Atrium Health Navicent Peach CEO Laura Gentry Named to National Rural Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know List
Atrium Health Navicent Peach CEO Laura Gentry has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s 110 Rural Hospital and Health System CEOs to Know in 2024 list. Gentry, who additionally serves as vice president for Atrium Health’s Georgia market primary care service line, was also included on the list in 2022 and 2023.
Rural hospitals and health systems bring health care services to remote areas that might otherwise lack access. The CEOs featured on the list are expanding service lines, hiring talented caregivers, improving facilities through renovations and new construction, and much more.
In 2023, Atrium Health Navicent Peach was awarded an Advocate Health silver Touchstone Award recognizing low rates of hospital-acquired infection. In addition, Atrium Health Navicent Peach implemented a hospitalist program in 2023 that includes telenocturnist services, expanding the care available to patients in the surrounding rural community, and allowing them to receive more advanced services close to home.
“Rural hospitals play a vital role in ensuring health equity. Laura and her team at Atrium Health Navicent Peach are deeply committed not only to providing quality health care close to home, but also to improving the community as a whole,” said Atrium Health Navicent President Delvecchio Finley. “Thanks to Becker’s Hospital Review for recognizing Laura for her efforts to improve health and wellness, elevate hope and advance healing for all.”
Gentry began her career in health care as a registered nurse. She joined Atrium Health Navicent in 2015 as chief nursing officer at Atrium Health Navicent Peach and became chief executive officer of the facility in March 2018. She oversees all aspects of the hospital, including managing the hospital’s budget, supervising employee engagement, meeting and exceeding quality and patient satisfaction benchmarks, handling contract negotiations and facilitating work for certifications and accreditations.
Gentry is also responsible for Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care Fort Valley. Under her management, the clinic recently expanded its physical space and services to patients by relocating to 201 Avera Drive in Fort Valley. Becker’s Hospital review is a source of news and information for health care decision-makers. In addition to a print magazine, Becker’s Hospital Review publishes an e-newsletter with 1 million subscribers and has 3.5 million monthly visitors on its website.
About Atrium Health Navicent
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 wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
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, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 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 equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.