1956, 1962 and 1971 additions to the original hospital along with the remaining original hospital wings built in 1942.
The Rev. Gary Batchelor served as the first Floyd Hospital chaplain, a role he filled for 35 years. Chaplain Batchelor became a recognized leader in health care ethics at Floyd and in the state.
The badge belonging to Janie Evans, a Ward Clerk, features the Floyd Medical Center name change and the FMC logo used at the time. Floyd Hospital changed its name to Floyd Medical Center in 1977.
This photo is from the nurse capping ceremony of the Floyd School of Nursing in the early 1970s.
Nurses are critical to the operations and patient care provided at Floyd Medical Center. This cap is a replica of a cap worn by Edythe Watters, LPN, who worked in the Floyd emergency room in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The nurses in this undated photo illustrate Floyd’s emphasis on technology and education. As new treatments and technologies have become available, Floyd nurses have used them to educate themselves and to provide advanced care to our patients.
For many years beginning in 1962 and continuing into the 1980s, this canopy served as the main entrance to Floyd Hospital and Floyd Medical Center.
The Love Light Tree began as a fundraiser for the Floyd Medical Center Auxiliary and evolved into an annual fundraiser for Floyd's hospice program. The first Love Light tree raised funds for an "open bed neonatal unit." Dot Stevens was Auxiliary president and Beryl Blad was the project chairman.
A crane and other construction equipment work on renovations and expansion that brought a new labor and delivery area and expanded emergency room to Floyd Medical Center.
A $54 million construction project started in 2002 brought the demolition of the last of the original hospital buildings and the 1948 rock addition. In this photo Roger Sumner, then-chairman of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., at the helm of heavy equipment, and Kurt Stuenkel, Floyd President and CEO, pause for a photo prior to the historic demolition.
Floyd Hospital assumed responsibility for ambulance service in Floyd County on July 1, 1966.
David Loftin and Tony Cooper assist a patient at the rear of an ambulance in the early years of Floyd's ambulance service. Cooper served in the ambulance service for four decades.
The Floyd Gift Shop is a long-term fundraising project of the Floyd Medical Center Auxiliary. From left, Vonnell Cescutti, Tooken Richardson Cade and Eileen Kelly were among the volunteers who contributed to the success of the Auxiliary and its many projects.
Floyd Medical Center has long served as the primary provider of maternity and obstetrical hospital services in the area. In its first 75 years more than 146,000 babies were born at Floyd. This baby photo is of Bill Fortenberry, who, as Floyd's Manager of Corporate Communications and Government Relations, coordinated this 75th Anniversary display. Bill was born at Floyd in 1963. The bracelet is a replica of the bracelet placed on babies who were born at Floyd at the time.
In its first 75 years, 146,532 babies were born at Floyd Medical Center. Based on current volume, it is estimated that the 150,000th baby will be born at Floyd sometime in late 2018 or early 2019.
Another popular part of the newborn process at Floyd includes taking the footprints of newborns. These prints belong to Haley Walker, Director of Floyd Public Relations beginning in 1997, one of the many babies born at Floyd Medical Center over the past 75 years. Ms. Walker's department coordinated this 75th Anniversary display.
Newborn babies are welcomed at Floyd in a very special way: Brahms Lullaby is played throughout the hospital via the public address system each time a baby is born.
This Floyd Hospital Certificate of Birth "certifies that Haley Michele Walker was born to Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Keith Walker in this hospital at 6:34 o'clock p.m. on Monday, the 10th day of November 1969." The certificate is signed by Thomas W. Jackson, M.D., attending physician and Fred M. Walker Jr., Administrator.
The Dec. 21, 1976 edition of Topics celebrates a special birth. "Mrs. James L. Crawford is shown holding her daughters Jana Leigh, Jeana Lynn, and her son, Jamie Luther. The triplets were born December 12 and were the first set of triplets to be born at Floyd Hospital in 27 years." The newsletter also recognizes June Frost, chief physical therapist, for being elected an officer of the Georgia chapter of the Arthritis Foundation; Tony Cooper for being the first EMT to perform IV therapy in a Floyd ambulance and Elizabeth Echols, R.N., for being Employee of the Month.
The pedestrian walkway, "the tube," connecting Floyd's parking deck to main hospital campus, has become iconic since it was first opened March 17, 1986.
