4A (Expenses $ 107509756 including grants of $ 49928) (Revenue $ 127527245)
"PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL (""PMH"") IS A 52-BED FACILITY LOCATED IN THE CITY OF JASPER IN PICKENS COUNTY, GEORGIA. OVER 200 PRIMARY CARE AND SPECIALTY PHYSICIANS ON THE MEDICAL STAFF MEET THE PROFESSIONAL CLINICAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN, ADULTS, AND SENIORS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, REGARDLESS OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S ABILITY TO PAY FOR SERVICES. FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2022, THE HOSPITAL HAD 3,874 IN-PATIENT ADMISSIONS WITH A TOTAL OF 17,892 DAYS OF IN-PATIENT HOSPITALIZATION. ER VISITS TOTALED 30,440 AND OUTPATIENT VISITS TOTALED 51,839. SURGICAL SERVICES WERE PROVIDED TO 2,509 PATIENTS."

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 5: COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION
As a part of our process, we interviewed nearly 245 stakeholders, policy makers and lawmakers representing public health, low-income populations, minorities, chronic conditions, older adults, and our communities. These included 8 stakeholders within the Pickens and Gilmer communities, who gave their perspectives on community health through the lens of their role within the community. These interviews were conducted for people representing the entire region. Specifically, we interviewed representatives of local and regional public health entities, minority populations, faith-based communities, local business owners, the philanthropic community, mental health agencies, elected officials and individuals representing our most vulnerable patients. The Piedmont Healthcare board of directors and leadership from all 19 hospitals were actively informed and engaged throughout this process.

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 7A: COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT WEBSITE
https://www.piedmont.org/media/file/Community-Benefit-Needs-Assessment-PMH .pdf

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 7D: PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF CHNA
IN ADDITION TO MAKING ITS CHNA REPORTS AVAILABLE ON ITS WEBSITE AND BY REQUEST, PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL SENT COPIES TO EACH PARTICIPANT IN THE CHNA PROCESS, DISTRIBUTED THE ASSESSMENTS TO COMMUNITY CENTERS AND OTHER LOCATIONS THAT PRIMARILY SERVE AN UNINSURED POPULATION, SENT COPIES TO LEGISLATIVE AND ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THE ASSESSMENTS TO OTHER PIEDMONT HEALTHCARE HOSPITALS.

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 10A: IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES WEBSITE
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL APPROVED ITS IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY FOR THE THREE-YEAR PERIOD BEGINNING WITH FY23 ON AUGUST 26, 2022, WITHIN THE GRACE PERIOD FOLLOWING THE APPROVAL OF THE NEW COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT. THE FOLLOWING LINK IS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY EFFECTIVE THROUGH JUNE 30, 2025. https://www.piedmont.org/media/file/Community-Benefit-Implementation-Strat egy-PMH.pdf

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 11: ADDRESSING COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS
DURING FY22, PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL CONDUCTED ITS FOURTH CHNA, AGAIN BY ASSESSING PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA, INTERVIEWING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS, CONDUCTING FOCUS GROUPS OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, INTERVIEWING PIEDMONT BOARD MEMBERS, AND SURVEYING PIEDMONT EMPLOYEES. THROUGH THIS PROCESS, PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL DETERMINED AND PRIORITIZED THE COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS IT WOULD ADDRESS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PERSONS AFFECTED, THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ISSUE, WHETHER THE HEALTH NEED AFFECTED VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND THE AVAILABILITY OF COMMUNITY AND HOSPITAL RESOURCES NECESSARY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. All priorities are viewed through the lens of health disparities, with particular attention paid to improving outcomes for those most vulnerable due to income and race. BASED ON THE CHNA, PIEDMONT MOUNTAINSIDE HOSPITAL IS CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON: (1) ENSURING AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO HEALTH, MENTAL, AND DENTAL CARE (2) PROMOTING MENTAL WELL-BEING (3) PROMOTING HEALTH BEHAVIORS TO REDUCE INSTANCES OF PREVENTABLE CONDITIONS

SCHEDULE H, PART V, LINE 16: FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY WEBSITES
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE POLICY - https://www.piedmont.org/media/file/Financial-Assistance-Policy.pdf FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION - https://www.piedmont.org/media/file/Financial-Assistance-Application.pdf FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY - https://www.piedmont.org/media/file/Financial-Assistance-Plain-Language-Su mmary-English.pdf

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 1: REQUIRED DESCRIPTIONS
SCHEDULE H, PART I, LINE 6A PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT REPORT We regularly report to the community our community benefit activities in several ways. Each year, we prepare a systemwide community benefit report that is available to the public through publication on our website. We also make available our IRS Form 990 Schedule H on our website and provide copies to anyone upon request. We also provide information on community benefit programming to local, state, and federal lawmakers through our government affairs office and online at piedmont.org.

