FEATURE
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GRHIC Provides Suicide Prevention Training in Dawson County
by Kayla Stroud, Communications and Events Specialist
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Joan Anderson, JD, MBA, MPH, leads a QPR training at Dawson County High School.
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In late July, as the Dawson County School System prepared for the new academic year, educators focused on more than lesson plans and classroom supplies — they were also equipping themselves with potentially lifesaving mental health training.
The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, at Mercer University School of Medicine, was invited to lead QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training for more than 500 faculty and staff members across the county, from kindergarten through 12th grade.
QPR training teaches participants how to recognize warning signs of suicide, ask direct questions and connect individuals in crisis with professional care. The one- to two-hour sessions, offered in schools, workplaces and community settings, provide strategies for safe intervention and give participants the confidence to respond effectively.
| | GRHIC Staff Complete Community Resiliency Model Certification | | |
Mercedes Madrid-Lowery, LCSW, clinical behavioral health specialist, and DeLexia Walker Preston, community resource and assessment specialist, 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.
Collectively, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, Mercer University School of Medicine and Mercer Medicine now have seven CRM-trained staff.
GRHIC provides free CRM training sessions, delivered virtually or in person, to support rural communities in Georgia. For more information, contact us at info@georgiaruralhealth.org.
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Kelly Rodgers Joins GRHIC as Community Resource and Assessment Specialist
Kelly Rodgers comes to us with a background in community engagement, previously serving in community-based roles in the Middle Georgia area. She enjoys volunteer work and has a passion for advocating for underserved communities. She is a Macon native. She attended Valdosta State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and anthropology, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in legal studies from Emory University. In her free time, Rodgers likes to read, listen to music and spend time with family, friends and her dog, Domino.
| | Replay: 2025 Maternal Health Symposium | | The 2025 Maternal Health Symposium was held on June 26, 2025, at Mercer University's Macon campus. The event focused on the theme “When the Unexpected Happens.” | | |
Credits: CME and CNE credits were awarded for in-person attendance on June 26, 2025. 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available by watching the full conference recording and completing the evaluation by December 31, 2025.
Evaluation: To access the evaluation, please visit: garuralhealth.link/cecredits.You will receive a separate email when your credit transcript is available for download. Please note that processing may take several weeks.
If you have any questions about continuing education credits, contact Harvey Lee Moody at moody_h@georgiaruralhealth.org
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Medical Educational Council of Pensacola and Mercer University School of Medicine. MECOP is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical Educational Council of Pensacola designates this live activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.
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Paulk Vineyards: The Growth of a Booming Family Business in Wray
by Kayla Stroud, Communications and Events Specialist
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Chris Paulk, owner and CEO of Muscadine Products Corp.
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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 Paulk Vineyards in Irwin County. | | |
Among rows of ripening muscadine grapes in rural South Georgia, Chris Paulk is continuing a family legacy that began more than 50 years ago.
Paulk is owner and CEO of Muscadine Products Corp., overseeing winery operations at Paulk Vineyards in Irwin County. The vineyard spans more than 800 acres and is the largest muscadine grape vineyard in the world. The land has been in the Paulk family for six generations.
Paulk now leads a growing agribusiness that includes farming, health products, winemaking and community outreach — a vision first conceived by his grandfather in the early 1970s.
“My grandfather was very innovative,” Paulk said. “He pioneered the fresh muscadine industry when no one else was doing it. People had muscadines growing in their backyards, but he was the first to commercialize them.”
That entrepreneurial drive continues to guide the family business. Paulk left his engineering career in 2002 to return to Irwin County with his wife, Jorjanne. Since then, he has helped launch new ventures on the farm, which now ships fresh fruit nationwide during its harvest season from late August through September.
Community is a key focus. Paulk’s wife manages the winery’s retail and event operations, hosting everything from wine tastings to Friday night bingo, which recently drew more than 150 attendees. The vineyard also hosts festivals throughout the year, such as the South Georgia Wine Festival in March and the upcoming Georgia Muscadine Festival, scheduled for Aug. 30.
“We will have a grape stomp, a 5K, food trucks and live music all through the day,” Paulk said. “It’s our signature event.”
This fall, Paulk Vineyards plans to open a new tasting room and event venue in downtown Tifton, expanding its reach and offering more space for live music, private gatherings and community events.
Even as the business grows, Paulk’s family remains rooted in the values that shaped their success. Paulk said living on the farm is the best place to be. “I believe the quality of life is so much better in rural areas. We're living on a farm and eating fresh produce.”
“We have a great community. I believe our best days are ahead of us,” Paulk said.
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GRHIC Hosts Fifth Cohort of Maternal Health Observership Summer Scholars
by Kedrick Williams, DHA, MPH, Senior Rural Health Program Manager
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Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Rural Pediatric Scholars Wrap Up Memorable Summer Experience
by Harvey Lee Moody, MS, Communications and Events Specialist
| | KidsABC Celebrates Evans Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department | | The Evans Memorial Hospital Emergency Department was recognized for its commitment to strengthening pediatric emergency care in Evans County during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Teddy Bear Clinic community event on Saturday, Aug. 9. Evans Memorial was celebrated for reaching key milestones as a participating hospital in KidsABC. | | |
Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative
The KidsABC Rural Emergency Department Collaborative continues to work at enhancing rural pediatric care across the state. In July, planning began for the Fall Collaborative Meeting on Sept. 24 at Crisp Regional Hospital. Education sessions will include competencies, family reunification and Code Lavender training. The meeting will also feature presentations from participants in the program, highlighting best practices implemented at their facilities. Pediatric-specific training for rural emergency department staff is ongoing, with additional sessions scheduled for Cohort 3. The team is also working to introduce regional training in neonatal resuscitation (NRP) and respiratory and airway management.
Rural Pediatric Support Collaborative
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Scholars Summer Program provided seven rising second-year medical students with an intensive six-week experience of clinical exposure, research and career advancement activities. Scholars gained clinical knowledge through direct observation of rural pediatric providers, engaged in guided research to address pediatric health care disparities, attended the annual Children’s Scholars Day in Atlanta, and built connections with several pediatric providers who serve rural Georgia patients. During Children’s Scholars Day, scholars engaged with pediatric chief residents, toured the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, had lunch with Children’s executives and shadowed pediatric subspecialists. Pediatric and family medicine staff of Cohorts 1 and 2 remain engaged by attending virtual continuing education seminars in July and August, as well as the Autism in Rural Georgia Conference, held July 17-18. The conference drew strong participation from medical providers, nurses, public health professionals, educators and caregivers of youth with autism. Telehealth appointments remain active in KidsABC pediatric and family medicine offices. Offices for Cohort 3 are being finalized and will be announced next month.
Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative
The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center continues to offer universal mental health and wellness screenings for school-aged children in grades 3-12 in rural school systems as part of the KidsABC Mental Health and Wellness Project. During the 2024-25 academic year, about 1,300 students were screened in five schools in Ben Hill, Jefferson and Washington counties. If a student’s screening responses suggested severe or moderate symptoms, parents or guardians were contacted. These students and their families were offered care navigation and services. Behavioral health services and other supportive resources were available through Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center’s Pediatric Mental Health Initiative and local community organizations. During the 2025-26 academic year, the center plans to expand the universal mental health and wellness screenings to school-aged children in grades 3-12 in about 10 rural school systems across nine counties.
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New 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 the New 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: September 1, 2025
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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