The World's Largest Bed Race was first staged in in 1980. This issue of Topics detailed the 13th running of the race, noting that Lynn Popham served as staging coordinator and Leeta McDougald served as Bed Race coordinator.
For many years Floyd Auxiliary volunteers wore pink uniforms causing them to be known informally as "Pink Ladies." Volunteers have served Floyd since its very beginning, dating back to Red Cross volunteer "Gray Ladies" during World War II and continuing today. The Floyd Auxiliary was chartered in 1971.
Named for their characteristic pink and white striped tabards, Candy Stripers were youth volunteers, most of whom served during the summer months when school was not in session. Floyd still encourages teen volunteers today, but the candy-striped uniform has been replaced with a Volunteen T-shirt.
With the Floyd re-branding in 2004, came a new uniform color: green. Now Floyd volunteers wear the bright green jacket or vest when serving in the hospital. The Auxiliary had approximately 200 volunteers in Floyd's 75th year. Heyman HospiceCare and The Breast Center at Floyd also have volunteer programs that involve the community in the mission of Floyd Medical Center and its ancillary services.
Pink Lady volunteers prepare to serve refreshments in 1976. In our 75th year, volunteers, who now wear green, continue to serve in many ways, including the gift shop, the thrift shop, a magazine cart, an Arts in Medicine art cart, as greeters and escorts and providing assistance throughout the organization.
Roger Sumner was named chairman of the Hospital Authority of Floyd County in 1983.
The June 10, 1984 edition of the Rome News-Tribune announced a $20 million expansion and renovation project called the most extensive facelift in the hospital's history. The project involved adding fifth and sixth floors to the hospital along with renovations throughout, including the addition of a new main entrance and lobby on the hospital's north side, facing Turner McCall Boulevard.
This rock is a remnant from the 2002 demolition of the 1948 addition to Floyd. The building was torn down to make way for a $54 million renovation and expansion project that moved the hospital's main entrance from the north-facing Turner McCall Boulevard to a south-facing entrance that overlooks an expansive parking area for guests and visitors.
Several Floyd executives and board members gathered quickly for a photo in front of the 2002 demolition site of the buildings built from rock. From left, Rick Sheerin, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gen. William Wigley, Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., Roger Sumner, Chairman, Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., Kurt Stuenkel, President and CEO, Dan Sweitzer, Vice President for Market Development, Wesley Johnson, Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., Wade Monk, Chief Counsel and Dr. Dee Russell, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.
This reflex hammer is a nod to the many physicians who have provided leadership and medical expertise over the years. In our 75th year, Floyd had more than 300 physicians on the hospital staff and 87 employed physicians.
This blue sign signaled the entrance to Floyd Medical Center in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. A temporary banner was added in 1992 in celebration of the hospital's 50th Anniversary.
J. Roger Sumner was named chairman of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc. in 1996. Mr. Sumner's leadership and people skills have had a lasting influence on Floyd business operations and culture. In our 75th year, he served as Chairman Emeritus of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc.
Shorter Medical Arts Center opened in 1993 at 304 Shorter Ave., housing Neurospinal Specialty Care, Industrial Health and Work Rehabilitation. Hosts for the ribbon cutting were Harris Pittman, M.D., Mark Murphy, M.D., Carl Herring, M.D., William Naguszewski, M.D., Robert Naguszewski, M.D., and Sven Martenson, M.D. This issue of Topics also celebrates a gift of $203,000 to Floyd from Floyd Healthcare Foundation. Sam Spector was president of the Foundation in 1993.
In the February 1986 issue of Topics, Floyd Medical Center debuts an updated logo, and an update to accompany the construction happening across the Floyd campus in the 1980s, including the addition of the parking deck, overhead pedestrian walkway and new main entrance. The issue also touts the addition of an Argon/Krypton Laser to treat medical issues of the eye.
Floyd opened its first urgent care center, Priority Care, in October of 1993 in the Shorter Medical Arts Center. Dr. Thomas Pierzchala served as medical director. Later renamed Floyd Urgent Care, the center was relocated to a new building at 302 Shorter Avenue in 2017.
Camp FMC served as a customer service training retreat for employees in the late 1990s and throughout the first decade of the 2000s. Camp used a fun setting, personal interaction, communication style testing and other activities to help employees remember and value the organization's service standards and behaviors. Each camp "class" took a graduation photo at the end of their four-day session.