SCHEDULE H, PART I, LINE 7(F)
PERCENT OF TOTAL EXPENSE THE DENOMINATOR USED FOR THE CALCULATION OF COLUMN (F), PERCENT OF TOTAL EXPENSE, WAS THE AMOUNT OF TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES ON FORM 990, PART IX, LINE 25, COLUMN (A) OF $119,245,473, LESS BAD DEBT EXPENSE OF $5,598,353 FROM FORM 990, PART IX, LINE 24(B).

SCHEDULE H, PART I, LINE 7
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND CERTAIN OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS AT COST A RATIO OF PATIENT CARE COST TO CHARGES, CONSISTENT WITH WORKSHEET 2, WAS USED TO REPORT THE AMOUNTS IN PART I, LINES 7A-7D. FOR AMOUNTS ON LINES 7E-7K, ACTUAL EXPENSES FOR EACH COMMUNITY BENEFIT ACTIVITY ARE TRACED AND REPORTED USING THE ORGANIZATION'S COST ACCOUNTING SYSTEM.

SCHEDULE H, PART III, LINES 2-4
BAD DEBT EXPENSE CALCULATION AND FOOTNOTE The provision for bad debts is based upon leadership's assessment of historical and expected net collections considering business and economic conditions, trends in health care coverage and other collection indicators. Periodically, leadership assesses the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts based upon historical write-off experience by payor category. The results of the review are then used to make any modifications to the provision for bad debts to establish an appropriate allowance for uncollectible receivables. THE AMOUNT REPORTED ON PART III, LINE 3, WAS DETERMINED BY TAKING THE AVERAGE ACCEPTANCE RATE FOR ALL CHARITY CARE APPLICATIONS RECEIVED DURING THE YEAR MULTIPLIED BY THE NUMBER OF DENIALS THAT WERE ATTRIBUTABLE TO INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION. THAT TOTAL WAS THEN ADJUSTED DOWNWARD FOR THE ORGANIZATION'S USE OF PRESUMPTIVE ELIGIBILITY WHEN DETERMINING ITS COMMUNITY BENEFITS. BAD DEBT EXPENSE FOOTNOTE FROM CONSOLIDATED, AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: THE PROVISION FOR BAD DEBTS IS BASED UPON MANAGEMENT'S ASSESSMENT OF HISTORICAL AND EXPECTED NET COLLECTIONS CONSIDERING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, TRENDS IN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE, AND OTHER COLLECTION INDICATORS. PERIODICALLY, MANAGEMENT ASSESSES THE ADEQUACY OF THE ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS BASED UPON HISTORICAL WRITE-OFF EXPERIENCE BY PAYOR CATEGORY. THE RESULTS OF THIS REVIEW ARE THEN USED TO MAKE ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROVISION FOR BAD DEBT TO ESTABLISH AN APPROPRIATE ALLOWANCE FOR UNCOLLECTIBLE RECEIVABLES. PMH PROVIDES CARE TO PATIENTS WHO MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA UNDER ITS CHARITY CARE POLICY WITHOUT CHARGE OR AT AMOUNTS LESS THAN ITS ESTABLISHED RATES. AMOUNTS DETERMINED TO QUALIFY AS CHARITY CARE ARE NOT REPORTED AS REVENUE.

