Howard Stroud Community Health Symposium set for February 7 in Athens

Athens, Ga. (January 12, 2026) - Piedmont Athens Regional will host the Howard Stroud Community Health Symposium and Lunch on Saturday, February 7, from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Services Building A, located at 242 King Avenue.

Named after Howard Stroud—a longtime public educator in Athens-Clarke County and the first African American to chair the Piedmont Athens Regional Board of Directors—the annual 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 will include presentations on aging, dementia, breast cancer in women and men, coping with grief, and a featured speaker on vitiligo. Attendees will also learn lifesaving skills such as Hands-Only CPR, Stop the Bleed techniques, home fire safety, fall prevention strategies and tips for preparing for 911 EMS calls. Community health educators and physicians from Piedmont Athens Regional’s Graduate Medical Education program will be available for questions.

Piedmont Athens Regional’s community education team works to enhance access to health care, promote healthy behaviors and reduce deaths from cancer and heart disease—conditions that disproportionately affect African American patients.

Free parking will be available in the Medical Services Building lot. There is no cost to attend but space is limited, and RSVPs are requested by Friday, January 31. To register, email parcommunityrelations@piedmont.org or call 706.475.1029.