Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has created a coronavirus (COVID-19)-specific fund, called the COVID-19 Infrastructure Fund, intended to enhance and accelerate the work that is being done to take care of the communities the hospital serves. 

“We’ve seen amazing support from the Athens and surrounding communities,” said Tammy Gilland, executive director of philanthropy for the Piedmont Athens Regional Foundation. “With many people in our community still inquiring how they can help, we wanted to create a donation fund that these supporters can contribute to.”

There is no shortage of organizations in need of assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, and Athenians wanting to help in a variety of ways. The American Red Cross is urging healthy individuals to donate blood during this time. The organization says every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Visit RedCrossBlood.org, or call 1-800-Red Cross or 1-800-733-2767 to make an appointment.

More than 75-hundred people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Georgia. The Georgia Department of Pubic Health reports 7,558 cases as of this afternoon. 294 have died in the state while 1,393 remained hospitalized. Seventy-two cases have been confirmed in Clarke County, resulting in eight deaths.

Barrow County has 29 cases and three deaths, Oconee has 24 cases, no deaths. Jackson County, 18 cases, no deaths. Madison County has nine cases and one death. Oglethorpe County has one case and one death.