This is the flipside of a card announcing a new advertising tagline, Well Beyond Expectations, which quickly became a guiding statement for customer service and quality that lived on well beyond the life of the advertising campaign, and is a statement that is still used 15 years later.
Floyd has served as leader in the community throughout its history, supporting charitable organizations such as the United Way, Cancer Navigators, the American Cancer Society and numerous other organizations that seek to improve the communities we serve or provide services to our patients and their families.
Created by Floyd's Public Relations Department to celebrate Floyd's 75th Anniversary in 2017. The seal features Floyd's years of operation and the familiar and still applicable tagline: Well Beyond Expectations.
An article in the Rome News-Tribune celebrates Floyd's Family Medicine Residency program, which started in 1976, and Floyd's history as a provider of clinical education in the community, a role Floyd continued to have in its 75th year.
Floyd Medical Center's Celebration 60, an All-American Anniversary, was staged in Rome's Ridge Ferry Park and themed around the date the original Floyd County Hospital first opened its doors, July 4. The red, white and blue community event included a joint promotion with local radio station South 107 and included a truck give away, musicians, 1940s period actors, food, displays, an air-conditioned tent and an elaborate cupcake display.
A special section written and designed by the Floyd Public Relations department celebrated the hospital's 60th Anniversary and featured on its cover watercolor renderings by Rome artist Susan Simmons of Floyd's entrances throughout its history.
This fun map provided attendees with a reference point for the activities available during the hospital's 60th Anniversary celebration in Ridge Ferry Park.
Pins are a popular part of clinical culture. This enamel pin was designed to commemorate Floyd Medical Center's 60th Anniversary in 2002.
In 2002, as part of the celebration of Floyd Medical Center's 60th Anniversary, Floyd launched a new advertising campaign, Well Beyond Expectations. This tagline quickly became a guiding statement for customer service and quality that lived on well beyond the life of the advertising campaign, and is a statement that is still used 15 years later.
Floyd Medical Center joined the world wide web as www.floydmed.org. This advertisement called attention to the new website, launched in 1997.
Since the late 1990s Floyd has collected, written and shared examples of compassionate care that exceed expectations. These stories reflect the organization's culture, the commitment to patient care and the quality workforce that has propelled Floyd into the position of leader.
Camp FMC served as a customer service training retreat for employees in the late 1990s and throughout the first decade of the 2000s. Camp used a fun setting, personal interaction, communication style testing and other activities to help employees remember and value the organization's service standards and behaviors. Campers received a firestarter pin as a reminder to spread the customer service message. First led by Richard Shiflett and Linda Wilhelm (McLeod), Camp FMC galvanized our organization and created a sense of team and unified purpose.
This certificate features the name of Linda Wilhelm (McLeod), honoring her as creator of Camp FMC, Floyd's customer service training program that ran for several years in the late 1990s and 2000s. Linda Wilhelm was also the first recipient of the President's Award at the organization's annual Celebration of Service.
Used as a tool to reinforce the Floyd service standards and behaviors in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this book was somewhat patterned after a popular book series from that era.
Volunteers served patients in a number of ways in our 75th year, including the gift shop, a thrift shop, a magazine cart, an Arts in Medicine art cart, as greeters and escorters and providing assistance throughout the organization. The annual Good Samaritan Volunteer of the Year banquet recognizes volunteers for their efforts and includes a nomination and awards presentation to a volunteer who has shown exemplary service to Floyd.
Troy Kiser worked at Floyd from the time he was 16 years old until his retirement in the housekeeping department. His work ethic, ready smile, sweet spirit, love for rodeos and general warm nature endeared him to staff, coworkers, executives, patients and visitors. After retirement, he continued to frequent the Floyd Medical Center lobby and cafeteria to reunite with friends who, in many cases, had become family and caregivers to him.
The demolition of the last of the original Floyd Hospital buildings and the 1948 addition brought a cloud of dust and applause as a signal that the past was making way for an ambitious future, in this case, a $54 million renovation and expansion project that would turn the hospital's main entrance 180 degrees.
