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Piedmont Columbus Regional focuses on meeting health needs of the communities it serves

Published: April 1, 2026
Piedmont Columbus

Columbus, Ga. (April 1, 2026) – The third quarter of Piedmont’s Fiscal Year 2026 at Piedmont Columbus Regional focused on how to better meet the unique health needs of the communities we serve.

As part of a federal requirement for non-profit health systems, Piedmont facilities undergo a formal process every three years called a Community Health Needs Assessment to identify what the most pressing health needs are.

The identified health needs for the Columbus metropolitan area are:

  • Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure (this is a priority across the Piedmont system)
  • Increase access to health care services
  • Heart disease and stroke
  • Cancer
  • Mental health

This assessment is the result of a comprehensive approach involving the analysis of relevant public health data, hospital data, conducting listening interviews and community surveys. Piedmont strives to achieve greater health equity by mitigating the impact of poverty and other socioeconomic factors.

“For the next three years, we will work with community and hospital partners to incorporate activities into each implementation strategy that address social, economic and/or racial barriers to good health, said Piedmont Columbus Regional Community Outreach Manager Melonese Close. “The end goal is to improve the health of all in our region by tackling the social and economic root causes of poor health.”

Visit Piedmont.org/CommunityHealthNeeds to read the full report.

The Piedmont Columbus Regional Mobile Unit bus routinely visits high-risk zip codes— performing no-cost blood pressure screenings and providing health education on high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and nutrition with direct referral pathways to poverty-stricken and underinsured patients.

The John B. Amos Cancer Center will host a variety of no-cost screenings in 2026.

  • March: Colorectal cancer screenings in partnership with the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition and MercyMed
  • April: Head and neck cancer screenings
  • May: Skin cancer screenings in partnership with Southeast Dermatology Specialists
  • September: Prostate cancer screenings

For more information on Piedmont Columbus Regional, visit Piedmont.org/Columbus.

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