Community Health Reporters: Gathering Data on Rural Georgia Health Care Services and Access
Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center
At Mercer University School of Medicine | Partnering with rural Georgia to improve health care.
by?Harvey Lee Moody III,?Community Resource and Assessment Specialist
Even with the vast amount of information at our fingertips, it can be difficult to obtain a true depiction of available health care services in rural Georgia communities.?Often databases and websites are not updated after a provider retires or a practice relocates. The Community Health Reporter Program was created in 2021 by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) at Mercer University School of Medicine to provide a true illustration of access to health care services in rural Georgia communities.
The program has expanded from a starting cohort of 32 reporters to 66 reporters in 2024. These community health reporters cover most rural Georgia counties and have worked to collect, verify, and log what providers and services are available in their communities. In partnership with the Mercer Engineering & Research Center (MERC), the program has improved its data collection tool, providing more detailed collection fields, enhanced methodology for verifying health care sites, providers, and services, and reduction of duplicated data.
The Center often receives requests for data about the health care services in rural communities, and its staff uses the data collected by community health reporters to compile reports to fulfill these requests.?These reports usually illustrate gaps in access to health care, such as which rural counties have physicians versus those that do not.
Community health reporters are dedicated, active participants in their communities, passionate about ensuring their neighbors know where to go for health care, which explains why they are the key individuals to serve in this role. GRHIC honored community health reporters for their commitment and service with a Christmas brunch on December 13.
Become a Community Health Reporter
As we continue to grow the community health reporter program, our goal is to have a reporter in all 120 rural counties.?The following territories have available positions:
Submit inquiries about the Community Health Reporter Program to [email protected].
GRHIC Staff Complete Community Resiliency Model Certification
Harvey Lee Moody (left), community resource and assessment specialist, and John McElveen, EdD (right), Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance director, completed teacher certification training for the Community Resiliency Model (CRM).
CRM is a framework designed to help individuals and communities build resilience to stress, trauma, and adversity. Developed by the Trauma Resource Institute, CRM focuses on enhancing a community's ability to recover from difficult experiences by promoting physical and emotional well-being. It emphasizes the use of simple, accessible techniques such as grounding exercises, breath work, and tracking bodily sensations to help individuals regulate their responses to stress and develop a sense of safety and control. The model fosters a collective approach to healing, aiming to create environments where people can support each other and recover together, ultimately strengthening the overall resilience of the community.
Moody and McElveen join others on the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center team who are certified to teach the Community Resiliency Model to groups and individuals.
The Center provides free CRM training sessions, delivered virtually or in person, to support rural communities in Georgia. For more information, contact us at [email protected].
GRHIC Launches "Rural Georgia Voices" Podcast
"Rural Georgia Voices" is a new podcast from the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University School of Medicine. This podcast is dedicated to exploring the vital role health care plays in keeping rural communities healthy and thriving.
Hosted by Glenda Grant, GRHIC executive director, each episode will feature insightful conversations with experts and leaders from various sectors of rural health care. The interconnectedness of community members, physicians and healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers who collaborate to address the unique challenges of rural Georgia will be explored.
In the debut episode, Grant is joined by Mercer University School of Medicine Dean Jean Sumner, MD, FACP, for a thoughtful discussion on Georgia rural health care.
"Rural Georgia Voices" is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Prime.
GAWA Celebrates 2024 Successes with Mental Health Initiatives and Collaborative Outreach
by?John McElveen, EdD, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance Director
The Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance (GAWA) is wrapping up 2024 with notable achievements.
GAWA was founded in light of the highly concerning results of a study on mental health and well-being impacts of stress in the farming community; the 2022 study was conducted by Mercer University School of Medicine's Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC), the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and students in the School of Medicine’s Rural Health Sciences Ph.D. program. The alliance is housed and funded by Mercer’s GRHIC through as state grant awarded to Mercer. GAWA is a coalition of organizations and members who share a vision of a thriving, healthy, and safe agricultural community in Georgia. Its mission is to foster networks of well-being in agricultural communities through collaboration, education, research, and advocacy.
This year, GAWA launched the Georgia Healthy Farmer Mindset virtual meeting. This monthly online meeting is for producers, providers, advocates, educators, ag supporters, and community members who support better mental health and wellness outcomes for farmers and their families.?The first session focused on mental health and self-harm prevention training and programs available to communities and organizations.
GAWA Director John McElveen, EdD, along with GAWA partners, led a USDA-hosted webinar on December 16. Titled “Cultivating Care in the Agricultural Community: Celebrating Mental Health Outreach and Agricultural Wellness Capacity Building in Georgia,” the seminar reached 70 participants, including agriculture and rural community advocates, providers, and government officials. The webinar highlighted outreach, training, and research connected to farm stress and mental health in Georgia, including GAWA’s organizational model. The GAWA organizational model, with Georgia’s producers and farm families at its heart, allows for the flexibility to stand up the GAWA network adjacent to and partnering with existing organizational structures, such as regional, state, and national provider coalitions, agricultural and health care education organizations, agricultural advocacy organizations, civic organizations, agribusiness associations, faith-based associations, and governmental agencies.?
In addition to events like the Sunbelt AG Expo, GAWA was an exhibitor at the 2024 Georgia Farm Bureau Convention this month, where McElveen interacted with hundreds of attendees, including farm families, while sharing the mission and vision of the organization.