This stethoscope honors the singular tool that is used by so many of the clinicians who have provided care at Floyd Medical Center over the past 75 years. From the many physicians who have provided leadership and medical expertise over the years, to the nurses and other clinical staff who have served as medical missionaries and ministers in our community, our community is blessed to have the kind of expert care of which other communities are envious.
Demolition of the 1948 rock building stopped briefly to allow employees and volunteers to gather a souvenir from the last of the 1940s-era buildings. The two-story wing completed in 1948 added 40 beds, delivery rooms, a 20-bassinet nursery and a blood bank. This section was built with stone due to a shortage of brick following World War II.
Each March, physicians are honored on Doctors Day. This label, in the Floyd signature green, was affixed to the 75th Anniversary gift from Floyd to physicians in the community.
In July 2016, Floyd EMS celebrated its 50th Anniversary, This photo from 1979 was taken in honor of Floyd EMS being rated highest in the state that year. Floyd is a three-time Georgia EMS of the Year.
Since 2012 Floyd has operated a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with the ability to care for the smallest babies. Floyd opened its NICU in 1996.
It would be difficult to tell the history of any organization that existed in 1993 without mentioning the blizzard of that March. The snowstorm of the century, which brought between 12 and 24 inches of snow to Rome and Floyd County, also brought stories of sacrifice and courage from the medical professionals who kept Floyd Medical Center open and running during the extreme weather.
Buckle Bear was a popular mascot for Floyd EMS and Floyd Emergency Care Center nurses, used to educate children about the importance of seat belts and other safe practices. He was replaced in the early 2000s with Little Green, a robotic green ambulance mascot.
This model of an early hospital bed is representative of the beds used for the annual World's Largest Bed Race, a fundraiser for Floyd Medical Center. The World's Largest Bed Race was first staged in in 1980 and continued into the mid-1990s.
Rome News-Tribune coverage of the World’s Largest Bed Race states: "A crowd Sunday at Sam King Field, near the Coosa River, saw what was billed as the 10th annual World's Largest Bed Race. Bed rider Kim Kilgo, top, keeps an eye on the competition as her teammates from Marglen Industries Inc., push toward the finish line. A portion of the audience, above, left, takes in the competition. Soviet reporter Nugzar Rahadze, above, right, mixes with the crowd. First-place winners in the five divisions of the field of 130 beds were Hilburn's Shoes...Rome Jaycees...Cain Tool and Die Co.,...Dr. Grant Lewis' office...and Days Inn... Proceeds are to go to Floyd Medical Center's My House."
Interior of Windwood Psychiatric Hospital, which opened in 1992.
Windwood, a new $4.75 million, freestanding psychiatric hospital, admitted its first patients in June of 1992. Over the next 25 years, the hospital changed its name twice, to Floyd Behavioral Health Center and, later, to Willowbrooke at Floyd.
United States Rep. George "Buddy" Darden holds the ribbon taut for the official opening of the newly expanded Emergency Care Center in 1992.
This special edition of the local newspaper details the organizational restructure by creating Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., and Floyd Healthcare Resources Inc., in 1991 and the many construction projects underway at Floyd in 1992: $8.8 million to expand and renovate the Emergency Care Center and obstetrical services; $4.3 million parking deck addition increasing the number of spaces from 293 to 777; the new, 50+ bed, $4.75 million Windwood psychiatric hospital; and the expansion of the Family Practice Residency program.
As Floyd changed and the organization's logo changed, employee identification badges changed with them. This badge is from the mid- to late- 1990s. In our 75th year, Mrs. Faulkner remained an employee as director of the Lean Six Sigma department.
This invitation to the July 23, 2013 Polk Medical Center groundbreaking ceremony marked the next stage of a management agreement with the Cedartown-Polk Hospital Authority. Floyd assumed responsibility for the day-to-day management of Polk Medical Center in April of 2012, agreeing to build a new hospital in the community.
Floyd assumed management of the day-to-day operations of Polk Medical Center in April of 2012 with the theme "Better Together." This brochure was among the items distributed in the community to help explain the new management agreement.
Milk and Cookies are representative of the "Better Together" theme for the Floyd assumption of management of Polk Medical Center, which occurred in April of 2012. The theme for the celebration and public messaging was that Floyd and Polk are "Better Together," like Rock and Roll, Peanut Butter and Jelly and Milk and Cookies. Milk and Cookies were served to visitors at the celebration event.