SCHEDULE H, PART III, LINE 8
MEDICARE SHORTFALLS AS COMMUNITY BENEFIT The amount reported on Part III, Line 6, was calculated in accordance with Schedule H instructions by utilizing our allowable Medicare cost as reported in the Medicare cost report, which is based on a cost to charge ratio. However, the allowable costs in the Medicare cost report do not reflect the actual cost of providing care to patients since the Medicare cost report excludes many direct patient care costs that are essential to provide quality healthcare for Medicare patients. For example, certain coverage fees to physicians, cost of Medicare C and D, and other similar direct patient care expenses are specifically excluded from allowable cost in the Medicare Cost Report. IRS Revenue Ruling 69-545 provides, in part, that hospitals serving patients with governmental health insurance, such as Medicare, is an indication we operate to promote health in the community. Our policy is to treat Medicare patients, regardless of the extent to which Medicare pays for the treatment. For many services, Medicare's reimbursement is less than the cost of the care provided, resulting in shortfalls that are to be absorbed by us in honor of our commitment to treat elderly patients. Many of these patients live on a low, fixed income, and would qualify for financial assistance or other means-tested programs, absent from their enrollment in Medicare.

SCHEDULE H, PART III, LINE 9(B)
"COLLECTION PRACTICES INITIAL SCREENINGS OF ALL INPATIENT, EMERGENCY, AND SURGERY ENCOUNTERS, AS WELL AS MOST OUTPATIENT VISITS, ARE CONDUCTED BY FINANCIAL COUNSELORS IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY ANY AVAILABLE INSURANCE OR OTHER COVERAGE FOR EACH PATIENT. COUNSELORS CONTACT PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES DIRECTLY, EITHER IN PERSON OR BY LETTER, TO ASSIST THE FAMILY IN IDENTIFYING ANY PROGRAMS FOR WHICH THE PATIENT/SERVICE MAY QUALIFY (INCLUDING MEDICAID, STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (""SCHIP""), PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENT INSURANCE COVERAGE, AND CHARITY ASSISTANCE). IF THE FAMILY CANNOT BE TIMELY LOCATED OR IS UNCOOPERATIVE, RELATED ACCOUNTS ARE TRANSFERRED TO AN INTERNAL COLLECTION DEPARTMENT FOR FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN PAYMENT OR, IF THE PATIENT MAY QUALIFY FOR ASSISTANCE, TO SECURE A FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION. THE ORGANIZATION'S DEBT COLLECTION POLICY AND PROCEDURES PROHIBIT ANY COLLECTION EFFORTS FOR THE PORTION OF A PATIENT ACCOUNT BALANCE THAT QUALIFIES FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER THE ORGANIZATION'S CHARITY CARE POLICY."

