Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Laura Fiveash Appointed 

FORSYTH, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier announced the appointment of Laura Fiveash to Director of the Office of Health Services effective September 16, 2017. As Director of the Office of Health Services, Fiveash will be in charge of administrative functions, contract management and budget compliance.

“Laura has extensive experience in community health, and has served on numerous public health and non-for-profit boards,” said Commissioner Dozier. “We are happy to have her join the GDC team, and look forward to her contributions to our Health Services Division.”

Fiveash began her professional career as a Nurse’s Aide at Turner County Hospital in 1971. She then served as a nurse at several facilities, including Tift General Hospital, the Medical College of Georgia, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and the South Georgia Medical Center. She was promoted to Clinical Coordinator of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the South Georgia Medical Center in 1983. In 1987, she accepted the position of Head Nurse at the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center in Valdosta, GA. She returned to the South Georgia Medical Center in 1994 as Administrative Director of Cardiology Services. She transferred to the Cardiovascular Service Line at South Georgia Medical Center in 2003, in the same capacity. In 2016, she became the Associate of Science in Nursing Instructor and Allied Heath Instructor at Wiregrass Technical College, where she most recently served.

Fiveash has as Associate degree in Nursing from Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College, a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Nursing from Valdosta State University, and a Master’s in Business Administration and Nursing Administration from Valdosta State University. She is a Georgia Registered Nurse, an American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider & Instructor, and a member of the VHA Georgia Cardiology Rountable.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.