Conyers, Ga. (July 29, 2024) – Monica Hum, CEO of Piedmont Rockdale Hospital, has been awarded the 2024 Health Care Executive of the Year award from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The inaugural Health Care Champion Awards, presented by Northside Hospital, honors frontline health care heroes alongside the industry’s most innovative and influential leaders.
Dr. Hum has led the 161-bed hospital since May 2023. Previously, the colorectal surgeon was elected by her peers as the first female president of the medical staff of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. She says as the community grows, so do the needs of the hospital.
"Integrating 'Care Close to Home' has been a focus as Piedmont Rockdale Hospital added 22 beds in a $12.6-million expansion in 2023,” said Dr. Hum. “Through its Community Health Needs Assessment, Piedmont studies its health needs for each population as it’s our commitment, as a not-for-profit health system. A CHNA measures the relative health or well-being of a given community.,” she said.
“Additionally, Piedmont Rockdale expanded its service lines to include 24/7 on-site coverage of its internal medicine, critical care and cardiac services. We've added multiple providers dedicated to servicing Piedmont Rockdale and implemented telemedicine services when needed,” she said.
The hospital also has been awarded for the 2024 American Heart Association Gold Plus recognition for Stroke and Diabetes and received the Emergency Nurses Association 2023 Lantern Award, which its Emergency Department earned for incorporating evidence-based practices and innovations in emergency care.
Regarding service, Dr. Hum has worked hard to instill the Piedmont Way – an approach that incorporates the organization’s values into patient care and that places the patient at the center of the organization. That means hearing patients, empathizing with them, apologizing, responding and thanking them. It means going above and beyond for them; collaboration among and supporting of teammates; championing patient-centered care – and much more.
She has also helped Piedmont Rockdale secure extensive screening campaigns that includes: women's heart health, smoking cessation, lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. “These campaigns, along with education programs on stroke awareness, diabetes and blood pressure management, are promoted regularly in collaboration with our community partners," she said.