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 4: COMMUNITY INFORMATION
While Piedmont Mountainside serves patients from all over northeast Georgia, we consider our community to be Pickens and Gilmer counties. We do this in recognition of the direct impact of our tax-exempt status on county residents. In both counties, an average 61,801 people lived in the 658.27 square mile area each year between 2015 and 2019. The population density for this area, estimated at 94 persons per square mile, is much less than the state average population density of 181 people per square mile and is on par with the national average population density of 92 persons per square mile. The ZIP code with the highest population is 30534, which is Dawsonville and is home to nearly half the total population for both counties combined. The two counties are mostly rural, with 80 percent of the population living in a designated rural area. as 69 percent of community members live within an urban setting. Like in most of Georgia, these rural populations are mostly white and between the ages of 18 and 64. Both counties are growing, and saw a population jump of 12 percent between the 2010 and 2020 Census. About 11 percent of the population were veterans in 2020, and the most common age range was between 65 and 74. Nearly 20 percent of the population - about 12,000 people - lived with a disability, and most of that population was over the age of 65. Between 2015 to 2019, about 86 percent of Gilmer and Pickens residents were white, less than a percent were African American, less than a percent were Asian, and 7 percent were Hispanic/Latino. About 5 percent of the population were born outside of the US and 3 percent of those do not have citizenship status. Nearly 2 percent of households do not speak English at home. In 2020, approximately 15.21 percent - about 9,323 community members - had no form of insurance. Insurance status and health are inextricably linked. Being uninsured is generally a marker of low-income, as the overwhelming majority of those that are uninsured are also within certain ranges of the FPL. This means these populations are also likely to face the myriad of other social determinants of health (SDH), like housing and food insecurity. Throughout Georgia, adults aged 18 to 64 are most likely to be uninsured, and that's true in both Gilmer and Pickens counties. In 2020, 22 percent of non-elderly adults were uninsured, a rate higher than the state and national averages of 19 percent and 13 percent, respectively. The highest concentration of uninsured populations was in Cherry Log and Ellijay, where the percent of uninsured adults jumps to a quarter of the population. Between 2015 and 2019, the median household income in Gilmer County was $52,625 and the median household income in Pickens County was $67,631. Of employers in the community, the largest sector by employment size in 2019 was retail trade, which employed 3,168 community members at an average wage of $27,792, according to the US Department of Commerce. Manufacturing was the second largest sector, with 2,507 people employed at an average wage of $50,792. Construction was the third largest sector, with 2,442 people employed at an average wage of $16,167. According to the US Department of Labor, in February 2022, 28,426 people in the community were part of the labor force, and only 821 -- about 2.9 percent -- were unemployed. This figure has steadily decreased since last year, when in January 2021, 3.2 percent of the labor force was unemployed. When looking back further, the rate is nearly three time less than the unemployment rate in 2012. In 2020, 13.44 percent of the two counties' population lived at or below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). In 2022, a family of four with a total household income of $27,750 or less lived at or below the FPL. As shown, Gilmer families tend to live in more poverty than those in Pickens County. In 2020, the 23,889 total occupied households in both counties, about 5,500 - 23 percent - of live in cost burdened households, in which housing costs are 30 percent or more of total household income. Households in Gilmer were slightly more likely to be cost burdened than Pickens. Approximately ten percent of combined county households had costs that exceeded 50 percent of the household income, which places the household in significant financial strain. Low food access is defined as living more than 0.5 mile from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store. This indicator is relevant because it highlights populations and geographies facing food insecurity. According to the 2021 Food Access Research Atlas database, a combined 18 percent of both counties' population have low food access, meaning about 10,000 community members may struggle to access healthy foods. This is better than the state and national rates of 30.89 percent and 22.22 percent, respectively. In 2020, approximately 15.21 percent -- about 9,323 community members -- had no form of insurance, and 22 percent of adults aged 18 to 64 went uncovered. ZIP codes 30522 (Cherry Log), 30513 (Blue Ridge), and 30540 (Ellijay) had the highest number of uninsured adults. Collectively, these rates have declined over the last few years. In 2019, in both counties combined, 78 percent of adults aged 18 or older saw a doctor for a routine check-up the previous year, a measure that is likely over-reported and is lower than both state and national averages. For Medicare recipients, this number jumps to 88.12 percent of adult beneficiaries, which is above both state and national averages. Heart disease is a leading cause of death for in both Gilmer and Pickens counties. In 2020, the age-adjusted rate was 190.9 deaths for every 100,000 people, which is higher than both state and national rates, which were 178 and 164.8 heart-related deaths per 100,000 people, respectively. When adjusting for gender, we see that men are far more likely to die from heart disease than women, at a rate of 228.2 male deaths per every 100,000 people, as opposed to a rate of 157.5 deaths for women. Between 2016 and 2020, there were 177 deaths due to stroke, representing an age-adjusted death rate of 37.5 deaths per every 100,000 people, combined for both counties. Like with heart disease, men are more likely to die from stroke than women, as are minority populations. The hospitalization rate for heart disease and stroke among Medicare recipients have generally decreased over the last five years. The cardiovascular disease hospitalization rate in 2018 was 13 hospitalizations per every 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries, combined for both counties. This is higher than the state and national rates of 12.2 and 11.8, respectively. The hospitalization rate for stroke is also slightly above state and national rates, with 9.5 hospitalizations per every 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries, as compared to the state rate of 9.3 and the national rate of 8.4. Between 2015 and 2018, the average 30-day readmission rate for heart failure patients was 19.30, which is slightly better than state and national averages. The readmission rate for heart attack patients was 15.3, which is also slightly better than state and national averages. Readmission measures are estimates of the rate of unplanned readmission to an acute care hospital in the 30 days after discharge from a hospitalization due to heart failure or attack. Breast screening rates have remained relatively steady over the last few years and, in 2018, the last year for which data is available, 72.3 percent of all women aged 50-74 reported having had a mammogram within the two previous years. This is below the state and national averages of 77.1 percent and 74.8 percent, respectively. Approximately 65 percent of community members had a colonoscopy at some point in their lives, and 84 percent of women aged 21 to 25 had a pap smear within the last two years. In 2019, 6,157 of adults aged 20 and older had diabetes, equaling 9.3 percent of the combined counties' population. This is higher than the state rate of 9.8 percent. Diabetes is a prevalent problem in the US, often indicating an unhealthy lifestyle and puts individuals at risk for further health issues. This is an increase from the two years previous, when the rate was 8.5 percent in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, 3.6 percent of the combined counties' population had a diagnosis of kidney disease, a rate slightly higher than the state and national percentages of 3.22 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. In 2019, one-third of adults 18 and older reported having high cholesterol, combined for both counties. Too much cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the main causes of death within the community. In 2019, 38.3 percent of adults 18 and older had a diagnosis of high blood pressure, combined for both counties. High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease.

