The Council on Volunteer Services of the Georgia Hospital Association recently awarded Paul Theriot, CEO of East Georgia Regional Medical Center, CEO of the Year at the Annual Conference held earlier this month in Augusta.
Each year, the Council on Volunteer Services honors an outstanding Volunteer Coordinator, an outstanding CEO, and community outreach awards throughout the Georgia Hospital Association. “We Auxilians have a great deal of respect and affection for the hospital personnel with whom we work and to whom we report,” stated Linda Holloway, Awards Chairman. “We take pride in all they do for us. Their interest, efforts, encouragement and support help make our auxiliaries the effective organization they are.”
David Keene, President of the East Georgia Regional Medical Center Auxiliary, nominated Theriot for this award. “The management of our hospital changed in April 2016 when Mr. Theriot arrived as the new Chief Executive Officer,” Keene’s nomination read. “He came to Statesboro with a plan: a plan to renovate our facility, a plan to put in place aggressive staff, a plan to improve communications with the Auxiliary, and a plan to involve the local community.”
“Paul was successful,” the nomination continued. “Renovations of the facility are either in place, complete, or ongoing. A staff is in place with great energy, knowledge and training. Communications with the officers of the Auxiliary are better than in the past. Coordination of Auxiliary events are on the hospital calendar, gatherings are scheduled, and fundraising opportunities are in place. He has become a very good friend of the Auxiliary. Mr. Theriot has partnered with the Auxiliary, making sure the members are aware of the physical changes that are occurring in the facility. He meets with the Auxiliary Board regularly, listening, encouraging, and providing support and direction. He is not a silent partner. He ensures that members of his staff are available to answer any questions we may have about events, providing assistance to ensure the promotion of the Auxiliary with our local community outreach programs.”
“Paul Theriot and all of his staff are hands-on,” Keene wrote. “They make a point of speaking to and thanking all our Volunteers they see each day. The morale of the entire membership has accelerated and our membership has a positive, patient-centered attitude, due to the efforts of our beloved CEO. Paul Theriot has not only been good for East Georgia Regional Medical Center, but he has made a tremendous difference in the Auxiliary as well. April 25, 2016 was a great day!”
Theriot was invited to the Council’s Annual Conference in Augusta as a guest, unknowing that he would be awarded with such a prestigious honor. With great humility, he accepted his award as CEO of the Year and addressed the crowd by saying, “I am humbled by this recognition today. I have a great group of people at my hospital that I am blessed to work with, but our Volunteers are truly special to me. A huge thank you goes to the East Georgia Regional Medical Center Auxiliary for the nomination and to Georgia Hospital Association for selecting me.”
Before coming to EGRMC in 2016, Theriot served as COO at Gadsden Regional Medical Center in Alabama, and CEO for Chesterfield General Hospital in Cheraw, S.C. He began his healthcare career in 1994 as a Cardiac Rehab Exercise Specialist assisting patients with chronic cardiac conditions as well as post-CABG surgery. He holds his master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and Business Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