At the time of the 75th Anniversary of Floyd, the organization counted more than 3,000 employees working in multiple locations across six counties and varied shifts. GreenLink is the employee intranet, the central communication tool to connect those employees.
Floyd EMS was named Georgia EMS of the Year in 2003, marking the first time an EMS had been honored with the state award three times.
Adding an upturned arc below the Floyd logo provided a whimsical way to point to recognition for Floyd as a national customer satisfaction award winner from Press Ganey Associates and the top employer in Georgia for employee satisfaction from H.R. Solutions Inc.
Over its first 75-years, Floyd grew from 70 employees to 3,085 employees, making Floyd the largest employer in Floyd County and an economic catalyst for the area.
The Breast Center at Floyd was honored with the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for its outstanding patient satisfaction scores, ranking in the top five percent in the country. The Breast Center's approach to customer service is founded on the demonstration of the Floyd service standards: Dignity, Attitude, Nurture, Communication, Environment and Responsiveness.
The President's Award, first awarded in 2003 to Linda Wilhelm, founder of Camp FMC and originator of Floyd's customer service initiatives, is given annually to an employee, team or department for effort that exemplifies the best of the Floyd spirit in action.
Members of the Executive Team pose with Winnie Cullens, recipient of the Executive Team Award, at the annual celebration of service in 2016. In the photo are, front row from left, Rick Sheerin, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Kurt Stuenkel, President and CEO, Mrs. Cullens and Julie Rogers, Corporate Compliance Officer; second row from left, Matt Gorman, Polk Medical Center Administrator, David Early, Vice President, Sonny Rigas, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and Greg Polley, Vice President; and third and fourth rows from left, Rick Childs, Vice President, Tommy Manning, Corporate Counsel, Beth Bradford, Chief Human Resources Officer, Dr. Sheila Bennett, Senior Vice President and Chief of Patient Services, Jeff Buda, Vice President and Chief Information Officer and Dr. Joseph Biuso, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.
Various buttons have been popular at Floyd over the years. This button was distributed to Floyd employees in recognition of the organization's patient satisfaction success in the early 2000s.
Babies have been a part of Floyd since our doors first opened in 1942. Over the past 75 years more than 146,000 babies have been born at Floyd. And, when those babies are born early or with medical complications, Floyd is prepared to care for them. Since 2012 Floyd has operated a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with the ability to care or the smallest babies. Floyd first opened its NICU in 1996.
Since 2003, Celebration of Service has served as the organization-wide opportunity to celebrate long-term service and achievement. In our 75th year, the event had evolved into a formal awards dinner recognizing employees celebrating a milestone work anniversary of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years, team awards for excellence in each point of the Value Compass: finance, patient satisfaction, quality, strategy and people-focused initiatives, Department of the Year, Physician and Physician Practice of the Year, the Executive Team Award and a President’s Award.
Since 2006, Lean Six Sigma's process and quality improvement and waste elimination programs, along with General Electric's workout methodology, have resulted in more than 5,900 documented changes with more than $95 million in validated financial improvements. Led by trained Master Black Belts, Black Belts and Green Belts, Floyd is leaner, more efficient, and more flexible in a time when health care is never static and always demanding more.
The Mission statement of Floyd includes two very important words: continually improving. Guided by that statement Floyd is always looking at opportunities to better serve our community and to develop specialty centers to address the health needs of northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. In our 75th year, Floyd not only held Advanced Certification in Heart Failure, but also provided specialty care in bariatric surgery, palliative care, breast health, inpatient diabetes care, total joint replacement, spine care, chest pain, rehabilitation and hospice.
The gold seal of the Joint Commission is a signal to our community that Floyd meets the high standards of quality care required by this national accrediting body.
When Floyd rebranded in 2004, we worked tirelessly to layer that brand messaging throughout the organization. The logo is a representation the Floyd mission, focused on continual improvement, accessibility and a reminder that people are at the center of everything that we do.
When Floyd rebranded in 2004, the brand messaging was layered throughout the organization. The logo is a representation the Floyd mission, focused on continual improvement, accessibility and a reminder that people are at the center of everything that we do. Evelyn Hight is a certified nursing assistant and unit secretary in the Family Birth Center. In our 75th year, Evelyn was the longest serving current employee at Floyd Medical Center. She was hired October 23, 1973.
