Dr. Robert Holcombe is retiring on Aug. 30 after providing care for more than three decades, mainly treating patients at Atrium Health Floyd Urgent Care in Rome.
While urgent care settings often provide challenges for physicians, who might never build a connection with patients, Holcombe said that is not always the case.
“Regular patients would come in over the years,” Holcombe said. “Now I am taking care of the children of my first patients’ children. I have enjoyed all aspects of that job. Urgent Care allowed me to have relationships with my patients.”
He has been associated with Floyd for 36 years and has been employed there for more than 32 years. Holcombe was one of the original providers when Urgent Care first opened in Rome.
“Dr. Holcombe’s calm and steady leadership has been a blessing in the fast-paced urgent care environment, and never more so than during the COVID pandemic,” said Matt Gorman, vice president of Corporate and Network Services at Atrium Health Floyd . “When other clinics were closing, he ensured that Floyd Urgent Care remained open for the community. Speaking for everyone on our team, we’ll miss him and wish him the best in his retirement!”
Born in Villa Rica, he grew up in Armuchee and went to the Berry Academy, a high school that was located on the college campus. His first experience with Floyd was as a phlebotomist when he was a pre-med student at Berry College in 1977.
He later became a general internist and began working at Floyd in November 1991, first in the Emergency Care Center and then moving to Urgent Care in 1994.
Holcombe said trying to run his own practice was stressful for many reasons and the demands on his time were overwhelming. The move to Floyd was a godsend.
“I can remember coming home one evening and my beeper went off just as we were sitting down for dinner. My oldest daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, started crying. I prayed that night, and I thanked God for giving me a career in something I wanted to do, but I also asked Him to show me if there was anything else He wanted me to do that would give me more time with my family,” Holcombe said.
He said the next day Dr. Ed Malcom told him there was an opening in the Emergency Care Center.
“I took that as a message from God and decided to close my practice in 30 days and come to work at Floyd,” Holcombe added.
He said all his family has worked at Floyd at one point. His wife, Abby, started working in the Emergency Care Center when they moved to Rome in 1988. She has also been active with Floyd Healthcare Foundation, raising money for the mobile mammography coach and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the only Level III NICU in the immediate area.
His oldest daughter, Avery, worked as a physical therapy aide at Floyd. His middle daughter Chandler works as a physician assistant at Rome Orthopedic Clinic and sees patients at Floyd. His youngest daughter, Blair, works in Outpatient Surgery at Floyd Medical Center.
Holcombe said he has seen great advancements in diagnostics.
“I watched as CT and MRI have been developed, and what is able to be done now is truly amazing…… I have also seen the advent of electronic medical records, which has its pluses and minuses,” he said. “Sometimes I worry it has taken the personal touch away.”
Although he is officially retiring, Holcombe is not going away. While he hopes to travel, and spend more time with his wife, children and grandchildren, he said he plans to supervise nurse practitioners and physician assistants on own schedule.
“Years ago, I was told if you find something that you enjoy doing you will never have to work a day in your life,” Holcombe said. “I can honestly say that has been true for me over all these years. I got up each morning looking forward to having the privilege of being able to take care of patients.”
