OCTOBER 2024 ISSUE

FEATURE

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GRHIC Maternal Health Observership Graduates Exhibit Research at Federal Maternal Health Summit

by Kedrick Williams, DHA, MPH, Senior Rural Health Project Manager

Mercer University School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine students with Department of Health and Human Services Regional Director (Region IV) Antrell Tyson, center. Header photo and article photo credit: DPM - Dazzel Production & Media

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Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) Maternal Health Observership Program graduates presented their research projects at the Georgia Maternal Health Summit held on September 24 at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center.

The summit was hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) and other agencies supporting maternal health care in Georgia. This was a kickstart event for regional maternal health activities focused on the eight Region IV states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The event, themed “Making Connections: Overcoming Barriers to Maternal Health,” featured expert panels focused on connecting federal, state and local resources to physicians, health care professionals, and stakeholders to aid in addressing the barriers and challenges faced by women during and after pregnancy.

Antrell Tyson, Esq., regional director for HHS Region IV, invited Maternal Health Observership Program graduates, who represented Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) and Morehouse School of Medicine, to the summit’s research exposition. The student-led research projects focused on addressing maternal health disparities and obtaining positive maternal health outcomes. This exposition and networking event provided insight into current research on maternal health in Georgia’s rural counties, highlighting systemic issues in maternity care in the state. 

Faith in Rural Health Summit Paves Way for New Partnerships and Solutions for Rural Health Care

by Paul Byrd, M.Div., BCC, Faith in Rural Health Program Director

On October 4, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center held the Faith in Rural Health (FIRH) Summit at Mercer University, bringing together doctors, faith leaders, and health care professionals from across rural Georgia who are committed to enhancing holistic health in their communities.

“This event is not a conference. We are gathered today for a summit,” said FIRH Program Director Paul Byrd in his opening remarks. “We have come together with the hope that, as you hear the presentations, you’ll consider how you can work together to improve health in your context.”

Participants, many from different disciplines, shared their calling or commitment to their profession, quickly building a sense of camaraderie and collaboration. In the words of one participant, “I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m so glad I came.”

The Faith in Rural Health Program is a collaboration between Mercer University School of Medicine and McAfee School of Theology and is led and funded by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center. It was established with the goal of fostering interdisciplinary partnerships. Medical and theology students teamed up to link faith and health leaders in rural areas. As a result of these connections, initiatives that bridge faith and health care to better support communities were created.

The summit emphasized the role of spiritual care in health care. Bernard Scoggins, MD, of Albany Primary Health Care, shared how spiritual care providers supported Albany’s community during the COVID-19 crisis. Pastor James Kilgore, of Eatonton, recounted how — after learning many of his congregants were dealing with diabetes — he knew the church had to be involved in addressing the congregation’s physical health as well as spiritual health. The impact of diabetes and related health issues compelled his congregation to work with other churches and health care professionals to address these challenges.

Drawing from examples shared by health care professionals and faith leaders who recognized the importance of collaboration and approached it creatively, the summit helped participants identify the strengths that they could leverage by collaborating. The summit’s greatest success was the opportunity for attendees to connect and explore potential partnerships. Attendees engaged in conversations about their calling, shared their county’s challenges and strategized about creating collaborations. The energy and enthusiasm in these sessions was evident, as participants realized the potential for positive change that could be achieved through partnerships between health care professionals and faith leaders. 

Read More on the Summit

An Apple a Day: Mercier Orchards

by Kayla Stroud, Communications and Events Specialist

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 Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge.

Mercier Orchards is a fourth-generation family farm in Blue Ridge, Fannin County. Known for its apple orchards, this staple helps encourage a healthy lifestyle in its community.

The farm began in the 1940s when Bill and Adele Mercier moved to Blue Ridge and purchased a 27-acre orchard. More than 80 years later, the orchard is still going strong. The orchard's director of farm operations, Ashley Hoppers, offers insight into everyday farm life in the local Fannin County community.