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 7: STATE OF FILING OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT REPORT
We are not required to file a community benefit report; however, we are required to file with the Georgia Department of Community Health information on our indigent and charity care, as well as our Medicaid and Medicare shortfalls.

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 2: NEEDS ASSESSMENT
As a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospital, we are required by the Internal Revenue System to conduct a triennial community health needs assessment (CHNA), in accordance with regulations put forth by the IRS following the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Through this assessment, we hope to better understand local health challenges, identify health trends in our community, determine gaps in the current health delivery system and craft a plan to address those gaps and the identified health needs. In FY22, we conducted our fourth triennial CHNA. FY22 also marked the third year of our FY19 Implementation Strategy. The CHNA was led by the Piedmont Healthcare community benefits team and consulting organization Public Goods Group, with input and direction from Piedmont leadership and Piedmont Healthcare's Department of External Affairs. Process The CHNA started with a definition of our community, which is our home county due to the impact of our tax-exempt status. Property taxes make up the largest segment of a hospital's tax exemption, which impacts county revenues. Because of this, we aim to ensure that we are providing ample benefit to our county and its residents. Additionally, we take into consideration patient origin, especially that of our lower-income patients such as those who qualify for financial assistance or receive insurance coverage through Medicaid. Our secondary communities are considered the areas in which we have the highest concentration of patients fitting that criterion, including ones from nearby communities. Once we established our primary and secondary communities, we then conducted an analysis of available public health data. This included resources from: US Census, US Health and Human Services' Community Health Status Indicators, US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, National Center for Education Statistics, Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts, American Heart Association, County Health Rankings and Georgia Online Analytical Statistical Information System (OASIS). All figures within the CHNA were for 2017, unless otherwise noted. Health indicators are estimates provided by County Health Rankings and hospital data were internally sourced. We then interviewed key stakeholders who have a particular expertise or knowledge of our communities. Specifically, we interviewed representatives of local and regional public health entities, minority populations, faith-based communities, local business owners, the philanthropic community, mental health agencies, elected officials and individuals representing our most vulnerable patients. An internal survey was also conducted throughout the healthcare system for both clinical and non-clinical employees. Information was gathered on knowledge and understanding of community benefit and current programs, as well as suggestions for how we can better serve our patients and communities. Approximately 1,053 employees spanning the system responded. Additionally, we conducted a community-based survey that was widely advertised to the community. Once both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered, we authored the preliminary report, which was then vetted and reviewed by hospital and health system leadership. In this report, we identified several key community health needs that emerged during the assessment process. The chosen priorities were recommended by the community benefit department with sign-off from hospital and board leadership. The following criteria were used to establish the priorities: - The number of persons affected; - The seriousness of the issue; - Whether the health need particularly affected persons living in poverty or reflected health disparities; and, - Availability of community and/or hospital resources to address the need. All priorities are viewed through the lens of health disparities, with particular attention paid to improving outcomes for those most vulnerable due to income and race. The priorities we chose reflected a collective agreement on what hospital leadership, staff and the community felt was most important and within our ability to positively impact the issue. Once priorities were approved by the board of directors, we then authored the CHNA and presented our findings and recommendations to the hospital's board of directors for their input and approval. Our priorities A key component of the CHNA is to identify the top health priorities we will address over fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025. These priorities will guide our community benefit work. They are, in no order: - Ensure affordable access to health, mental, and dental care - Promote mental well-being - Promote healthy behaviors to reduce instances of preventable conditions With each priority, we work to achieve greater health equity by reducing the impact of poverty and other socioeconomic indicators. This means that health equity is built into each priority, which is demonstrated through our implementation strategies. Our subsequent implementation strategy was developed in partnership with hospital leadership and community stakeholders to address the identified priorities in our FY22 community health needs assessment. The implementation strategy was designed to be executed over a three-year period and included specific metrics by which we would be able to evaluate our work and its impact. The implementation strategy was developed by utilizing community feedback from the assessment in partnership with the system community benefits department, our leadership, and our board of directors. We included proven and successful interventions and programming, investing further in work we felt was successful in addressing unmet health needs.

