Piedmont Walton Auxiliary establishes scholarship in honor of charter member

From Left: Representative of Piedmont Walton Hospital Auxiliary Rita Arnold, Piedmont Walton employee and Piedmont University nursing student Elizabeth Harris and Auxiliary Reprentative Gordenia Murdoch. Contributed photo

Monroe, Ga. (July 17, 2023) – The Piedmont Walton Hospital Auxiliary has established a $1,000 scholarship in honor of Sara B. Hanes, who is credited with chartering the auxiliary in 1970.

“In March of 1970, Mr. Charles Davis, who was the Administrator of what was then Walton County Hospital, asked Sara Hanes to assume the responsibility of calling together a group of ladies to form an auxiliary unit for the hospital,” explained Gordenia Murdoch, current Piedmont Walton Hospital Auxiliary President. “She founded the organization with 11 other members, and it continues to have a tremendous impact on the hospital even today.”

To honor Hanes’ service to the community, the scholarship was created for a student currently studying within the medical field at an accredited Georgia school. The student must also be a Georgia resident.

The first scholarship was recently awarded to Elizabeth Harris, who attends Piedmont University’s nursing program in Athens and works at Piedmont Walton Hospital as a patient care tech in the Emergency Department.

“I have always wanted a career where each day is unexpected and where there is room to grow professionally, and nursing fits this perfectly,” said Harris. “I am very grateful to the Piedmont Walton Auxiliary for the scholarship, which will help me reach my goals.”

For more information about Piedmont Walton’s volunteer auxiliary, please call Piedmont Walton’s Community Relations Department at 404-291-1396 or visit piedmont.org/volunteers.

Representatives of the Piedmont Walton Hospital Auxiliary present a $1,000 scholarship to Elizabeth Harris, Piedmont Walton employee and Piedmont University nursing student. Contributed photo

About Piedmont: Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization that for centuries has lived up to our purpose to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit organization that rates hospitals on safety, has consistently awarded Piedmont more A grades than any system in Georgia. Across our 1,600 physical locations we care for 3.7 million patients and serve communities that comprise 80 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 22 hospitals, 65 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,100 Piedmont Clinic members. Millions of patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they visited Piedmont.org and Piedmont MyChart over 30 million times, scheduled more than 515,000 online appointments and over 154,000 virtual visits. With more than 44,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In addition, Piedmont provided nearly $360 million in Community Benefit in Fiscal Year 2022, including approximately $310 million in uncompensated care.

For more information, or booking your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.