With more than 200 acres of 40 to 50 apple varieties planted on the farm, Hoppers says they are branching out to many other crops. “We are trying to maintain the apples at the forefront of our business, but we also grow other things. We started growing strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, vegetables, sweet cherries — all of those things; it is just a way to offer something every season,” said Hoppers.

According to Hoppers, another reason for expanding their crop selection is to spread out their risk, as farming can sometimes be unpredictable. “You can lose an apple crop. You can lose any fruit or vegetable crop to weather or disease,” she said. “You are at the mercy of your environment when farming. This is a 365-day affair, so I have to steward the crop every day. The weather can be good one week and bad the next, and depending on where in time that bad weather falls, I can lose my crop,” said Hoppers.

Mercier Orchards helps support their community in different ways, from providing nutritious locally grown products to encouraging outdoor activity and offering educational opportunities. “I am a firm believer in getting outdoors and seeing and doing,” said Hoppers. “My goal is always just to try to spark the imagination of our young people. So, maybe that third-grader sees these apples, becomes enamored by them, and wants to learn more. Maybe they will become nutritionists, or maybe they will become someone in the agricultural field. I'm just trying to expose them to where the food is grown, and I think it can have a ripple effect.”

Outside of the educational component of the farm, Mercier Orchards also gives a considerable amount of produce to local charities and people in need. “We donate apples to a local program called ‘Snack in a Backpack,’ basically where every kid at the end of the week goes home with an apple in their backpack,” said Hoppers.

Hoppers hopes Mercier Orchards can help in continuing to encourage her community to shop locally for fresh produce. “We want you to come visit, come pick some fruit, buy local. I think it's something that I would advocate for state and nationwide: support your local farmers. I'm not saying don't go to the grocery store. But when it comes to apples or other types of fruits, try getting it fresh and in season,” said Hoppers.

Connect to Mercier Orchards: mercier-orchards.com

Expanding Georgians' Access to Health Care

Georgia Pathways to Coverage^TM (Pathways) is a Medicaid eligibility category in Georgia that launched in July 2023. Pathways seeks to increase access to affordable, quality healthcare coverage, lower the uninsured rate across Georgia, support participating members on their journeys to financial independence, and promote members’ transitions from Medicaid into private coverage.

As trusted providers in Georgia, you are often a first point of contact for Georgians who may be uninsured or losing coverage soon. We hope that by promoting this program and enrolling more Georgians in healthcare coverage, we can play a part in increasing access to affordable healthcare, and promoting financial stability for healthcare providers, hospital systems, and the state. Please see below for a full list of eligibility criteria. To learn more and to find downloadable resources, please visit pathways.georgia.gov.

Georgians can apply through the Gateway Customer Portal online at gateway.ga.gov.

If you are interested in learning more or would like Georgia Pathways informational resources for your office, please reach out to the Pathways outreach team at georgia.pathways@dch.ga.gov.

Pathways Eligibility:

To be eligible for Pathways, an applicant should:

• Be a Georgia resident
• Be a U.S. citizen or legally residing non-citizen
• Be between 19 and 64 years of age
• Have a household income of up to 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). For example, in 2024, this equals:
• $15,060 per year or $1,255 on average per month for one person
• $25,820 per year or $2,151 on average per month for a family of three
• Prove that you are doing at least 80-hours of qualifying activities per month
• For Pathways applicants fulfilling the requirement through higher education, current college course-load credit hours will be granted qualifying activity hours as following:
• At least 11.5 credit hours will count as 80 hours per month
• Between 5.50 and 11.49 credit hours will count as 40 hours per month
• Between 0.01 and 5.49 credit hours will count as 20 hours per month
• Not qualify for any other type of Medicaid
• Not be incarcerated

Community Health Reporter Openings

Community Health Reporters provide the Center with monthly reports on health care resources like physicians, pharmacies, and medical facilities in their communities. This valuable information helps the Center gain insights into the actual state of health care access in Georgia’s rural counties.

Our goal is to provide coverage for all 120 rural counties, with each one supported by a dedicated community health reporter. Currently, eight territories do not have an active reporter to assess and share the resources available in their community.

