Dan, Kathelen Amos give $1M to help fund Columbus hospital renovations for coronavirus treatment
Aflac’s Chairman and CEO Dan Amos and his wife Kathelen have donated $1 million to Piedmont Columbus Regional to help the hospital treat COVID-19 patients in an isolated environment.
The $1 million gift will be used to renovate the 5th floor of the old Doctor’s Hospital building, which is not currently in use, located on Piedmont’s Midtown campus. The Piedmont Columbus Regional Foundation is seeking to match the Amos’ gift with funds from the community. The gifts would enable the hospital to create a dedicated unit of 29 beds and seven ICU beds for patient care.
In a news release, Piedmont representatives said they anticipate a major increase in the number of COVID-19 patients who require critical care hospitalization. Hospital officials said they hope to create the new floor in 10 days. The new floor would allow Piedmont staff to keep COVID-19 patients in a single area and prevent contact with other patients, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are just blessed that this is an empty hospital, and we’ve got this opportunity,” Dan Amos said Monday to reporters. “We have not seen the worst, and it is coming.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 10:11 AM.