Athens, Ga. (February 27, 2024) – Piedmont Athens Regional recently welcomed more than 100 members of the community to the hospital for the annual Howard Stroud Community Health Symposium. Named after Howard Stroud, who was a public educator in Athens-Clarke County and the first African-American to chair the Piedmont Athens Regional Board of Directors, the event is held each February during Black History Month.

The symposium seeks to improve health education and awareness within the Athens-Clarke County African-American community. This year’s program included presentations on aging, dementia, breast cancer in women and men, coping with grief, and a featured speaker on the topic of vitiligo. Attendees were able to speak with community health educators as well as doctors from the Piedmont Athens Regional Graduate Medical Education program.

Piedmont Athens Regional’s community education team is dedicated to enhancing access to health care, promoting healthy behaviors, and reducing the number of deaths from cancer and heart disease, both of which often impact African-American patients at higher rates.

Learn more about community wellness at Piedmont Athens Regional.