The Covington Information acquired the next op-ed from Lindsey Petrini, CEO of Piedmont Newton Hospital.
Simply as people are setting targets to enhance their well being on this new 12 months, we at Piedmont Newton have simply set targets to enhance the well being care panorama in Newton County. As a part of a non-profit well being system, each three years, we endure a proper strategy of figuring out what the group wants from us. This is named a Group Well being Wants Evaluation (CHNA), and we simply accomplished a brand new one in the previous few months.
Based mostly on enter from many group and hospital leaders, we are going to focus over the following three years on (1) making certain entry to acceptable and inexpensive care, (2) selling wholesome behaviors to scale back preventable situations and illnesses, (3) lowering preventable cases of deaths from most cancers, and (4) lowering preventable cases of and deaths from persistent situations, particularly coronary heart illness.
We acquired a head begin in 2025 making a constructive distinction in these areas. Total, Piedmont Newton was concerned in 193 community-based well being actions final 12 months. I wish to share a number of the progress made with you as we embark on a brand new 12 months.
Making certain Entry
One of the vital direct methods we guarantee well being care entry for all is supporting Keen Helpers, the free clinic serving Newton County. We offer them area on the Piedmont Newton campus, together with lab and imaging companies. These assets helped almost 1,000 individuals with out medical health insurance handle persistent situations final 12 months.
Moreover, we coated almost $100 million in take care of sufferers who didn’t have insurance coverage, and both couldn’t pay or paid at a lowered fee themselves.
We labored tirelessly to recruit new suppliers, on the similar time. In 2025, we welcomed 10 new suppliers to Piedmont Newton, together with 4 specializing in Main Care.
With a watch towards the longer term and constructing a pipeline of future well being care employees, we additionally provided internships and scholarships to highschool college students in Newton County with an curiosity in well being care. During the last two years, due to our partnership with Newton County Colleges, we had 180 college students intern on the hospital over the summer time and 30 in the course of the faculty 12 months via the Junior Volunteer and Work-Based mostly Studying Packages. On prime of this, yearly, we award as much as 10 Well being Profession Scholarships of $1,500 every for college students to pursue larger training associated to well being care.
Selling Wholesome Behaviors
In line with Feeding America, 10,000 individuals in Newton County are meals insecure. Since good well being begins with entry to good meals, we additionally took alternatives final 12 months to assist residents in acquiring, studying about and making ready nutritious meals. We as soon as once more tag-teamed with Newton County Colleges on their annual Can-A-Thon. As a part of this drive, Piedmont Newton staff donated 1,250 canned and non-perishable meals objects to the Newton Group Meals Pantry. Moreover, we labored with college students from the Newton Faculty & Profession Academy culinary arts and well being care applications to supply a free wholesome cooking class. Likewise, we supported Keen Helpers and the Diabetes Affiliation of Atlanta in providing a diabetes training class at Piedmont Newton that included wholesome cooking demonstrations and dialogue of how vitamin impacts blood sugar.
Scale back Preventable Most cancers Deaths
Schooling to empower individuals to catch most cancers early has all the time been a precedence. Throughout Colon Most cancers Consciousness Month, for instance, Piedmont Newton gastroenterologist Taiwo Ajose, M.D., toured the group elevating consciousness. She spoke with Metropolis of Covington staff in addition to members of the native Rotary and Kiwanis Golf equipment about screening standards, threat elements and what to anticipate with a colonoscopy.
Scale back Preventable Deaths from Coronary heart Illness, Different Persistent Circumstances
Considered one of our greatest accomplishments of 2025 was opening a coronary heart failure clinic at Piedmont Newton. The clinic affords complete, multidisciplinary take care of superior coronary heart illness. A devoted superior observe supplier and nurse assist sufferers and caregivers optimize and keep on with treatment regimens, plus acknowledge signs and observe progress.
Together with the grand opening of the guts failure clinic, Piedmont Newton acquired a brand new computed tomography (CT) machine able to scanning the guts to assist cardiologists spot potential issues in a non-invasive means. Native resident Sandra Hodges summed up the affect of this new expertise finest when she wrote on Fb: “That’s nice information, we now have been touring to Piedmont Atlanta for the previous 4 years for testing!”
Comfortable New 12 months!
We want each Covington resident good well being on this new 12 months. Due to our current CHNA, we now have a transparent imaginative and prescient of what you want from us to realize that. Please know your group hospital is difficult at work on our New 12 months’s Decision: one other 12 months of delivering high-quality care, near dwelling.
Comfortable New 12 months!
Lindsey Petrini
Chief Govt Officer
Piedmont Newton Hospital
