Atlanta, Ga. (February 28, 2013) – Piedmont Healthcare announces the creation of the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities, a non-partisan research, advocacy and educational organization committed to building a healthier Georgia.
“Our goal in establishing the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities is to change the way people think about healthcare,” said Matt Gove, senior vice president of external affairs at Piedmont Healthcare and executive director of the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities. “There are very real and serious issues to consider, and the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities will be a leader in driving the sustainable and positive change needed to address them.”
The organization, which works to inform and influence health policy on the state level, also aims to improve health and healthcare throughout Georgia’s communities.
“The biggest health issue our state faces today is appropriate access to necessary care, especially when it comes to people who are uninsured and underinsured,” said Holly Lang, director of community benefit and external affairs at Piedmont Healthcare and deputy director of the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities. “Together with policy makers and community stakeholders, we can build a better safety net for these individuals by helping to develop a sustainable framework for clinics and other groups serving these populations.”
Another issue the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities will be tackling in its first year is the ongoing battle with obesity. As the 17th most obese state in the nation, Georgia is home to a population at higher risk for diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease as approximately 30 percent of its population is obese.
The Georgia Center for Healthier Communities will inspire the necessary changes to insure safer and healthier communities by supporting community-based organizations that serve uninsured, underinsured and publicly-insured populations; educating policy makers of the importance of a sound, well-reasoned legislative and regulatory approach to health; and empowering the public to become involved in key health policy issues.
For more information about the Georgia Center for Healthier Communities, visit healthiergeorgia.org.