Stroud, who was one of only 10 individuals statewide to receive the award, was recognized for her more than 50 years of working in health care and delivering extraordinary patient care at the hospital.
In her many years of working in health care, Stroud has cared for, and positively affected, the lives of countless patients. She rode her bicycle to her first interview at Button Gwinnett Hospital, now Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC), in 1963. She began work as a candy striper and loved the work so much that, instead of following her original plan of attending law school, she decided to attend nursing school. After completing her nursing education in 1968, she returned to the same hospital system in Gwinnett County as the very first BSN nurse in the system and has worked there ever since. Early on, she saw what a difference she could make in the world of patient care and knew she had found her passion.
Stroud constantly goes out of her way to make sure patients are as comfortable as possible, no matter what, as illustrated by one example in particular. While transporting one patient to another unit, she answered the call light of another patient. This patient was disappointed that he did not get the gourmet soup he had ordered for his dinner. Knowing how important this small detail was to his hospital experience, Stroud made the extra effort to bring him the soup from the dietary department.
This seemingly small gesture greatly improved the patient’s hospital experience and is an example of Stroud’s ‘warm blanket’ philosophy of care. Her theory is that medications only do so much and that treatment of patients must be holistic. When patients are as comfortable as possible and know they are safe and secure, recovery will happen faster. Thanks to Stroud, numerous patients have been comforted by, and have likely recovered faster because of, this philosophy.
“Gail Stroud is an exemplary nurse who strives to provide the best possible patient care on a daily basis,” said GHA President and CEO Earl Rogers. “There is no doubt that her compassion and willingness to go the extra mile for her patients have greatly improved their overall care experience. She is a deserving recipient of this award.”
About Gwinnett Health System
Gwinnett Health System (GHS) is the parent company of Gwinnett Medical Center, Gwinnett Medical Group and Sequent Health Physician Partners. GHS employs 4,800 associates and has 800 affiliated physicians serving more than 400,000 patients annually. Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) is a nationally-recognized, not-for-profit healthcare network with acute-care hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth. Additional facilities include: the Gwinnett Women’s Pavilion, the Gwinnett Extended Care Center, Glancy Rehabilitation Center, outpatient health centers and surgical centers, imaging centers and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy facilities. In 2014, GMC was recognized by Georgia Trend as the top large hospital in the state.
To learn more about how GMC is transforming healthcare, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org.
About GHA
Established in 1929, GHA is the state’s largest trade organization of hospitals and health systems providing education, research and risk management services to its more than 170 hospital and health system members. Additionally, it represents and advocates health policy issues benefiting Georgia’s citizens before the state legislature and U.S. Congress as well as before regulatory bodies.
