Atrium Health Navicent raises minimum wage for staff in Georgia to $18.85 per hour
Increase reflects a $2.85 hourly boost as part of a systemwide workforce investment
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Atrium Health Navicent announced Wednesday it is raising the minimum starting wage for eligible teammates in Georgia to $18.85 per hour, a move that represents a $2.85 per-hour increase, or 17.8%, for workers across the state.
The new wage rate will be reflected on teammates’ Jan. 30 paychecks, according to the health system.
Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system.
Part of systemwide compensation investment
According to a news release from Atrium, the wage increase fulfills Advocate Health’s enterprise-wide goal of establishing a unified minimum starting rate for all teammates across its six-state footprint, including Georgia.
The change is part of a $776 million additional compensation investment planned for 2026, which Advocate Health described as one of the largest single-year commitments in its history. The investment is aimed at promoting long-term workforce stability, expanding career opportunities and maintaining a nationally competitive workplace.
Delvecchio Finley, president of Atrium Health’s Georgia market, said the increase represents a meaningful investment in employees.
“Increasing our minimum starting rate by $2.85 per hour — almost $6,000 more per year for a full-time teammate — is a meaningful change for those who make our mission possible,” Finley said. “Our teammates deserve compensation that reflects the skill, compassion and consistency they bring to their work every day.”
Finley said investing in teammates’ financial well-being is essential to sustaining a strong workforce that delivers care throughout Macon and the surrounding region.
Since Navicent Health joined what is now Advocate Health in 2019, the system has implemented annual increases to its minimum starting rate, outpacing federal minimum wage standards.
With the new rate, Atrium Health Navicent teammates will earn at least $11.60 more per hour than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Assuming a 40-hour work week, that amounts to more than $24,000 per year above federal minimum wage earnings. Since 2020, entry-level wages at Atrium Health Navicent have increased by 160%.
Systemwide approach
Advocate Health said the compensation framework tied to the $776 million investment includes a unified $18.85 minimum starting rate across all six states for roles such as environmental services technicians, food service assistants, patient safety attendants, and patient and equipment transporters.
The framework also includes annual merit planning, pay-range adjustments based on teammate feedback, and investments in pay structures and grades to support retention and workforce stability.
“Our patients and our teammates are at the center of every decision we make,” said Nakesha Lopez, executive vice president and chief people and culture officer at Advocate Health. “This minimum wage increase provides a solid foundation for every teammate, no matter where they begin.”
Advocate Health said it works with third-party compensation consultants, participates in national market surveys, and analyzes law-compliant pay data to ensure wages remain competitive and equitable across the system.
