For the second consecutive year, Working Mother magazine has named Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to its Working Mother 100 Best Company list. Other Georgia companies on the list were Aflac and Turner Broadcasting System.
"We work hard to help all of our employees balance the demands of their work and home lives, especially our working mothers," said Linda Matzigkeit, senior vice president of human resources at Children's. "We listen to what our employees need and do all we can to support them in their indispensable roles as caregivers — at work and at home."
Children's, where women make up more than 80 percent of the work force, was included on the list for its benchmark practices in the areas of flexible scheduling, child care benefits and opportunities for career advancement. It has three nearby child care centers that offer sliding-scale tuition to Children's employees.
CERTIFIABLE: Ginger Bearden, PT, PCS, a physical therapist at The Rehabilitation Institute of Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, was recently certified as a clinical specialist in pediatric physical therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. Bearden is one of only 49 physical therapists in the United States to achieve certification in the pediatrics specialty this year.
Bearden works with inpatients in the neonatal intensive care unit at NGMC and performs outpatient follow-up care with the infants she treats. She has been working in pediatric physical therapy for 12 years.
The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties awards certificates to physical therapists who meet approved requirements.
HEAVY LIFTING: Amanda Hubbard, a recent graduate of the nursing program at Kennesaw State University, placed 23rd at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships in the Dominican Republic last month. Hubbard, who placed second in the USA National Weightlifting Championships in August, competed in the 58-kilogram (128 pounds) class.
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR: The National Board for the Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses has named Columbus Hospice and Columbus Hospice of Alabama as its first annual employer of the year. The award was given for the organization's support of professional certification in hospice and palliative care.
The board also selected Columbus Hospice because of its long history of supporting eligible staff who want to take the national examination to achieve certification. Columbus Hospice has 32 employees — registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nurse assistants — who have passed the certification test.
NEW MATERNITY CENTER: Piedmont Fayette Hospital opened its new maternity center in September, the first in Fayette County. The center will be staffed by 20 physicians and 35 new employees.
Previously, more than 1,000 expectant moms each year in Fayette had to travel to neighboring counties to deliver their babies.
Piedmont Hospital has named Ingrid M. McIntyre, RN, BSN, as director of women's services at Piedmont Fayette. A graduate of Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, McIntyre was a clinical manager of labor and delivery for Piedmont Hospital.
HATS OFF: Gwinnett Hospital System's Glancy Rehabilitation Center has been awarded a three-year accreditation and a designation as a stroke specialty program by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Gwinnett Hospital System is the only health care system in Georgia to have a fully accredited continuum of acute stroke care.
DIABETES EDUCATORS RECOGNIZED: The American Diabetes Association recently recognized WellStar Health System's Kennestone, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding hospitals for their comprehensive diabetes-education programs. WellStar's programs received the education recognition certificate from the ADA, showing that they meet the national standards for teaching diabetes self-management education.
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