Atlanta, Ga. (June 25, 2025) – Piedmont’s 2024 Community Impact Report describes how Piedmont, a federally regulated non-profit organization, engages in strategic and targeted initiatives to improve the health of its communities. It details how its team members make a positive difference in communities across Georgia, by supporting patients, community members and partners through education, sponsorships, and increased access to services.
“Through hundreds of efforts, Piedmont’s health-care professionals and providers work to meet the needs of our communities,” Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown said, “all with the goal of making our communities across Georgia healthier.”
Every three years, each Piedmont hospital conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in collaboration with local stakeholders. These assessments identify and prioritize health needs using local, state, and national data, along with input from community members and health-care experts.
CHNAs guide Piedmont’s community benefit programs, helping to develop actionable, sustainable strategies to improve health outcomes.
An example of this is the management of hypertension, or high blood pressure. According to national and state data, Georgia ranks 10th in the United States in deaths attributed to hypertension. According to Piedmont’s CHNA data, 11 of the 15 communities Piedmont serves report hypertension rates higher than the state average and 14 of the 15 identify hypertension as a leading cause of death.
To address this community health need, Piedmont’s physician-led Clinical Governance Councils – including those dedicated to primary care, cardiology, and Ob/Gyn – guide strategies based on clinical best practice to improve the health of community members who suffer from hypertension. Thomas Wells, M.D., a primary care physician at Hawthorne Medical at Oconee Health Campus, chairs Piedmont’s Primary Care Clinical Governance Council and is a member of the organization’s Hypertension Task Force.
“In the communities we have the opportunities to be part of, we see patients every day who have hypertension, as well as those who have borderline high blood pressure,” Dr. Wells said. “By encouraging weight loss, exercise and healthy eating, we have seen patients able to decrease their medication and, in some instances, come off medication.
“We also have seen improvement in blood pressure in some members of this patient population who are pre-hypertensive or borderline. As Piedmont physicians, we are looking at the whole patient and encourage our patients to make these healthy lifestyle choices because we truly believe in our promise to make a positive difference in every life we touch.”
The Community Impact Report details the work of Piedmont team members who participate in community health clinics, provide on-site screenings and wellness events at local employers, volunteer at senior centers and schools, provide training for community partners, and host health screenings at homeless shelters.
The annual report details how Piedmont, as a non-profit, provided $2.09 in community impact and support for every $1 in tax benefit in its Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024). In total in FY 2024, Piedmont invested more than $607 million in community impact, expanding access to care and improving the health of those who live in Georgia.
Other findings of Piedmont’s Community Impact Report are that Piedmont performed or participated in:
- More than 2,360 community events in which physicians or staff shared knowledge in the communities Piedmont serves.
- More than 1,480 events in which Piedmont brought care to local communities, beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals.
- More than 950 sponsorships or other support of other community and/or nonprofit organizations.
- More than 350 community events in which Piedmont physicians or staff lent expertise.