​Mercedes Hernandez Honored by Teammates  

ROME, Ga., Feb. 27, 2024 – Mercedes Hernandez was taken by surprise Tuesday morning when she was named a BEE Award winner at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center.

The unit secretary for Medical Oncology Nursing does indeed go Beyond Exceptional Expectations. Atrium Health Floyd's BEE award exists for nurses to recognize nursing support teammates who go beyond expectations.

“This is really an awesome award to receive because it means your coworkers nominated you," said Sheila Bennett, senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd.

Hernandez “has a can-do attitude every day and faces any challenge with ease," according to the nomination form. Her fellow teammates even said the department suffers when she is not working, because no one else can match her skills and support.

“I really appreciate it," she said of the honor. “I do try to work hard, and I really feel appreciated." She has been employed at the hospital for eight years.

Leigh Ann Shipley, R.N., the clinical manager of the department, agreed that Hernandez is more than a valued teammate.

“She is the heart and soul of this department," Shipley said. “Everyone who works here will tell you she keeps us in line."

​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 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.