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 3: PATIENT EDUCATION OF ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY
We understand that not everyone can pay their hospital bill due to their insurance status or a limited income, and because of this, we offer financial assistance to qualifying patients. Notification about financial assistance includes, but is not limited to, a dedicated contact number, notices in patient bills, and posted notices in key areas of the hospital. These locations are the emergency room, admitting and registration departments, our business office, and patient financial services offices that are located on site. We also publish and widely publicize a plain language summary of this financial assistance care policy on our website, as well as the full policy. Referral of patients for financial assistance may be made by any staff or medical staff member at the hospital, including physicians, nurses, financial counselors, social workers, case managers, chaplains, and religious sponsors. A request for financial assistance may be made by the patient or a family member, close friend, or associate of the patient, subject to applicable privacy laws. Additionally, we provide copies of our financial assistance policy to our partner clinics and others who work closely with low-income populations. We help our partners in understanding the policy, how it relates to their populations, and receive feedback in ways our financial assistance programming could be improved.

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 5: PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY HEALTH
In FY22, we actively promoted the health of our community through our community-based health screenings, educational activities, community-building activities, the operation of a 24-hour emergency department available to the entire community, the operation of an emergency room open to all members of the community without regard to ability to pay, a governance board composed of community members, use of surplus revenue for facilities improvement, patient care, and medical training, education, and research, the provision of inpatient hospital care for all persons in the community able to pay, including those covered by Medicare and Medicaid, and an open medical staff with privileges available to all qualifying physicians. It's important to note that COVID-19 still significantly impacted our proactive community benefit programs, though we were able to maintain some programming via online portals and limited in-person events. Led by our care management department, we worked to connect our aging population to needed resources, access to care, and appropriate utilization of resources. We continued to provide a Licensed Medical Social Worker (LMSW) to work in the emergency department to evaluate patients and work with high risk, low-income patients who are treated and a have a need for services. The LMSW assists with referrals to community resources and are available post-discharge as well. Our goal is to link patients with community resources to ensure their ongoing medical needs are addressed as well as their psychosocial needs. We continued working with Good Samaritan Health and Wellness to ensure patients who meet the criteria above have access to care. Deployment of the Public Service Announcement campaign is ongoing with collaboration of the hospital, Pickens Sheriff's office, Pickens Court System, and is led by the Appalachian Court System District Attorney. Due to the COVID pandemic we have not been able to move forward with our partnerships with the Pickens County Sheriff's office and other community partners. In FY22, we continued to provide leadership to our local community leaders on the impact of the COVID pandemic in our community. PMH hosted calls as needed with community leaders, government officials from Pickens and Gilmer counties as well as city officials from Jasper, East Ellijay and Ellijay, and State Department of Public Health leaders to connect all participants and provide real time information on the pandemic.

SCHEDULE H, PART VI, LINE 6: AFFILIATED HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
We are part of Piedmont Healthcare, a regional not-for-profit organization, and the parent company of 19 hospitals, the Piedmont Physicians Group, the Piedmont Heart Institute, the Piedmont Clinic, and the Piedmont Healthcare Foundation. Our community relations team works directly with the community. Our community benefit department oversees the community benefit activities on behalf of all hospitals throughout the system, and this includes conducting the triennial CHNA and subsequent implementation strategy, ensuring the financial assistance policy is communicated to the community, maintaining the community benefit webpage, authoring the community benefit annual report, preparing board materials, developing and executing the community benefit grants program and compiling all community benefit figures. Each hospital and certain departments of Piedmont Healthcare execute community benefit programming, such as our revenue department, which oversees the financial assistance program.