Denise Ray Wins 2022 AJC Nursing Leadership Award

Selected among 59 nurse leaders nominated statewide

by Ginger G. Tyra | Brand Growth Business Partner

Denise Ray Wins 2022 AJC Nursing Leadership Award
Denise is pictured with Linda Streit, dean of the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University, which sponsored the award.

[ May 12, 2022 ] Denise Ray, Piedmont System Chief Nursing Officer, and CEO, Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, has won the 2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Nursing Leadership Award.

She was selected among 59 nurse leaders who were nominated from across Georgia and attended the awards program on May 10. The award recognizes a nurse leader serving in an administrative capacity who demonstrates advocacy, vision and collaboration to improve patient care and the nursing workplace.

"I work for our nurses and feel honored that they entrust me with ensuring they can provide the best care to our patients," Ray said. ?I want to thank each of them for their commitment, dedication, compassion, professionalism and care. They have worked tirelessly to comfort our patients and their families. I am so proud of our nurses!?

Ray was nominated by the Piedmont Nursing Executive Council, which cited her role in building a new model for nursing education, championing professional development for nurses, integrating thousands of nurses into the system, and more. In her role, Ray oversees nearly 9,000 nurses in the Piedmont system.
The nomination reads, ?Every decision she makes starts with a simple question: ?How will it improve the lives of our nurses and our patients?? Denise never wavers from that focus, which has served Piedmont?s nurses well during the last two years of battling the COVID-19 pandemic.?

The nomination continues, ?Denise has taken every measure to support our nurses during the most challenging health crisis in our lifetimes. Whether it?s creative staffing solutions, PPE guidance/procurement, access to free behavioral health benefits or offering a kind word or shoulder to lean on, Denise has been there for our nurses.?

?Without talented leaders like Denise, Piedmont could not achieve its promise of providing high-quality, compassionate care to our patients and the communities we serve,? Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown said. ?We are incredibly proud of her, the work she has done and all of our nurses at Piedmont. This award is well-deserved recognition.?

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