Atrium Health Floyd Congestive Heart Failure Clinic is improving Ken Jolly’s quality of life
Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center clinic earns recognition for its iron management efforts
CEDARTOWN, GA., Feb. 17, 2026 – The opening of the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Clinic at Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center was a game-changing, quality-of-life improver for Polk County resident Ken Jolly.
Two years ago, getting an infusion of iron meant Jolly had to clear his schedule for at least two days, pack for an overnight stay and drive more than 80 miles to Fayetteville, Ga.
Jolly said the drive alone took about two hours and 15 minutes, putting a severe cramp in his fishing schedule. There were times when the overnight stay was in a hospital room or hotel room, adding more cost to the money he was already spending on fuel and meals.
All that changed when he began being treated at the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Clinic at Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center. The drive is now just 12 miles, and the quick turnaround gives him plenty of time to hit the lake with his rod and reel.
The Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center CHF clinic recently was recognized by the Georgia Hospital Association for their work in identifying and treating iron deficiencies in patients like Jolly. The care team received a first-place Patient Safety and Quality Award in the Critical Access Hospitals Category.
Jolly, whose iron levels are complicated by a melanoma diagnosis and a gastrointestinal bleed, was getting infusions every three to five days. The long drive to Fayetteville was exhausting.
“Now, I just walk in the doors, and they take over,” he said.
The team at the Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center CHF Clinic has become like family to him, the retired educator and coach said.
“They are always real nice to me, and I have gotten to know all of them,” he said. “They were all real sweet to me, getting me coffee or a drink. Once they went and got me breakfast because I had missed mine.”
Jolly began reciprocating, bringing donuts and candy made by his wife to the staff.
“It got to where we loved them,” he said.
His care team and the care they provide are making a difference. When he first began treatment at the Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center CHF Clinic, Jolly was coming twice-weekly for iron transfusions. Now, he goes monthly for lab tests, and he hasn’t needed an infusion in nearly two months.
Iron deficiency is an often overlooked but highly impactful contributor to worsening congestive heart failure symptoms, according to Brandi Skeen, director of performance improvement for Atrium Health Floyd.
“Implementing onsite IV iron therapy and strengthening processes for routine iron monitoring means patients no longer face long travel times or missed opportunities for treatment,” she said. These changes help patients experience better energy levels, improved functional status and have fewer hospitalizations related to heart failure complications. “Ultimately, the project brings specialty-level cardiac support directly into the rural community,” she said. For Jolly, that means less time on the road, less expense and more time doing what he loves.
“Everything is turning out good,” he said. “I’ve turned a corner, and I’m getting better, better and better. When I first started going to the doctor, they were rolling me in a wheelchair. I got so tired, so quickly. Then, I moved to cane. I don’t use either one of them now.” But that doesn’t mean he’s losing touch with the CHF clinic staff. “I have to go by and see them every now and then,” Jolly chuckled. “They are so good to me. Not only me, but I have also watched them being good to other people.
“I’m blessed, not only by God, but by my friends and my coworkers and what I call my family of health people. They’ve all been good, but I’m really impressed with the knowledge of the Atrium Health people in Cedartown. They are on the ball, and they do it with a loving-type purpose. It’s not just business. It just feels real good to be around them.”
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. 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; Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Committed to redefining care for all, 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 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. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the health system’s 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. It is ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation. With a commitment to redefine care for every community it serves, Atrium Health provides nearly $3 billion 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. 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.
