As a nonprofit healthcare system, with 1,755 locations within a one-hour drive of 85 percent of Georgians, Piedmont brings its purpose to life by providing unparalleled access to integrated high-quality care, as well as by serving local communities outside the walls of its clinics and hospitals.

Piedmont’s annual Community Impact Report details the myriad ways that Piedmont delivers on more than $390 million in community impact support, which includes free or reduced care for qualifying patients, health education, mobile clinics, and support of local partners to improve access and health services in local communities. 

The annual report shows that Piedmont provided over $2.00 in community support for every $1 it would have paid in taxes in 2023, if Piedmont were a for-profit healthcare system. 

“The impact we make in our communities is palpable and makes me so proud to be a part of this organization,” said Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown. “Piedmont is not just a health care provider – we’re a committed partner and advocate for our communities. Together, we can make a positive difference and create healthier and more vibrant communities.” 

During 2023, Piedmont also participated in or provided: 

·   More than 1,200 community events in which physicians or staff shared knowledge in the communities Piedmont serves. Said another way, on average, Piedmont is out supporting a community event three times a day, every day of the year!  

·   More than 800 events in which Piedmont brought care to local communities, beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals.

·   More than 440 sponsorships or other support of other community and/or nonprofit organizations.

·   More than 330 community events in which Piedmont physicians or staff lent expertise.

Additionally, in an effort to further expand access to care, in 2023, Piedmont launched an online resource to help connect clinicians and patients with community organizations that can provide free and reduced-cost assistance and care outside the health care space. Piedmont calls this program “Empowering You.”

The program aims to improve health outcomes by identifying and addressing the social determinants of health barriers patients may face by partnering with organizations already embedded in that work within their communities. In its first year, Empowering You resulted in close to 130,000 patients being screened for social determinant of health barriers and connecting these patients with community services such as food banks, transportation, and housing. The program has been a huge success and continues to grow in 2024. 

Empowering You is a multi-disciplinary approach across the care continuum. As a result, irrespective of whether you’re a Piedmont clinician, patient or a community member, Empowering You can be accessed with Piedmont’s public-facing access, embedded links within its Electronic Medical Record or through Piedmont’s patient portal.

Components of the program include:

·   Staff training and education: Training materials and staff scripting were developed to support staff across the care continuum, paying close attention to additional support and sensitivity around the social determinants of health screening tool and sensitive domains such as interpersonal safety.

·   Community-based organizations: In partnership with Piedmont’s hospital-based community relations teams, 145 new community-based organizations joined the Empowering You platform during the 2023 calendar year. This work is ongoing to build a robust community network to expand our reach and ensure patients are aware and have access to various community resources. Examples include: the Athens Community Council on Aging, Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger in Atlanta, the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority in Augusta, Mercy Med of Columbus, and Salvation Army Macon. 

Piedmont already is looking ahead to how this program can be optimized and expanded across the system and the state as housing and food insecurity have become the top two search categories across Piedmont’s footprint. Over time, this data will help provide additional insights into the health disparities in each community Piedmont reaches, inform Piedmont’s clinical leaders to understand the challenges patients may face in treating chronic conditions and to help drive future initiatives to make a bigger impact in the community. All of these efforts are part of Piedmont’s commitment to empower Georgians by changing healthcare, as Piedmont truly believes that real change lives here.