Two employees who have each dedicated nearly half a century to Floyd were among nearly 240 people recognized during the 19th annual Celebration of Service held Thursday night at The Forum River Center.

The disco-themed celebration tied into Floyd's DANCER acronym used to illustrate the service standards of Dignity, Attitude, Nurture, Communication, Environment and Responsiveness.

“This has been a year of remarkable achievement and progress for our organization and it is appropriate to reflect and recognize what we have achieved," said Kurt Stuenkel, Floyd President and CEO.

The two 45-year honorees are Konda Dizon and Jackie Dutton. Dizon, Floyd's longest-tenured nurse, is the clinical manager of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She began caring for Floyd's tiniest patients in 1974. She has provided care for more than 20,000 babies.

Dutton works with Plant Facilities as a senior painter and finisher. He began his career at Floyd as a groundskeeper. He said he feels fortunate to work at Floyd, where he has enjoyed dependable coworkers and excellent leaders.

Five employees at Floyd were recognized for 40 years of service: Dolly McElroy, Cherokee Medical Center Emergency Department; Ann McGill, Surgical Services, Steve Scoggins, Plant Facilities, Lillie Stewart, NICU and Twila Thacker, Coordinated Care.

The President's Award was presented to board members Dr. George Bosworth, Chairman of Floyd Health Care Management and Mark Manis, Chairman of Floyd Health Care Resources, who was unable to attend the event.

“They “own" their responsibilities as the stewards for this incredibly vital community asset and service, and they show their love for us and the community by their dedicated service," Stuenkel said. He said both men were instrumental in pursuing Floyd's strategic combination with Atrium Health that was announced in November.

The Compass Award, new this year, was presented to Tifani Kinard, Polk Medical Center administrator and Chief Nursing Officer, for the successes recorded at the hospital in Cedartown.

For the second year in a row, Polk Medical Center was ranked among the top 17 Top Rural Hospitals in the nation by The Leapfrog Group. It was also named one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Polk also reached benchmarks in quality, economic and employee engagement measurements, Stuenkel added.

The Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals scored best among critical access hospitals as determined by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

The Physician Award of the Year was given to Dr. Martin Lynch with the Floyd Center for Wound Care and Hyperbarics. The award honors a Floyd physician who has provided leadership and has demonstrated outstanding support of the organization and its mission.

The Physician Practice of the Year Award went to the Floyd Primary Care practice of Dr. Julaine Cross and Dr. Jacquelyn Cheatham-Terry in Cedartown. The honor goes to a practice that achieves success by exhibiting outstanding performances in quality measures, patient satisfaction, financial measures and organizational support.

The Executive Team award honors an individual or team that exemplifies the Floyd culture, has contributed to the significant accomplishments of the organization, and embodies all the characteristics of servant leadership. This year's award was presented to Brandi Skeen, Lean Six Sigma Director.

Oher awards included Department of the Year – Surgical Services; Excellence in People-Focused Initiatives – GreenLink Redesign Team, Strategic Excellence Award – Providing Inpatient Care Team; Patients Satisfaction Excellence Award – The Breast Center at Floyd; Quality Excellence – Clean Hands, Safe Hands Team; Financial Excellence Award – Revenue Cycle Team.