Cherokee Medical Center Teammates Honored During Nurses Week

Haven Patterson, Stephanie Burgess and Laura Crane earn recognition

CENTRE, AL, May 8, 2025 – Three Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center teammates were honored for exemplary service during Nurses Week.

National Nurses Week is recognized every year beginning on May 6 and ending on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The week serves as an opportunity to honor those who see nursing as more than just a profession and selflessly answer the call to compassionately care for others.

Heaven Patterson, RN, received the Nursing Excellence Award at the hospital. Patterson was praised for her efforts to visit patients routinely. She was referred to as a strong leader who sets a good example for her teammates.

Stephanie Burgess, RN, earned the DAISY Award, given to nurses for providing outstanding bedside care. DAISY winners are nominated by patients or patient family members.

“She was wonderful, ensuring that I got everything I needed and was always comfortable. Her compassion for her patient care was unmatched,” her nominator wrote.

Laura Crane, a unit secretary, earned the BEE Award. BEE stands for Beyond Exceptional Expectations. The award exists as a way for nurses to recognize support teammates who provide outstanding care.

“Laura functions as our unit clerk but also steps into the role of patient care assistant as needed. Laura is a true team player for our team and our facility. Laura’s dedication to Station 1, as well as Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee, is an inspiration,” her nomination stated.

​​​Atrium Health Floyd ​Cherokee Medical Center is a not-for-profit 50-bed hospital in Centre, Alabama. It provides emergency care, imaging, drug and alcohol treatment, lab work, a pharmacy, respiratory care and surgical services.

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 strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-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; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care 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. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 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 redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.