The Breast Center at Floyd first opened in 2008 with a unique promise: Mammography results within 24 hours. That promise to eliminate anxious waiting involved groundbreaking agreements with radiologists and a new approach to patient interaction that has propelled The Breast Center into a premier service line for Floyd and a key provider of women's breast health services in northwest Georgia.
In Floyd's 75th year, the hospital was recognized as a top 100 hospital from CareChex, a national quality rating system. Over the past 75 years, the emphasis on quality care, reduced readmissions and safe outcomes has grown, and Floyd's processes with them. These include a focus on Lean Six Sigma and the General Electric Workout methodology along with daily safety huddles to maintain a focus on quality measurement and improvement.
In Floyd's 75th year, the hospital was recognized with the Patient Safety Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year from Healthgrades, a national health care rating system. Floyd's mission statement emphasizes a focus on patient safety with the words "continually improving quality." This is achieved through our process improvement efforts using the Lean Six Sigma and the GE Workout methodology along with daily safety huddles to maintain a focus on quality measurement and improvement.
Dr. Bosworth, a longtime Floyd pediatrician, now retired, was elected chairman of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc. in 2012. He joined the board of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., in 2001, helping to guide Floyd in the 21st century with his medical expertise and leadership.
This photo by Ryan Smith captures Floyd Medical Center as it appeared in its 75th year. In 2017, Floyd was a medical hub, still in its original location, but having grown exponentially. Turner McCall Boulevard is now a bustling thruway, necessitating the overhead pedestrian walkway, built in 1986, that today serves as the primary access point to Floyd Medical Center for the employees who park in the 777-space parking deck across the street from Floyd. Also visible is the new walk-in entrance to Floyd's Emergency Care Center, which, in 2017, recorded 74,434 patient visits.
"Our mission is to be responsive to the communities we serve with a comprehensive and technologically advanced health care system committed to the delivery of care that is characterized by continually improving quality, accessibility, affordability and personal dignity."
In 2017, The Floyd Center for Joint Replacement was a Joint Commission-certified destination center of care that had earned accolades from patients and admiration from physicians for the quality of care and emphasis on excellence in orthopedic patient care.
This health fair services information sheet featuring Dr. Rebecca Lowrey, Director of Surgical Services, lists many of the Floyd services available in our 75th year: Alcohol and Chemical treatment, Bariatric Medicine, Behavioral Health, Cardiac Catheterization, Cardiology, Critical Care, Diabetes Specialty Nursing, Diagnostic Radiology, Emergency Care, Family Medicine Residency, Gynecology, Hospice, Hospitalist Career, IV Therapy, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Services, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Level II Trauma Center, Maternity Services, Occupational Health, Oncology, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Sleep Disorders Center, Sports Medicine, Surgery, Urgent Care, Wound, Ostomy, Continence Specialty Nursing and Women's Health.
This brass compass is representative of Floyd's Value Compass, which directs the decision-making processes provided at Floyd: Patient Satisfaction, Quality, Strategy, Finance and People. In our 75th year and for many years prior, the Value Compass has served as the guide for the work that happens every day at Floyd.
As part of Floyd's 60th Anniversary Celebration in 2002, Floyd hosted an exhibit of magazine covers painted by Norman Rockwell.
As part of Floyd's 60th Anniversary Celebration in 2002, Floyd hosted an exhibit of magazine covers painted by Norman Rockwell. This invitation features a rendering of the Floyd Medical Center main entrance, which was under construction at the time and opened in 2004.
Floyd made its debut on the World Wide Web in 1997. This card was designed specifically for young and expectant parents calling attention to the online content available to them at www.floydmed.org
Floyd rebranded in 2004, and announced the new look to the world with a series of advertisements that featured a then 3-year-old Wyatt Crider, with his arms lifted in a Y-formation to reflect the Y in the newly designed Floyd logo, on the shoulders of Dr. Dan McBrayer, a psychology professor at Berry College.
This employee pin recognizes one of several Press Ganey Compass Awards earned by Floyd for outstanding patient satisfaction scores in the 2000s. Floyd's emphasis on customer service was revamped in the late 1990s, by creating a culture in which service standards were emphasized to new employees, at monthly meetings and at Camp FMC. Those first behaviors: Privacy, Responsiveness, Environment, Attitude, Communication and Co-worker Commitment were later updated to Dignity, Attitude, Nurture, Communication, Environment and Responsiveness.
