FEATURE
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Rural Health Care Workforce: GRHIC, State Office of Rural Health Host Recruitment Fairs
by Harvey Lee Moody, Community Resource and Assessment Specialist
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Mercer School of Medicine Class of 2025 graduate Lauren Brooker, MD, connects with potential employers at a 2024 recruitment fair.
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For the second year, the Mercer School of Medicine’s Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) and the State Office of Rural Health partnered to host a series of rural physician and advanced practice provider recruitment fairs around the state on the School of Medicine campuses.
These recruitment fairs hold space and create opportunities for rural hospitals and medical practices to connect directly with future health care providers. Recruiting physicians and advanced practice providers in rural communities can be difficult, as many small hospitals and clinics lack the dedicated recruitment teams that larger systems maintain, and potential candidates are unaware of the opportunities available in these communities. The rural physician recruitment fairs allow rural hospitals and medical practices the opportunity to share what they can offer candidates and bring talent to their communities.
Through this project, GRHIC facilitated the connection between a general surgeon completing his residency in Dallas, Texas, and a hospital system that serves a large rural population in South Georgia. John Buchanan, MD, a Mercer School of Medicine graduate, reached out to GRHIC for help finding opportunities to return to Georgia. After his résumé was shared with recruiters who had participated in past recruitment fairs, Dr. Buchanan was able to find the right fit for him and his family.
The recruitment fairs also serve as a networking opportunity for medical students to make early connections with recruiters, explore potential communities and learn about best practices for interviews. For students who are committed to practicing in rural Georgia as part of a scholarship program, these events offer a head start in finding the right place to begin their careers.
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Calhoun Produce: A Small-Town Treasure Nestled in Turner County
by Kayla Stroud, Communications and Events Specialist
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Calhoun Produce Co-Owner Sheila Rice
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| | The Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance was established in response to the prevalence of mental health challenges experienced by farm families and communities, which was revealed, in large part, through a joint study conducted by Mercer University School of Medicine's Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and students in the School of Medicine’s Rural Health Sciences Ph.D. program. GAWA's focus is all of Georgia's farming communities. In this issue of For Rural, we spotlight Calhoun Produce in Turner County. | | |
For Sheila Rice, co-owner of the family-operated Calhoun Produce in Ashburn, farming has always been more than a career. It has been a lifelong commitment rooted in family tradition.
“I’ve done this all my life,” Rice said. “When I was little, my daddy always had us on the farm doing something. I used to have a little notepad when he was selling butter beans, and I would act like I was his secretary when I was seven or eight.”
Rice’s parents started the family’s butter bean business in 1982. Since then, Calhoun Produce has grown from a small operation into a 330-acre destination for fresh produce and family fun.
“Our main crop is butter beans,” Rice said. “Then we started adding strawberries and peas maybe 30 years ago. March through May is strawberry season, with kids and families coming out, and we do beans June through October. Then the summer is for the other vegetables.”
The farm also offers seasonal agritourism attractions, including its popular corn maze and flashlight nights in the fall.
“We do a lot of ag education,” Rice said. “You go through our eight-acre corn maze at night with a flashlight. There are trivia questions that help you find your way out. Even with a map, it is not easy — it is like an escape room.”
The farm’s reach extends far beyond the local area. Each year, thousands of students visit for field trips, including more than 6,000 children in the spring and another 4,000 this fall.
Rice takes pride in offering visitors an up-close view of where their food comes from.
“You are coming to the farm, you are seeing your crop growing, and you get to pick what you are going to eat,” Rice said. “It is not in a grocery store, it is fresh from the farm. We guarantee a fresh product, and we stand behind it. Even our ice cream, while it may not necessarily be healthy, is fresh. It is made with our strawberries, and so is our lemonade.”
Calhoun Produce also features family-friendly activities, including the honeybee house, a narrated wagon ride with farm animals, a playground and educational exhibits.
“We teach the kids about animals and bees. We would not have crops without honeybees,” Rice said. “They get to go in and learn and taste fresh honey. They get out in the field and see the honeybees on the plant. They learn not to be afraid of them because we have to have bees to have food.”
Rice’s family remains fully involved in day-to-day operations.
“My daddy is 83 and still on the tractor every day, and that is fine because that is what he loves,” Rice said. “My brother and I run the place now, and my daughter-in-law and grandbaby are here, too. It takes everybody.”
With the farm wrapping up its fall events, Rice said the focus now shifts to planting strawberries and preparing for the next season. Farming requires months of planning and labor, she said — often more work than many people realize.
“We love what we do, or we would not do it,” Rice said. “It is 24 hours a day, but it is worth every minute.”
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Calhoun Produce's Butter Bean Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
Fresh shelled or frozen butter beans
1 packaged ham seasoning or ham/bacon trimmings
Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
If using fresh beans, wash them at least two times and remove debris. If they are already blanched and frozen, let them thaw.
Place beans in a pot, add water to cover, and then place pot on the stove at med-high heat for at least 30 minutes to an hour (depending on variety). Lady fingers, sandy, white acres, and other young/green peas need to cook longer than other varieties.
Add your flavoring: olive oil with salt and pepper, packaged ham seasoning, or a piece of ham or bacon. Season them to your personal taste.
