COCHRAN, Ga. — The Mercer University School of Medicine and the school's Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center created a pediatric healthcare initiative alongside Children's Healthcare of Atlanta last year.
The initiative's goal is simple: support rural hospitals in Georgia.
Now, six hospitals were chosen for the initiative this year, including Bleckley Memorial and Monroe County Hospital.
Mercer School of Medicine's Dean Jean Sumner says the most important thing is reassuring families that good care is close to home.
"They may not do everything. But what they do, they do as well as anybody. If you're worried about where to take your child, the answer is a member of the Kids Alliance for Better Care," Sumner said.
The Kids Alliance for Better Care "provides avenues of support for Georgia’s rural pediatricians and rural family practitioners" and helps train pediatricians to better meet kids' healthcare needs.
As a health care worker herself, Sumner says many rural hospitals don't have enough pediatric services.
"Pediatrics is probably the most underserved in our state. Of the 120 rural counties, there's 63 without pediatricians, and many of the ones that do have a pediatrician have one," Sumner said.
Rosa Jenkins from Cochran is a grandmother herself and says her grandkids do get sick. When that happens, she says there should be more services to help kids get better.
"It'll be very nice to have somewhere for the kids to go where you can take your kids and you don't have to go out of town all the time," Jenkins said.
A healthcare research group, Chartis, found that nearly half of all rural hospitals in the U.S. are operating with a negative margin and around 420 are vulnerable to closure. In Georgia, 18 rural hospitals are at risk of closure, out of the 30 rural hospitals in the state. Since 2013, 14 rural hospitals in Georgia have closed their doors.
We reached out to Bleckley Memorial Hospital. Their Chief Nursing and Operating Officer John Rolands sent a statement saying:
"We are excited to work with Mercer University School of Medicine and its Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center to better serve our pediatric patients while continuing to bring quality of care, close to home for Bleckley County and surrounding areas."
The initiative will include emergency departments, rural pediatrics and behavioral and mental health support. Along with improving the workforce, Mercer School of Medicine was given 10 scholarships a year over the next 10 years.
"We'll have 100 pediatricians who are committed to live and work in a rural community," Sumner said.
To learn more about the initiative, click here.