Barbara Ortiz, a registered nurse, was the longest-serving Floyd employee when she retired in 2016. Ms. Ortiz, who, at one time, managed the operating rooms at Floyd, retired after 57 years of continuous service to the organization. She first joined the hospital staff in 1959.
To promote Breast Health Awareness each October, The Breast Center, together with the Floyd Public Relations Department, first released a set of magnets and life-sized silhouettes in 2009. The always popular "paper dolls" reached a new level of fame when, following an anonymous complaint, Floyd was asked to remove the iconic dolls from the site of Porto Futurus, an art installation at the intersection of U.S. 411, U.S. 27 and Ga. 20. At a time when social media was taking over the internet, Floyd, with the help of community advocates, launched a Save the Dolls! campaign that garnered national news attention and galvanized the community in support of breast health awareness, mammography and The Breast Center at Floyd.
Funded, in part, by Floyd employees, Coosa Valley Credit Union and grants, The Breast Center's Mobile Mammography Coach provides screening mammography throughout the area, often providing first-time mammograms to women who, due to their jobs, lack of transportation or language barriers, have never scheduled a mammogram. At the end of our 75th year, the Mobile Mammography Coach had traveled more than 59,000 miles over it's 9-year history, providing more than 19,500 mammograms to women. Of those, nearly 8,100 patients were past due or had never had a mammogram, and 70 women had been diagnosed with cancer as a result of their visit to the mobile mammography coach.
Floyd reports statistics to multiple agencies each year, and some of them are staggering when added together. One example is this: More than 5 million outpatient procedures performed over the past 75 years. Here are a few more: 1,234,377 laboratory tests performed in 2017 alone. 132,032 primary care visits in 2017. And this one: Floyd provided $32.9 million in indigent and charity care in 2017.
Floyd EMS, established as a service of Floyd Medical Center in 1966, has been honored as Georgia EMS of the Year three times in its history. This patch reflects the new Floyd brand, adopted in 2004 in Floyd's signature green color.
Floyd opened its first urgent care center, Priority Care, in October of 1993 in the Shorter Medical Arts Center. Dr. Robert Holcombe was one of three physicians providing care at the Rome facility in 2017. He was named to the board of directors of Floyd Healthcare Management Inc., in 2013.
This pin is representative of one of the original, classic "paper doll" silhouettes used to promote breast health awareness and The Breast Center at Floyd since 2009. To promote Breast Health Awareness each October, The Breast Center, together with the Floyd Public Relations Department, released a set of magnets and life-size "paper doll" silhouettes.
This billboard promoting Floyd surgical services features nurse Sherry Weed, Gretchen Kuglar Corbin and her daughter, Savannah.
When Floyd rebranded in 2004, the brand messaging was layered throughout the organization, including the rebranding of our ambulance fleet, which made an immediate impact as rolling billboards throughout the community. In 2017 Floyd EMS responded to over 30,000 requests for service in Floyd and Polk counties with a staff of more than 100 paramedics, EMTs, non-emergency technicians and dispatchers while also providing area event coverage, Neonatal Critical Care Transport services, Disaster Response, Workplace Medical Response and a Mobile Integrated Health Care Program.
Floyd was named Georgia EMS of the Year in 2003. Floyd EMS, established as a service of Floyd Medical Center in 1966 has been honored as Georgia EMS of the Year three times in its history. This article quotes longtime director Stanley Payne, who served as EMS director from 1977 until his death in 2004.
When this main entrance opened in 2004, it marked a new day in Floyd's history. For the previous 62 years, Floyd had faced Turner McCall Boulevard. Now, it faced the Oostanaula River and West Fifth Street with on grade parking and easy access to the physician offices next door. The opening of this entrance followed the debut of the new Floyd brand the previous year. It has become as iconic a landmark for Floyd as the overhead pedestrian walkway and the previous main entrance canopy. It was the new face and the new front door to Floyd.
This timeline chronicles some of the highlights from Floyd's 75-year history, beginning with the first time the doors opened (for tours) on July 4, 1942 and continuing to 2017 with the hospital's 75th Anniversary and renovation and expansion of the Intensive Care Unit.
