Piedmont Healthcare’s community benefit program, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities the organization serves, has made more than $500,000 in community benefit awards.

Those grants were spread out among 44 nonprofit organizations that serve the local communities where Piedmont’s 11 hospitals are located. Piedmont serves communities in which 70 percent of the state’s population resides. These grants work to address two key areas identified in Piedmont’s 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment, as identified by the Internal Revenue Service: increasing access to care and addressing the opioid epidemic. Piedmont’s largest grants equaled $25,000.

“Our continued goal is to make a positive difference in every life we touch and our community benefit grant program is providing grants to more organizations this year and granting more funds overall,” said Thomas Worthy, vice president of government and external affairs at Piedmont Healthcare. “The communities that our hospitals are a part of become even stronger when nonprofit organizations, like the great ones with which we are partnering, become healthier and livelier through these grants.”

Among the organizations to which Piedmont granted funds was four local organizations:

Mercy Health Center, a Christian-based, non-profit organization that provides free medical, dental, behavioral health and other wellness services to uninsured individuals in Clarke, Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and Oglethorpe counties who are at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

The Tree House, Inc., a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen communities by reducing the occurrence and impact of child abuse through counseling, educating, supporting and nurturing children and families in Barrow, Banks, and Jackson counties.

Athens Community Council on Aging (ACCA), a non-profit organization providing aging service, including health and wellness programs, meal programs and caregiver support to senior citizens throughout Georgia.

New Neighbors Network, a developing organization of refugees, immigrants, and American citizens who seek to foster community, build strong families, and contribute positively to their neighborhoods through services, resources and other local programs.

People Living in Recovery, an organization that provides recovery support to individuals and families in the community who are in recovery or seeking recovery from substance use and mental health challenges.

The grant program, which extends financial support to community-based nonprofit organizations providing specific health-related services and programs for at-risk and underserved populations, focuses direct service, access to primary and specialty care, community-based health support services and social determinants of health.

“Piedmont Athens Regional is not only committed to providing high-quality, patient-centered care to the patients who visit us, but to also work to improve the health of the residents in our communities we serve,” said Piedmont Athens Regional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Burnett. “We’re very pleased to be able to collaborate and partner with organizations those selected who share our goal of making a positive difference in the Athens-area and surrounding communities.”

In addition to the grants program, Piedmont also provides other services and programs to the community, including free lab services for its charitable clinic partners, cash and in-kind donations to nonprofit partners, financial assistance to low-income patients and robust educational programs for aspiring health professionals. In Fiscal Year 2019 (ending June 30, 2019), Piedmont provided an estimated $314 million in community benefits to its communities.