Once they are finished cooking, remove them from the heat and serve. Beans should be tender.
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Calhoun Produce's Sweet Potato Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
4 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup unsalted butter melted
Streusel Topping
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook sweet potatoes in the desired manner until soft.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Combine cooked sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and melted butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until fluffy and smooth.
Pour into the prepared dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
While baking, prepare streusel topping by combining brown sugar, flour, pecans, and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix with a fork and set aside.
Sprinkle the baked sweet potato mixture with streusel and return to oven for about 10-15 minutes until the crumble is lightly browned. Serve immediately or cover with foil and serve within 30 minutes.
| | | KidsABC Celebrates Bleckley Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department | | The Bleckley Memorial Hospital Emergency Department was recognized for its commitment to strengthening pediatric emergency care in Bleckley County during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Fall Festival community event on Saturday, Oct. 25. Bleckley Memorial was celebrated for reaching key milestones as a participating hospital in KidsABC. | | |
Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative
The KidsABC Rural Emergency Department project continues to enhance rural pediatric care across the state. The ED collaborative meeting was held Sept. 24 at Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele. Participants shared best practices, engaged with peers and brainstormed innovative solutions to enhance pediatric care. Education sessions included using clinical competencies to improve quality, resilience and well-being in health care, and overcoming budget constraints.
Pediatric-specific training for rural ED staff remains ongoing, with additional classes being added for Cohort 3. In addition to Neonatal Resuscitation Program certification and recertification classes, the team is preparing to offer a Certified Emergency Nurse Exam Review course and a four-day Marcus Crisis Prevention training. Lastly, Rural Pediatric Respiratory training sessions will be offered. These regional scenario-based classes are designed specifically for respiratory therapists and will focus on pediatric airway management.
Rural Pediatric Support Collaborative
Rural pediatric and family medicine physicians, along with staff and students, participated in the Oct. 8 PAWS session led by Dr. Stephen Miller, a pediatric primary care sports medicine physician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Fayette Clinic. He presented on concussion management in the primary care office, informing attendees about when to suspect and how to diagnose concussion, the latest concussion management recommendations, and the steps to assist in the return-to-school process and safely clear athletes to return to sports. The next PAWS session is Nov. 12 on epilepsy and nervous disorders, featuring Sonam Bhalla, MD, the program director for the Epilepsy Fellowship and co-director of the Neonatal Neurology Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Rural physicians, Mercer staff, and Children’s Scholars also participated in Cape Day 2025, donning capes to honor the hope and resilience of kids who face health challenges with courage every day. Cohort 3 offices are preparing to be announced and will soon receive telehealth equipment and training for virtual subspecialty care.
Telehealth appointments remain active in KidsABC pediatric and family medicine offices in Cohorts 1 and 2. Coming up in November is the annual Telehealth Champions Luncheon.
Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative
During the 2025-2026 academic year, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center is expanding its universal mental health and wellness screenings into 11 rural school systems in 10 rural counties. Students in grades 3-12 will be offered screenings. The screenings and the follow-up are part of the KidsABC Mental Health and Wellness project. They are provided at no cost to the school systems or the children and their families.
If a student’s screening responses suggest they may have severe or moderate symptoms, the parents/guardians of students’ are contacted. The Center is offering care navigation and referrals to services for the students and their families. Behavioral health services and other supportive services will be offered and available from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center's Pediatric Mental Health Initiative, Emory University, and local community resources.
During November, the Center is providing the universal mental health and wellness screenings to four schools systems across 10 schools. The Center also is providing Calm Down Kits to each pre-k through 2nd grade classroom and all school counselors. The Calm Down Kits are a resource to support emotional regulation and wellness within the classroom and the schools.
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QI Projects Available
Streamlined, Complementary Templates
We have three Quality Improvement (QI) projects now available through our portfolio site. Designed with ease and efficiency in mind, the projects focus on depression screening, anxiety screening and ADHD screening in adolescents ages 12-18.
View or Enroll in QI Projects
Visit your MOCAM profile, and find our projects with templates under Mercer University School of Medicine, or contact Anne Montgomery, PhD, School of Medicine associate professor, at montgomery_a@mercer.edu.
QI Project Virtual Training Opportunity:
Anne Montgomery, PhD, is offering quarterly training sessions on QI projects that fulfill MOC Part 4 for ABP.
Training presentations include:
- Basic overview of what is necessary for a QI project for MOC
- How our portfolio program can help
- How to participate
- Currently approved ready-to-go projects
- Other project ideas
Presentations are 10 to 15 minutes and can be one-to-one or in groups.
Contact: montgomery_a@mercer.edu
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Mercer University School of Medicine is a Pediatric Portfolio Sponsor for ABP Maintenance of Certification (MOC) activities. The sponsorship gives pediatricians and pediatric trainees a seamless opportunity to earn MOC credit for work they are already doing while participating in the School of Medicine’s quality improvement (QI) activities.
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| Training and News for Rural Pediatric Health Care Providers | | 2025 Ongoing Center Initiatives | | |
ABOUT THE CENTER
Mercer University School of Medicine’s Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center was established to address the complex health care challenges and disparities faced by rural communities throughout the state. The School of Medicine 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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