Thanksgiving is here, and hopefully you have a lot to be thankful for but however you have fared in 2018, it will be over before you know it. It’s not too early to be thinking about and planning for that occurrence. And this being Piedmont Health’s last newsletter of the year, we want to make our annual plea to remember us in your year-end giving.
Your donations make it possible to carry out our mission of providing high-quality health care to all, regardless of ability to pay. The comprehensive list of services we provide – medical care, dental care, pharmaceutical services and WIC assistance to name a few – make a positive difference in the communities we serve in central North Carolina.
And it’s important to remember that these areas tend to be rural and/or medically underserved. Our services help to build stronger communities. Not only do we provide jobs and sponsor healthy food programs; we even help our patients register to vote.
We never rest in our laurels; we are always growing and improving in our efforts to keep up with the times and serve a growing need.
Some of our accomplishments in 2018, so far, include:
- We added a new element to the Family Medicine Residency Program, the pioneering program Piedmont Health and the University of North Carolina medical school launched in 2012 at the Prospect Hill Community Health Center, in a rural area of Caswell County. Under this new element, third and fourth-year medical students do 16-week rotations in primary care. This brings in 30 to 36 students per year to participate in the 16-week rotations. Between the two programs, eventually more than 50 medical trainees would come to Piedmont Health from UNC each year for training or residencies. Many stay on in full-time, permanent positions in underserved communities – and these are well- trained professionals who could probably work almost anywhere.
- We officially dedicated the renovation of the Carrboro Community Health Center. The project doubled the size of the health center, increasing the number of exam rooms from 15 to 18, increasing the number of dental chairs from three to six and greatly expanding the pharmacy.
- We continued to lead the way in fostering collaboration between outreach workers and health-care providers through three joint presentations at the state and national levels. The presentations focused on the integration of community health workers into health-care teams.
- When community health centers faced a federal funding cliff that would have severely hurt health centers, our employees and supporters jumped into action by contacting and visiting elected officials. Piedmont’s actions (along with other centers and citizens from around the country) helped prevent the cliff.
- We held KidFest events in Chapel Hill and Burlington, providing entire families with a day of fun and a chance to meet and greet health-care providers and become familiar with our community health centers.
To continue the important work we do, we need help from our friends and supporters who believe in our mission and support our many activities. We are humbly asking for your support.
Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to our Friends of Piedmont Greatest Need Fund to support our work.
There are several ways to easily contribute:
- Make a contribution on our website through PayPal.
- Contribute through the State Employees Combined Campaign. Piedmont Health is #1873.
- Make financial contribution (checks or credit cards payable to Friends of Piedmont Health and mail to Piedmont Health, Attention Friends of Piedmont Greatest Need Fund, 127 Kingston Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
- Donate your car, boat or motor vehicle to the Friends of Piedmont, 24 hours/day regardless whether it runs or not. You may call 877-960-GIVE (4483) or complete the online form on the Friends of Piedmont webpage.
- Consider Piedmont Health in in your estate planning. Please contact Lydia Mason at masonly@piedmontheatlh.org or 919-537-7483 to discuss the possibilities.
If you have general questions about Piedmont Health, please do not hesitate to contact Jen Costello (919) 913-0879 or costellj@piedmonthealth.org or Lydia Mason.
Thank you so much for your consideration!