Because of the critical health care challenges existing in rural Georgia, GCF/HEART is dedicating a portion of its administrative fees to improving the delivery of rural health care throughout Georgia. Representative grants include the following:
The Mercer University School of Medicine Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center
is committed to serving rural Georgia’s health needs by educating physicians practicing in rural Georgia, and by partnering with rural counties to improve healthcare through reliable research, creative strategies, and sustainable solutions.
The Georgia Community Foundation Rural Health Fund- HamesNet Research Collaboration
supports three initiatives: a clinical and community health network; a community engagement network to examine means to address the social determinants of health; and a physician development network designed to cultivate medical students from rural Georgia who are more likely to practice in underserved areas throughout Georgia.
The Georgia Community Foundation Telemedicine Healthcare Initiative
provides funding to the Augusta University Health (AU Health) Rural Hospital Care Network to provide rural and underserved community hospitals with emergency room equipment that enables AU Health physicians and nurses to offer real time patient advice to remote ER service providers.
The Georgia Community Foundation 3+ Primary Care Pathway and Rural Health Care Initiative
provides scholarships to Medical College of Georgia students enrolled in an accelerated degree program who agree to serve in rural and underserved areas of Georgia.
Children’s Hospital of Georgia
discharges patients to all 159 counties in the state of Georgia. The hospital’s physicians travel to outreach clinics in Albany, Valdosta, Athens, Waycross and Dublin to provide medical care for children who otherwise would not have direct access to pediatric subspecialists, ensuring that all of Georgia’s children have access to the healthcare they need and deserve.
The Georgia Area Health Education Centers
(AHEC) increase access to primary care services in rural and urban underserved areas. The primary objectives of each regional AHEC are to educate community members about health career choices, recruit future health professionals, facilitate community based clinical training experiences for students and residents, and provide education and resources to assist and support health care professionals.