Atrium Health names Elmer Polite president of Atrium Health Navicent
Veteran healthcare leader to oversee hospitals and care sites across Central Georgia
MACON, Ga., Aug. 26, 2026 – Atrium Health Navicent has named Elmer Polite as president. In this role, Polite will lead the health system's hospitals and other care sites in Central Georgia, including Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center in Macon, Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin in Milledgeville and Atrium Health Navicent Peach in Byron.
Polite brings nearly two decades of healthcare leadership experience spanning hospital operations, physician integration, strategic growth, financial performance improvement and health system transformation. He most recently served as division president for Lifepoint Health's Division I, where he provided executive oversight for 25 hospitals across 10 states.
“Elmer Polite is a collaborative and people-centered leader who has a passion for creating environments where teammates can thrive while providing exceptional patient experiences," said Delvecchio S. Finley, Atrium Health Georgia area president. "We are excited to welcome him to Atrium Health Navicent where he will continue to build on our legacy of clinical excellence and expanding access to high-quality care for patients in communities we serve across Central and South Georgia.”
Before joining Lifepoint Health, Polite held leadership roles at HCA's Coliseum Health System in Macon, East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro and Trinity Hospital of Augusta.
Polite earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting, agribusiness and economics from South Carolina State University and a master’s degree in finance from DeVry University. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and American College of Healthcare Executives. He and his wife, Tonya, are proud parents of three children. The family is deeply committed to faith, family, education and community service. Polite will begin work at Atrium Health Navicent in September.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Building on a 130-year history of service to the community, Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate, personalized care. It is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit integrated health system with Wake Forest University School of Medicine as its academic core. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. Its patients have access to the resources of a preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It’s accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials, plus two affiliated life-sciences-focused innovation districts and is home to one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs. Atrium Health Navicent is one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation.
About Advocate Health
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. A preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research, it delivers care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin and Michigan, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It is accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials, plus two affiliated life-sciences-focused innovation districts and one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs. With more than 165,000 teammates serving patients at 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations across eight states, Advocate Health reinvests over $6 billion each year to improve community health, making it one of the nation’s largest providers of community benefit.