Piedmont’s community benefit program, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities that Piedmont serves, has made charitable donations to 21 community clinics, totaling $200,000.

Those organizations serve the local communities where each of Piedmont’s 22 hospitals are located. The grants range between $5,000 and $10,000 per organization.

In Athens, Piedmont has donated a total of $20,000 to three local organizations that provide medical care to patients in Athens and surrounding communities, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

“Piedmont is driving real change in Georgia and these clinics play an important role in providing access to health care in our communities,” 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 donations.”

Those receiving grants are:

• Clay Community Care Clinic: The clinic provides high-quality adult primary and specialty care services, including annual visits, preventive health visits, sick visits, immunizations, and more.

• Mercy Health Center: This clinic provides free medical, dental, pharmacy, counseling, and health education to uninsured patients in Clarke, Barrow, Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Oconee counties.

• Athens Nurses Clinic: The clinic provides free evaluation, treatment, and education for acute and chronic medical and dental conditions for uninsured, low- and no-income residents of Athens-Clarke County and the surrounding communities.

The donations focus on organizations that provide direct service, access to primary and specialty care, community-based health support services, and social determinants of health.

"Piedmont Athens is honored to partner with local organizations to make sure patients in and around Athens have access to the care and resources they need," said Michael Burnett, Piedmont Athens Regional CEO. "We are committed to enhancing the lives of our families, friends, and neighbors. By supporting charitable clinics in our region and their efforts to improve the health of their patients, we are continuing to fulfill our mission to make a positive difference in every life we touch."