Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital Receive Komen Foundation Grants

Contact:  Diana Lewis, 404-605-3372

Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital  Receive Komen Foundation Grants

ATLANTA, June 18, 2008 – Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital have received funding from the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The grants will be used to provide breast imaging services for underserved and underinsured women in the Atlanta area

“Piedmont is committed to providing state-of-the-art breast services to all women,” said Jeffrey Allen, M.D., medical director of the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Hospital. “We appreciate the support provided by the Atlanta affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and are committed to meeting the needs of the community.”

Dr. Allen explained that a recent survey conducted by the Atlanta affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure demonstrated the marked underutilization of breast services in the Atlanta area by African-American and Latino women as well as indigent women of all races.

“To address this gap in crucial breast health services, the Doris Shaheen Breast Health Center at Piedmont Hospital and Women’s Imaging Center at Piedmont Fayette Hospital are providing free screening mammography, diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, ultrasound guided core biopsies, and stereotactic core biopsies to qualifying women,” he said. “A second grant is funding breast MRI and MRI-guided biopsies at Piedmont Hospital as well.”

Patients should be referred by a physician or can complete a form to see if they qualify at www.piedmonthospital.org/komen or www.fayettehospital.org/komen. If a patient qualifies and doesn’t have a physician, she will receive help finding a physician to follow her care. To learn more about the program and to check qualifications, call Suzette Wheeler at 404-352-1409, extension 304.

This year, Komen Atlanta awarded $2.25 million to 38 grantees in its 10-county service area. For more information on Susan G Komen or grants in your area, please visit www.komenatlanta.org.

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About Piedmont Hospital
Named Best in Atlanta for Overall Cardiac Care and Cardiac Surgery (2008) by HealthGrades (a leading healthcare ratings company), Piedmont is recognized as one of the nation's Most Wired hospitals for four consecutive years in the 100 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study. A private, not-for-profit organization with 3,700 employees and a medical staff of more than 900 physicians, Piedmont Hospital is a 481-bed acute tertiary care facility located on 26 acres in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services. Piedmont is a member of Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization that also includes Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital in Newnan; the Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI), an integrated cardiovascular healthcare delivery system that includes the Fuqua Heart Center of Atlanta and Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians; the Piedmont Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic entity for private fundraising initiatives; the Piedmont Physicians Group, with more than 80  primary care physicians in 27 offices throughout metro Atlanta; and the Piedmont Clinic, a 567-member physician network. For more information, visit www.piedmonthospital.org.

About Piedmont Fayette Hospital
Named one of the nation’s Most Wired  hospitals for three consecutive years in the 100 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, Piedmont Fayette Hospital (PFH), is a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital located on Highway 54 in Fayetteville, offering 24-hour emergency services, medical and surgical services, as well as obstetrics, diagnostic cardiac catheterization and rehabilitation services. With approximately 1,100 employees and a medical staff of more than 360 physicians, PFH is a member of Piedmont Healthcare (PHC).