Healthcare Georgia Foundation announced the 2014 recipients of the Joseph D. Greene Community Service Award. The announcements took place during a special ceremony at Connections 2014: Addressing Healthcare Access, Cost and Quality in Georgia, the Foundation’s sixth statewide convening of nonprofit grantees, partners, and community leaders. “On behalf of the Board and staff of Healthcare Georgia Foundation, we proudly salute the 2014 recipients of the Joseph D. Greene Community Service Award,” said Gary D. Nelson, PhD, president, Healthcare Georgia Foundation. “Through the dedication and tireless efforts of these heroes for health, Georgians today and tomorrow will benefit greatly from their legacy of servant leadership.”
The 2014 recipients include four individuals who volunteer for healthcare organizations across the state of Georgia and one Collaborative Recipient: Cancer Coalition of South Georgia.
Founded in 2002, the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia was created with the goal of addressing the seemingly impossible problem of cancer in a large, impoverished, rural region of Georgia. The Coalition is a collaboration of individuals and organizations across a 32 county community. This unique, diverse group of business and industry leaders, hospital leaders, faith community members, public health officials, physicians, cancer survivors and others serves these South Georgia communities through service, education, research and outreach. Their Community Cancer Screening Program, a nationally recognized model, serves more than 800 patients every year. The success of the Coalition is due its enduring commitment to the mission, “to prevent cancer and increase survival among the people of South Georgia.”
Cancer Coalition CEO Diane Fletcher, CFO/COO Jennifer Johnston and Patient Health Navigator Beverly Nembhard attended the conference and ceremony in Atlanta to receive the award and connect with other Georgia healthcare organizations. “It was truly an honor to be recognized by organizations from all over the state for the work we are doing in South Georgia,” said Nembhard. “It means so much to know that our day to day work is helping create a healthier Georgia,” she said. To learn more about the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia, please visit their website at www.sgacancer.org.
About Joseph D. Greene
In his 2005 memoir, From Cotton Fields to Board Rooms, Joseph D. Greene recounted leaving his home in rural Georgia in 1959 with his high school diploma and just $35 he had earned from picking cotton. The years that followed were decorated with success and achievements, as he elevated himself from the cotton fields of his youth to become a revered public leader. As a founding Healthcare Georgia Foundation board member, Mr. Greene helped steward the organization from its inception in 1999 through his retirement as board chair in 2006. In November 2007, the Foundation lost an inspirational leader when this gentle soul lost his battle with cancer. In 2008, Healthcare Georgia Foundation dedicated its community service award program in his honor, naming it the Joseph D. Greene Community Service Award.
About Healthcare Georgia Foundation
Healthcare Georgia Foundation is a statewide, private independent foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to advance the health of all Georgians and to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare for underserved individuals and communities. Through its strategic grantmaking, Healthcare Georgia Foundation supports organizations that drive positive change, promotes programs that improve health and healthcare among underserved individuals and communities, and connects people, partners and resources across Georgia. For more information, please visit the Foundation online at: www.healthcaregeorgia.org.