Atlanta, Ga. (November 11, 2024) – Piedmont Mountainside Hospital paramedic Robert “Wayne” Johnson, who helped to save a family of five from a fire while off duty, is the winner of the annual President’s Award. Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown personally selected Johnson out of thousands of nominees from across the Piedmont system for the exceptional care they provided.
Piedmont’s promise is to make a positive difference in every life we touch. The organization recognizes one employee from each entity within the system on a monthly basis for living Piedmont’s values in the form of a Promise 360 Champion Award. At the end of each year, every entity awards an annual winner, and from these, the President’s Award winner is selected. Patients, family members, and Piedmont employees may enter nominations.
“Wayne’s commitment to Piedmont, our patients, and the community, and the extraordinary efforts he made to go above and beyond, have earned him this distinctive honor,” Brown said. “We thank him for living out our Piedmont Promise.
“All of our wonderful finalists’ actions to Champion Patient-Centered Care, Exemplify Teamwork and Connections, Be an Owner, and Embrace the Future make me proud.”
Selflessly making a positive difference in the life of the community – outside of his job – is what made Johnson this year’s President’s Award winner. On his way to work at the hospital in Jasper on March 8, Johnson saw a house on fire. Instead of continuing to drive on to work, Johnson did what many people would not do: he pulled into the home’s driveway, began honking his horn and dialed 911.
When an older woman came to the door, Johnson told her the home was on fire and helped to get the multigenerational family of five, including two children, out of the home safely. He then grabbed the family’s garden hose and began dousing the flames until firefighters arrived.
Not only that but on that chilly winter morning, Johnson lent a warm coat from his vehicle to one of the family members, an older woman named Linda Childers, to help keep her warm.
When Johnson arrived at work, he apologized to his coworkers if he smelled smoky, thinking nothing of what he had done. And he still made it to morning huddle on time.
“Wayne is so awesome,” said Mountainside Emergency Department Flow Coordinator Josie Thomas. “He is not only saving lives in the Emergency Department, but also on his way to work.”
A few months later, Johnson was working in the Mountainside Emergency Department when he and Logan recognized each other. Logan had come in for care. They traded stories, the coat was returned and Linda Childers, who also was there, hugged Johnson to thank him.
Pete Petrin, a clinical manager at Mountainside, says Johnson sets the tone for how a paramedic should act in their department – an example of how Piedmont employees, at Mountainside and other Piedmont entities, make such a positive impact on their communities, on and off the job.
The President’s Award, the highest honor Piedmont gives, comes with a $5,000 prize to the winner. If you’d like to nominate a Piedmont employee for a Promise 360 award, visit piedmont.org/promise360.