Piedmont Augusta advances care, community impact with major clinical and quality milestones

Augusta, Ga. (July 29, 2026) — Piedmont Augusta closed the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 with milestones in advanced cardiac care, clinical innovation, patient safety, community engagement and national quality recognition.

The quarter began with Piedmont Augusta’s Donate Life flag-raising ceremony April 1, honoring organ, eye and tissue donors and raising awareness about donor registration during Donate Life Month. The event featured a patient story and highlighted the lifesaving impact of donation, with one donor able to save up to eight lives.

Also in April, Piedmont Augusta launched a post-birth alert bracelet initiative to improve maternal safety after childbirth. The bracelets help alert health care providers and first responders to a recent delivery, supporting faster diagnosis and treatment of complications.

Piedmont Heart Augusta expanded its structural heart program April 27 by performing the region’s first transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement. The minimally invasive, FDA-approved therapy offers an advanced option for patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation, allowing them to receive innovative heart care close to home.

The hospital also helped fulfill a patient’s request to be baptized before major heart surgery, coordinating a bedside ceremony that supported her spiritual needs and reflected Piedmont Augusta’s commitment to compassionate, whole-person care.

Piedmont Augusta recognized four local first responders as May First Friday Heroes after a coordinated emergency response helped save a patient experiencing a heart attack. Rapid STEMI identification, early activation of the hospital’s cardiac team and seamless teamwork among fire rescue, EMS and hospital staff resulted in treatment well below national benchmarks and a strong patient outcome.

Piedmont Augusta Foundation raised $251,000 in May through its 40th annual Jernigan Memorial Golf Tournament to support low-dose lung cancer screenings for underinsured and uninsured patients across the region.

Also in May, Piedmont Augusta’s Clinical Laboratory Science Program at Summerville earned full accreditation from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. The achievement reflects the dedication of faculty, lab staff and leaders who helped relaunch and strengthen the program. Its first graduates are already serving in Piedmont Augusta’s main lab, and the next class is completing clinical rotations across both campuses.

Piedmont Augusta also advanced its electrophysiology program by performing its first pulsed field ablation procedure using the Medtronic Affera system. The FDA-approved technology allows physicians to map and treat cardiac arrhythmias with a single catheter, enhancing precision, efficiency and patient care.

During Stroke Awareness Month, Piedmont Augusta hosted a community event focused on stroke prevention, early recognition and the importance of rapid treatment.

The hospital marked its 200th implantation of a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, reflecting the growth of its Advanced Heart Failure program and its expertise in delivering advanced cardiac care for patients with end-stage heart failure.

Piedmont Augusta also performed its 200th robotic-assisted bronchoscopy using the Ion endoluminal system, which allows physicians to navigate deep into the lungs with precision and biopsy peripheral lung nodules using a less invasive approach.

Piedmont expanded access to primary care June 10 with two new practices in Thomson and Harlem, bringing preventive care and chronic disease management closer to patients in McDuffie County and surrounding communities. Angela “Angie” Powell, FNP-BC, who has more than 25 years of experience in primary care, urgent care, OB-GYN and rural health, is providing care at both locations. The practices are accepting new patients, and Piedmont is recruiting additional physicians to further strengthen access and continuity of care in the region.

On June 25, Piedmont Augusta performed its first TriClip procedure, becoming the first hospital in the Central Savannah River Area to offer the minimally invasive therapy for patients with complex tricuspid valve disease.

Piedmont McDuffie partnered with Augusta University’s Department of Population Health at the sixth annual McCorkle Nurseries Rural Health Fair in Dearing, Georgia, providing screenings, hypertension and heart health education in Spanish and other services to more than 300 attendees. The event, supported by the Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce, was open to the public.

Piedmont Physicians Sports Medicine Augusta relocated its office on the Piedmont Evans campus to 465 North Belair Road, Suite 3F, in Evans, celebrating the move June 25 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.

Piedmont Augusta and Piedmont McDuffie earned national recognition from the American Heart Association for high-quality stroke care. Piedmont Augusta received the Get With The Guidelines® — Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award, while Piedmont McDuffie earned the Get With The Guidelines® — Stroke Silver quality achievement award. Piedmont Augusta also earned the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll designation for evidence-based care for hospitalized stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Piedmont Augusta also received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2026, recognizing its commitment to meeting guideline-based standards of care for heart attack patients.

Lily Henson, CEO of Piedmont Augusta, was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare on its list of “236 Women Hospital and Health System Presidents and CEOs to Know.”