Senior VP at Atrium Health Floyd is passionate about teaching nurses
You might find Sheila Bennett up late Friday night grading papers or teaching online in the Bachelor of Health Science program at Georgia Highlands College. The senior vice president and chief of patient services at Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center is, at heart, both a nurse and a teacher of nurses.
Dr. Lisa Jellum, Dean of the Atrium Health Floyd School of Health Sciences at GHC, said Bennett’s passion for nursing is why the Dr. Sheila Bennett Excellence in Nursing Education Award was created.
The award was announced Thursday during the college’s nurse graduation ceremony. Bennett was named the first recipient of the award.
Bennett “has dedicated herself as a visionary leader whose impact on nursing education transcends time,” Jellum said in announcing the award. “Her unwavering commitment to the advancement of nursing education has left an indelible mark on countless students, colleagues and healthcare institutions around the world.”
Bennett has even created curriculum for the patient safety course at Georgia Highlands.
“I am humbled and so appreciative of the recognition,” she said. “I feel I am at a point in my career that investing in future nurses or other clinical disciplines is very important to me. The ability to help prepare future healthcare workers is an honor and worth giving up my off time and weekends to do so.”
Jellum said Bennett will occasionally call her about students who are excelling.
“I can’t even fathom that she has the time to do that,” Jellum added. “She really is a friend to the college. Her compassionate spirit, unwavering integrity and tireless dedication to the well-being of others has served as a guiding light for all who have had the privilege of crossing paths with her.”
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, 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.