For more information on GAWA or to join the Georgia Healthy Farmer Mindset calendar, send an email to John McElveen at [email protected] or call (478) 230-5554.
GRHIC's Clinical Pastoral Orientation Program:?Enhancing Spiritual Care in Rural Communities
by?Paul Byrd,?Faith in Rural Health Program Director
In October, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) celebrated the successful completion of the second cohort of Clinical Pastoral Orientation (CPO) for seven rural ministers. This innovative program equips congregation-based ministers with the unique skills and tools needed to provide impactful spiritual care within the clinical setting.
The cohort is comprised of ministers from diverse denominations and backgrounds across five counties in Georgia who were united by a shared calling. These ministers sought to enhance their ability to provide spiritual care to hospitalized individuals in their communities, despite lacking formal clinical training. Through 12 weeks of intensive training, they not only developed valuable skills but also forged strong bonds and mutual support within their shared ministry.
GRHIC's CPO program is a key component of the Faith in Rural Health initiative, a collaborative effort between Mercer University's School of Medicine and McAfee School of Theology. The curriculum, delivered by renowned professors, experienced chaplains, and certified clinical supervisors from various hospitals encompassed a wide range of topics:
The program emphasized reflective practice, encouraging learners to critically examine their ministry experiences within the hospital setting. This facilitated valuable peer-to-peer learning and supervision.
Transformative Impact:
The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants underscores the program's transformative impact. Testimonials included:
领英推荐
Several graduates have already begun encouraging other ministers to enroll in future cohorts. One participant highlighted the program's ability to enhance listening skills and the capacity to ask meaningful questions, emphasizing that it is "eye-opening" and "a must-class for every chaplain and minister."
The GRHIC CPO program offers a unique opportunity for rural ministers to enhance their spiritual care skills and better serve their communities. This program represents a valuable contribution to the growing body of knowledge on interprofessional collaboration and the integration of spiritual care into the healthcare continuum.
KidsABC Celebrates More Rural Hospital Emergency Departments
Crisp Regional Hospital (top) in Crisp County and?Coffee Regional Medical Center?(bottom) in Coffee County were recognized for their commitment to strengthening pediatric emergency care in their communities during ribbon-cutting ceremonies on December 7 and December 10, respectively.
KidsABC helps participating rural hospitals acquire child-friendly equipment, complete pediatric-specific emergency care staff training, and implement the latest protocols and policies for treating children with critical conditions, such as asthma and?diabetic ketoacidosis.?
Both Crisp Regional and Coffee Regional commemorated their KidsABC participation and completion of milestones with a ribbon cutting hosted by their local Chamber of Commerce and attended by hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Mercer University School of Medicine and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center representatives.
Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative
The KidsABC Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative has been focusing on onboarding cohort 3 hospitals to wrap up 2024. Planning for the March orientation and collaborative meeting, scheduled for the 6th?and 7th is well underway. We enjoyed celebrating Crisp Regional and Coffee Regional, and we look forward to recognizing more participating hospitals in 2025 as they reach key milestones in the KidsABC initiative.
Rural Pediatrician Support Collaborative
Telehealth?appointments have been a continuous source of clinical support for rural pediatric patients and their families. The KidsABC and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta telehealth teams have held meetings and discussions to plan ways to enhance the telehealth experience for patients and subspecialty providers in 2025. Pediatric education offerings via the newly rebranded Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series (PAWS) will recommence following the New Year holiday with the first virtual speaker of 2025 presenting on January 8. Pre-planning for the spring and summer conferences along with the summer program has begun and more details are to come to save the dates.
Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative
The KidsABC mental health project has developed an alliance which includes Mercer University School of Medicine, its Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory University child psychologists to conduct wellness screenings in rural schools. The screenings are conducted electronically and within 15 minutes provide immediate results to the school counselors. Although they are not diagnostic tools, they are designed to identify students who may need additional support or services. Participating schools include Ben Hill County Schools, Jefferson County Schools, Twiggs County Schools, and Brentwood School in Washington County.
Anyone considering joining or starting a new or existing project, can reach out to Anne Montgomery, PhD, at [email protected] for more information.
Training and News for Rural Pediatric Health Care Providers
Rural Pediatric News is published bimonthly and highlights training and continuing medical education options, recommended reading, physician spotlights, seasonal health and wellness information to share with patients, and more.
Introducing PAWS: Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series
The PASS: Pediatric Alliance Speakers Series will transition to PAWS: Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series in 2025. We will continue to offer high-quality, virtual training sessions to physicians, advanced practice practitioners and health care professionals on a variety of topics.
Ongoing Center Initiatives
Rural Health Care Ethics ECHO Series
The final session of the Rural Health Care Ethics ECHO will focus on pediatric topics.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA RURAL HEALTH INNOVATION CENTER
In 2018, Georgia lawmakers dedicated special funds to establish a new Rural Health Innovation Center tasked with confronting the complex health care challenges and wellness disparities facing rural communities. Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) was awarded the grant funds in 2019 and formally established the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center on its Macon campus. MUSM boasts a longstanding commitment to serving rural Georgia’s health needs, with a mission to educate physicians dedicated to tackling the health challenges in rural Georgia. The Rural Health Innovation Center serves as a critical resource to rural communities to improve access and effectiveness of health care by offering research, collaboration, and training opportunities.
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