Friday, July 25, 2025–11:30 a.m.
-GHA News Release-
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 cultural 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 the 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.”
About the W. Daniel Barker Leadership Award
The W. Daniel Barker Leadership Award recognizes an active Georgia hospital/health system leader who has made outstanding contributions to Georgia’s health care community. The recipient has developed an innovative approach to health care delivery that exceeds the traditional services of community health care providers. This person has routinely provided meritorious service on behalf of the Georgia health care industry and/or GHA.
About GHA
Founded in 1929, GHA serves more than 150 hospitals in Georgia and promotes the health and welfare of the public through the development of better hospital care for all Georgia’s citizens. The mission of GHA is to advance the health of individuals and communities by serving as the leading advocate for all Georgia hospitals and health care systems. GHA represents its members before the General Assembly and Congress, as well as state and federal regulatory agencies, and is an allied member of the American Hospital Association. For more information, please call 770-249-4500 or visit gha.org.
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 treatment,s 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.
