Clayton Cooper, Piedmont Athens Regional

Performing under pressure has never fazed Clayton Cooper, a nurse in the Emergency Department at Piedmont Athens Hospital.

The Marine veteran enjoys the fast pace of emergency care. Quick thinking is required, and he thrives on it.

“It is exactly the place where I belong,” said the 37-year-old, a 2026 Nurse Excellence Award winner. He was presented the award Thursday during a ceremony at Curate Event Space.

“I’m the type of person who enjoys chaos and problem-solving under pressure. We have a really good bunch of folks here. People who can see a problem and come up with a rapid solution, then figure it out from there.”

Last year, just days before Christmas, Cooper faced one of the most challenging cases of his nursing career, illustrating the pressures he encounters in the emergency department.

A grandmother caring for two special needs grandchildren suffered tragedy when fire destroyed their trailer. All three arrived at Piedmont Athens with severe burns.

During his work shift, Cooper witnessed the children’s distress. The family lost everything: their home and belongings.

“They were crying and wanted to go home. Honestly, it just broke my heart,” he said.

Co-worker Katie Johnson noted Cooper’s exceptional professionalism, compassion, and resilience in caring for the family.

“He provided outstanding clinical care, ensuring the family’s immediate health needs were met with patience and empathy during their stay,” wrote Johnson in nominating Cooper for Celebrating Nurses.

He also went beyond his nursing responsibilities, helping the family rebuild their lives.

After the family was discharged and staying with relatives, Cooper learned they had nothing — not even a car for the grandmother’s commute to work.

Cooper and his wife Kristen decided to give the family a car they no longer needed, a vehicle they had been given during car troubles of their own. They also contacted their church, Mars Hill Baptist in Watkinsville, for help. Members donated clothes, diapers, toys and other essentials.

“I just filled the trunk with everything the church had donated and drove it over and dropped it off with her,” he said.

Cooper said he felt God prompting him to be generous and relieve the family’s burden as much as possible. He also wanted to honor God’s command “to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

When Cooper presented the grandmother with the gifts, car keys and car title, “she started crying immediately and gave me a big hug,” he said. “It was a very precious thing. I’m glad I could help her in that way.”

Johnson wrote: “Clayton’s actions reflect the highest standards of nursing and humanitarian service.

“His ability to blend clinical excellence with authentic compassion shows his dedication to his profession and the well-being of those he serves inside and outside the hospital.”

Cooper’s path to nursing was not a straightforward one. Growing up, he never considered the profession as a career. Instead, he attended Pensacola Christian College, earned a history degree, and then joined the Marines.

During his service, Cooper was a tank commander and trained military police officers in Afghanistan, which he enjoyed. But being away from his family was difficult.

“I knew that 20 years in the Marine Corps was not going to be conducive to a good family life. I needed to be home,” he said.

After serving four years in the Marines, he transitioned to a business job — though that too required time away from home. A turning point came when a nurse friend convinced him to use the GI Bill to return to school for a nursing degree.