Piedmont Newton care management supervisor named system’s President’s Award winner

Atlanta, Ga. (August 27, 2026) – Nichole Howell, a care management supervisor at Piedmont Newton Hospital who helped a patient overcome a difficult obstacle on the road to recovery, was named the winner of Piedmont’s annual President’s Award on Tuesday. Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown personally selected Howell out of thousands of nominees from across the Piedmont system for the exceptional care she 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.

“At one of the most vulnerable moments in this patient's life, Nichole gave her something no treatment plan could provide: hope, dignity, and human connection,” Brown said. “She reminded all of us that exceptional healthcare happens when someone is willing to do what is difficult, what is uncomfortable, and what no one else is asking them to do, simply because it is the right thing to do.”

While many saw a patient who represented a complex discharge challenge, Howell saw a person who needed someone to refuse to give up on her. Howell became an advocate, a caregiver, an educator, a problem-solver, and a friend. What initially appeared to be a routine transition to rehabilitation quickly became an extraordinarily complicated situation. The patient required specialized treatment before any rehabilitation facility would consider accepting her.

Despite receiving medical treatment early in her hospitalization and multiple visits from a specialty consultant, significant barriers remained. Weeks passed, discharge plans stalled, and what should have been a short hospital stay stretched into more than a month.

Rather than accept the situation as unsolvable, Howell took ownership of the challenge.

She researched treatment options, located and coordinated with a specialty consultant, secured approvals, obtained patient consent, and developed a plan to move the patient toward recovery. Even after the consultant's work was complete, the process was far from over.

Howell personally provided painstaking bedside care day after day, even on evenings and weekends, to ensure that the patient would receive the care required to make the transition to the rehabilitation facility.

Rather than place that burden on others, she quietly assumed it herself. During those hours together, she listened, encouraged, comforted, and cared.

Her commitment extended beyond the hospital walls. Knowing that rehabilitation facilities would also require a safe discharge plan once therapy was complete, Howell worked closely with the patient and her family to address concerns within the home environment.

At the same time, Howell educated nurses and patient care technicians on everything she learned from the specialty consultant, helping the care team feel more comfortable and confident while caring for the patient. Her efforts not only changed one patient's experience but strengthened the entire team's ability to provide compassionate care.

As the weeks passed, Howell learned about the woman behind the hospital room door. She learned about her life, her family, and even her favorite meal: steak, a loaded baked potato, and mushrooms. On the 30th day of the patient's stay, Howell obtained physician approval, ordered that meal, and personally delivered it to her room.

Caroline Johnson, Piedmont Newton’s director of inpatient services who nominated Howell for this award, shared that she had never seen a patient so genuinely happy. After weeks of setbacks, uncertainty, and waiting, that simple act brought tears of gratitude and a sense of normalcy that had been missing for far too long.