The Hospital Authority of Valdosta Lowndes County Georgia named Dr. Roberto Garcia as the hospital hero for August because of his commitment to care inside and outside the hospital.

Dr. Garcia, a hospitalist with SGMC for more than 10 years, recently witnessed a person experiencing cardiac arrest at a local business. Dr. Garcia wasted no time in responding to the person's need and initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 14 minutes until emergency personnel arrived to take over.

Unfortunately the person did not survive the event; however, because of the life-saving measures of Dr. Garcia the patient was able to fulfill his wishes of being an organ donor. The patient ultimately saved another life.

According to SGMC Manager of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Toni Quimby, “Dr. Garcia is well respected and loved by hospital staff and his peers, and is known for his compassion and kindness as well as his medical knowledge and practice.”

Dr. Garcia expressed that he was simply at the right place at the right time. He shared his interest in launching an initiative to educate and train the public on performing CPR correctly in hopes of helping others in similar situations.