The Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) has presented its prestigious W. Daniel Barker Leadership Award to Kurt Stuenkel, president of Atrium Health Floyd in Rome. Stuenkel was honored for his longtime leadership of the health system and his success in leading its growth to ensure increased access to care for the community.

Stuenkel, who has worked at Atrium Health Floyd since 1981 and has led the organization since 1996, was nominated for the W. Daniel Barker Leadership Award by Delvecchio Finley, Atrium Health Georgia president.

“Kurt Stuenkel has devoted his career to ensuring that northwest Georgians and northeast Alabama residents have access to quality care that is close to their homes, schools and places of work," Finley said. “He is a visionary leader whose business acumen and sense of purpose have helped Atrium Health Floyd to thrive and grow at a time when Georgia's community hospitals are threatened."

His accomplishments at Atrium Health Floyd include leading two culture revolutions. The first focused on customer service and teammate satisfaction, resulting in numerous awards in those areas. The second was the introduction of Lean Six Sigma and GE Workout methodologies into operations, resulting in more than 17,000 documented changes and $200 million in realized savings or revenue enhancements. In addition, he oversaw numerous construction projects and growth of services and championed the cause of rural health services.

A community convener and collaborator, Stuenkel helped secure contracts with several public-school districts and private schools, establishing Atrium Health Floyd as the Official Health Care Provider for those institutions. Atrium Health Floyd operates 47 school clinics overseen by school nurses and providers who have access to virtual care technology, should a physician visit be required.

In addition, under Stuenkel's guidance, Atrium Health Floyd has agreements with Georgia Highlands College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College to provide educational opportunities and to grow a pipeline to employment for students in health care-related fields. He also provided the vision for the Atrium Health Floyd-Polk Foundation, which, in just two years, has awarded $2.6 million in community grants and an additional $6 million in donations and sponsorships – all aimed at improving health care and access to care in the communities served by Atrium Health Floyd.

In addition to his role as president of Atrium Health Floyd, Stuenkel serves as the executive sponsor for advancing rural health for Atrium Health's North Carolina & Georgia Division, covering four Southeastern states. In 2023, Atrium Health Floyd, under Stuenkel's guidance, opened Georgia's first from-the-ground-up, stand-alone emergency department in rural Chattooga County. Atrium Health Floyd also operates rural hospitals and medical practices in Cherokee County, Alabama and Polk County, Georgia.

“Kurt Stuenkel has dedicated the better part of his career to finding innovative ways to increase access to care for residents in the community and surrounding areas," said GHA President and CEO Caylee Noggle. “Throughout the years, whether focusing on improving patient satisfaction and enhancing process improvement or helping people overcome obstacles to health and wellness, Kurt has made it his mission to ensure patients and community residents can access the care they need."