St. Mary’s Health Care System Palliative Care Manager Tanya Adcock, R.N., C.H.P.N., a lifelong resident of Oconee County, was awarded the prestigious Georgia Hospital Heroes Award at the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) annual Hospital Heroes Awards luncheon Dec. 13 in Atlanta. Adcock, who was one of only 10 individuals statewide to receive the award, was recognized for her outstanding service to the hospital as well as for when her quick actions and thinking helped save a life.

One day earlier this year, Adcock and her family drove to an all-day tractor pull, a competition in which they have participated for the past 11 years. Tractor pulling, or power pulling, challenges drives to haul a massive sled along a 90-meter track against increasing friction.

At one point during the event, the announcer called for a paramedic or nurse to go to the end of the track. Adcock ran to help and saw a group of people standing around a man who had collapsed to the ground due to a heart attack.

Adcock rushed to the man’s aid, noticing that his skin was blue and he was not breathing. His pulse was weak and, a few seconds later, even that ceased. Immediately, she began performing CPR, enlisting the help of those nearby her to call 911. She knew that CPR would not be enough, given how long it would take emergency medical services (EMS) to reach such a remote location, much less transport the man to a cardiac-capable hospital. Luckily, an off-duty paramedic was present and had an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in his truck, which Adcock was able to use to restore the man’s heartbeat. He then began breathing on his own.

Minutes later, EMS arrived and transported the man to the hospital. The trip went smoothly and his doctors were amazed that he survived, given the extensive damage to his heart and the fact that the heart attack had occurred so far from a hospital. For the man’s family, what Adcock and a group of compassionate volunteers did was nothing short of a miracle.

“Tanya Adcock is a strong champion for health care, both in and out of the hospital,” said Joseph Parker, president of GHA. “Her dedication to her work as well as her willingness to help wherever she is needed makes her an ideal recipient of this award.”

GHA’s Hospital Heroes Awards are presented every year to 10 individuals who display outstanding service to the health care field; in addition, one individual is presented with a Lifetime Achievement award, signifying at least 30 years of service.