Walton County now officially served by Piedmont Healthcare

Although the official takeover date was April 1, 2018, the ribbon cutting and ceremonial matters took place at what was the old Clearview Regional Medical Center in Monroe a day later in front of the hospital. The community will now be served by Piedmont Walton.

“Over the years, Clearview Regional has grown and evolved with the community it serves, and its mission has always been to provide high-quality healthcare,” Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, said. “It’s evident that Clearview has the same dedication to high-quality, patient-centered care that we value at Piedmont, and today we celebrate a great addition to the Piedmont family, as we continue our commitment to the community of delivering excellent healthcare close to home.”

Ordinally founded in 1959, what is now Piedmont Walton is a 77-bed acute care hospital that offers a wide range of medical services and procedures to the Walton County area. Former CEO of Clearview Regional Medical Center, Michael Johnson has been replaced by Larry Ebert, newly-appointed CEO of Piedmont Walton. Ebert was on hand with his family at the ceremony and ribbon cutting to be introduced to the community. Brown introduced him, explaining that Ebert has been the executive director of strategic operations at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, Ga. since 2017, “serving as an integral part of many strategic projects, including Piedmont and Clearview’s recent partnership.”

“While at Piedmont, Larry has shown that he has the talent, skill and passion to be a great leader. His experience in working in the healthcare industry and dedication to the communities that he serves make him a valuable addition to our newest hospital, Piedmont Walton,” Brown said.

“I’m honored to be chosen for this role, and I’m excited to continue my career with Piedmont Healthcare,” Ebert said. “The team at Piedmont Walton has a great history of providing great care to the people in Walton County and the surrounding communities, and I look forward to bringing Piedmont’s mission and vision to the team here.”

Brown said adding Piedmont Walton to its collection of 10 other hospitals is in keeping with its policy of “hub” hospitals such as those in Atlanta, Athens and Columbus. In addition to now in Monroe, Piedmont Healthcare also has facilities in Conyers, Covington, Fayetteville, Jasper, Newnan and Stockbridge. Matt Gove, senior consumer officer for Piedmont Healthcare, says the acquisition is in keeping with the Piedmont vision and he expects the hospital to follow the path of other recent acquisitions.

“One of the things that Kevin (Brown) often says when hospitals join Piedmont is that we have seen them thrive from a quality perspective, which is at the center of our purpose. The purpose of our organization is to provide the highest quality care – care and services to meet or exceed the community’s expectations,” Gove said. “Other hospitals that have joined have also responded economically. If you do a great job of delivery high quality care with the best service, that tends to have positive results on your service. Hopefully we can build on the quality of care to the communty.”