We are working to fill these vacancies as soon as possible. Applicants must have reliable transportation and internet access, as reporting will be done online. For more information or any inquiries about the Community Health Reporter program, please contact CHR@georgiaruralhealth.org.

The territories that are currently without a health reporter are:

• Bacon & Jeff Davis
• Banks
• Chattooga & Dade
• Dawson & Pickens
• Fannin
• Heard & Meriwether
• Lee
• Towns & Union

APPLY TODAY

Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative

The KidsABC Hospital emergency department team continues to work on training with participating hospitals. On October 24, 12 hospital staff members participated in training at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. On November 4-7 hospitals will gather at GRHIC to participate in de-escalation training provided by the Marcus Autism Center.

Rural Pediatrician Support Collaborative

Pediatric education offerings have provided newsletter resources for families and a virtual education session for physicians on primary care clinic application of quality improvement methods. A number of telehealth appointments have been completed to date, featuring subspecialty care in the areas of nephrology and endocrinology. There are several additional appointments scheduled for November and December in the areas of endocrinology, pulmonology, and nephrology. Telehealth Champions for both Cohorts 1 and 2 attended the Telehealth Champion Luncheon to recognize their service to the program and to train them on telehealth equipment use and procedures for telehealth appointments. The KidsABC Physicians Tailgate was hosted prior to a Mercer Bears football game for physicians and their families to engage in dialogue, food, and fun as connections were made among our Children’s Scholars, rural pediatric and emergency department physicians.

Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative

Mercer University School of Medicine and its Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center are working with Emory University, which was awarded a multi-million-dollar Sparks Foundation grant to perform universal mental health and wellness screening; and, as may be indicated, offer specific models of therapy to grades 3-12. For grades 3-12, the screening tool is being developed use other screening tools and resources as the basis. For grades K-2, wellness programs will be offered to the students and faculty. The Center also is working with the Rural Behavioral Health Institute (RBHI), a 501(c)(3) public charity with experience in implementing universal mental health screening and care connection services in rural school systems. It also has experience in building school-based mental health programs in rural America. GRHIC will coordinate the screenings and offer services, if needed. The gap analysis and resource mapping for the 5 counties involved is being prepared by Laura Ross, a Mercer University School of Medicine Rural Health Sciences PhD candidate and GRHIC research assistant.

Anyone considering joining or starting a new or existing project, can reach out to Anne Montgomery, PhD, at Montgomery_a@mercer.edu 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.

The Pediatric Alliance Speakers Series is a free monthly training series for providers to earn CME credits, offered by Mercer University School of Medicine, through one-hour virtual training sessions with subject matter experts in a variety of topics. PASS includes peer-led rural pediatric patient case studies and an in-person continuing education conference.

If you are a rural pediatric provider, please click to register for trainings and subscribe to Rural Pediatric News.

2024 Ongoing Center Initiatives

Maternal Health Improvement

All Rural Counties

Kedrick Williams

Maternal Health Observership

All Rural Counties

Kedrick Williams

Maternal Health Symposium

All Rural Counties

Joan Anderson



Community Health Reporter

All Rural Counties

Kedrick Williams, Harvey Moody

Clinical Ethics ECHO

All Rural Counties

Chris Scoggins, Samantha Johnson

Opioid Misuse Prevention Project

Rural Hospitals

Glenda Grant, Samantha Johnson

Community Resiliency

Model (CRM)

All Rural Counties

Joan Anderson

Mental Health First Aid

All Rural Counties

Kedrick Williams,

Glenda Grant

Pediatric Mental Health Initiative

Ben Hill, Jefferson, Washington

Joan Anderson

Barber/Beauty Shop Project

Randolph County

Harvey Moody

Rural Medicine Pathways Events

All Rural Counties

Glenda Grant

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention

All Rural Counties

Joan Anderson

Faith in Rural Health

Berrien, Putnam, Toombs/Montgomery

Paul Byrd

Health Fairs

Rural Partners

Amanda Livingston

Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance

All Counties

John McElveen

Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Nursing Education Training

Harvey Moody

ABOUT THE 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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