COVINGTON, Ga. - Applications will be accepted for Piedmont Healthcare’s community benefit grant program, which aims to improve the health and well-being of the community through direct service grants, starting Wednesday, Aug. 30.
The grant program, which extends financial support to organizations providing specific health-related services and programs for at-risk and underserved populations, focuses on community health education and wellness, access to primary and specialty care, community-based health support services and social determinants of health.
“We pay particular attention to the challenges facing those most vulnerable,” Ginna Goode, community benefits specialist at Piedmont Healthcare, said. “In the grant program’s first year, we made significant strides toward improving the health of our communities and I’m confident we’ll continue to do so as the program matures.”
The grant program supports implementation strategies crafted to address prioritized needs identified in Piedmont’s community health needs assessment findings. Priority areas include:
- increase access to appropriate and affordable care for low- and no-income patients
- reduce preventable readmissions and emergency department re-encounters
- increase access to and awareness of cancer-related programming
- reduce obesity rates and obesity-related diseases, such as Type II diabetes
- reduce preventable instances of heart disease, hypertension and stroke
- support maternal and child health
- support senior health
Piedmont’s community benefit grant program supported 23 organizations in calendar year 2017. Among the programs funded were: three that work to curb instances of preventable readmissions and emergency department encounters, 11 that increase access to care, and 12 that aim to prevent heart disease, hypertensions, stroke and/or obesity.
“At Piedmont, our purpose is to make a positive difference in the lives we touch and that’s why we work tirelessly to increase access to appropriate and affordable care for low- and no-income patients,” Goode said. “Working with these organizations will strengthen our collective ability to ensure patients have access to care they need.”
Grants are limited to not-for-profit, community-based organizations that are exempt from federal tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Applications are being accepted starting Wednesday, Aug. 30 until Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. Grant recipients will be notified Wednesday, Nov. 15.
For more information about Piedmont’s community benefit grant program, visit piedmont.org.
