Conyers, Ga. (May 8, 2023) — Piedmont Rockdale Hospital is proud to announce the opening of a designated walking path on the campus for visitors, patients, and the community alike. The marked path will have signage and benches for individuals to use while visiting the hospital as well. This is thanks to Leadership Rockdale, a 7-month program of the Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce that creates an immersive learning experience for emerging leaders in Rockdale County. This group is made up of a diverse group of applicants to help lead Rockdale into a brighter future.

Each year, there is a Legacy Project, where the goal is to unite the class around a common purpose, introduce the class to organizations in the community, encourage involvement, and present an opportunity for the class to identify a long-term, sustainable project. The Leadership Rockdale Class of 2023 chose the hospital as a beneficiary of one of this year’s Legacy Projects, installing a marked walking path that will benefit the nearly 60,000 patients who come to the building annually, not including visitors.

“The Path to Wellness will be a long-term, sustainable project that promotes positive health benefits as well as a way to get physical exercise,” said Jaime Doan, member of Leadership Rockdale Class of 2023 and ED Manager at Piedmont Rockdale. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with an epic class. This would not have been possible without the generous donation from Atlanta Gas Light to fund the entire $13,000 project.”

Travis Williams, who is also a member of the Leadership Rockdale Class of 2023, works for Atlanta Gas Light, which funded the pathway to be built. “Piedmont Rockdale Hospital is near and dear to my heart as they helped to provide care for an employee’s family member who, unfortunately, lost their battle to cancer last year,” he said.

The path is open to the public as well as those at the hospital, with 24-hour Piedmont Rockdale Public Safety and both the Conyers Police Department and the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office patrolling frequently to ensure those using the trail are safe.

This project has the ability to ‘move the needle’ on Rockdale County’s overall health. With the construction of a 150-unit senior apartment across the street from the hospital and the proximity of the hospital and various doctors’ offices, this walking path could be incorporated into education on wellness as well.

The project was completed on April 15, with a ribbon cutting scheduled for May 11 at 10:30 a.m.