FEATURE
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Student Spotlight: Maternal Health Observership Graduate Sydnee Burke Wins Award at Mercer University School of Medicine Joint Research Conference
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Sydnee Burke, second-year Mercer University School of Medicine student, presents her research poster at the Joint Research Conference on October 25.
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Sydnee Burke, a graduate of the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center’s Maternal Health Observership and second-year medical student, presented her research poster, titled “Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Risk Factors and Potential Management Strategies,” at Mercer University School of Medicine’s Joint Research Conference. The conference unites faculty and students from the School of Medicine’s three campuses and the School of Pharmacy for an interprofessional symposium showcasing the latest advancements in Mercer’s health-related research. Burke tied for top recognition on the Macon campus in the epidemiology category.
Burke’s research project, a requirement of the summer Maternal Health Observership Program, was inspired by the Maternal Health Symposium, hosted by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) in June. It was during this event where she learned that mental health conditions, including perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, are the second leading cause of death for pregnant women in Georgia. This alarming statistic motivated her to explore how to improve outcomes for women suffering from these conditions in rural communities.
Burke’s research took the form of a problem analysis and solution proposal, relying on an extensive literature review. She identified two major challenges: the lack of proper screening for maternal mental health issues and insufficient provider education on treatment pathways. A solution she proposed is to include more education on maternal mental health in medical school and health care professional programs that focus on not just screenings but also on how to recognize disorders and what treatment options are suitable. She said, “There are a lot of things that we can implement into clinical practice to help improve outcomes.”
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Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance and GRHIC Exhibit at Sunbelt Ag Expo
by John McElveen, EdD, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance Director
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Taliyah Henderson, Mercer University Rural Health Sciences PhD student and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center research assistant; John McElveen, EdD, Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance director; and Chris Scoggins, DrPH, Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center director of special programs.
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Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance Director John McElveen, EdD, and Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center Director of Special Programs Chris Scoggins, DrPH, presented at the 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo held October 15-17 in Moultrie.
The 2024 Expo, was the 48th iteration of the preeminent agricultural exposition in the Southern United States. The annual event drew more than 50,000 visitors — the vast majority of which are engaged in farming or agribusiness — and 1200 exhibitors. It provided opportunities to share, communicate, and present evidence of the mission of the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance (GAWA), to foster networks of well-being in Georgia agricultural communities through collaboration, education, research, and advocacy. GAWA, with support from the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC), and Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) were among the exhibitors.
The Expo was a setting for many conversations with farmers, farm family members, students, and other rural community members about farm stress and mental health. Given recent widespread catastrophic impacts, including more than $6 billion in agricultural damage from Hurricane Helene and unprecedented impacts upon pecan and timber farming, stress may well be at a historic high within much of the rural Georgia agriculture community. Therefore, the opportunity to discuss mental health and well-being resources available to members of communities experiencing or witnessing these challenges has never been more important.
GAWA was founded after a major study of Georgia farmer mental health; the study was led by GRHIC biostatistician Anne Montgomery, PhD, Stephanie Basey, PhD, who was a grad student during the study, et. al. GAWA was developed and is supported by GRHIC and the School of Medicine. Its purpose is to connect with representatives and organizations which are focused on supporting better health and well-being outcomes within our rural communities.
Substantive conversations with localized organizations and agencies, as well as statewide organizations including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Georgia. Such interaction supports the flexible model for GAWA, which encourages interfacing and collaboration with existing organizations and agencies with compatible missions. The Expo also provided opportunities to connect with new or further develop relationships with existing organizations and agencies, such as various farm production commissions, Georgia Farm Bureau, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Dr. McElveen and Dr. Scoggins were invited to give talks in the rural health services building on
the topics of GAWA’s mission and GRHIC’s rural health care programs, respectively. Audience members participated in question-and-answer sessions, allowing for additional engagement and
information sharing. The sessions also led to additional interactions and discussions of future collaborations with fellow exhibitors.
The 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo proved to be a significant opportunity for the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance to spotlight its vision of a thriving, healthy, and safe agricultural community in Georgia while also expanding its community and organizational networks.
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Putnam County Day of Health Brings Health Education and Resources to Eatonton
by Paul Byrd, M.Div., BCC, Faith in Rural Health Program Director
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On Saturday, November 2, the heart of Eatonton was filled with hope, joy, and a sense of community mission as an exuberant community choir sang out inspiring words from the steps of The Plaza Arts Center.
The voices sang:
“I need you,
You need me.
We’re ALL a part of God’s Body.
You are important to me,
I need you to survive!”
These lyrics, from Hezekiah Walker’s gospel song “I Need You to Survive,” and the make-up of the group itself were the perfect summation of the Second Annual Putnam County Day of Health.
The day’s events kicked off early when enthusiastic children left the starting line of a one-mile fun run. The adults soon followed as they lined up for the Steeple Chase 5K. Both events raised funds for Putnam Christian Outreach’s Weekend Backpack Program. The Steeple Chase ended in The Plaza’s front lawn, which was filled with vendors for the day’s next event, the free community health fair.
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KidsABC Participants Complete Crisis Prevention Training
by Samantha Johnson, Community Resource and Assessment Specialist
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Mercer University School of Medicine and GRHIC hosted the Marcus Autism Center Crisis Prevention Program (MCPP) for participating KidsABC rural hospitals. This program was designed by a team of licensed psychologists, physical therapists, and behavior analysts to help hospitals navigate crisis situations.
This highly interactive training was held from November 4-7 and provided hands-on instruction on crisis management and focused on safely preventing, managing, and de-escalating situations involving children and adolescents. Some objectives of the program include minimizing the need for restraint or containment, highlighting the use of least intrusive procedures, using core principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA).
The program is designed for nurses, teachers, clinicians, therapists, staff and other providers who encounter crisis situations in their roles. In addition to the emergency department, MCPP is used in preschool and K-12 classrooms, inpatient and outpatient medical groups, crisis stabilization units, psychiatric care facilities, group homes, and therapeutic and ABA clinics.
This instruction featured the train-the-trainer methods, allowing participating staff to host crisis prevention trainings for their own facility. Participating hospitals from the KidsABC Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative included Clinch Memorial Hospital, Coffee Regional Medical Center, Crisp Regional Hospital, Dodge County Hospital, Evans Memorial Hospital, Monroe County Hospital, Mountain Lakes Medical Center, Taylor Regional Hospital, and Washington County Regional Medical Center.
De-escalation and crisis prevention strategies that were taught to participants include:
- Identifying when an environment is becoming unsafe for staff
- Techniques for restraining patients when necessary
- Continuous movement methods to guide staff to safety
- Strategies for escaping harmful situations like being bitten, having hair pulled , or clothing grabbed
- Methods for deflecting or avoiding direct punches or hits from patients.
This collaborative training was met with enthusiasm, as participating hospitals embraced the opportunity to implement these tools within their facilities. By strengthening their capacity to address crises effectively, they are better prepared to care for their patients and community!
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Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative
The KidsABC Rural Hospital Emergency Department team continues to work on training with participating hospitals. Crisp Regional Hospital and Coffee Regional Medical Center, both from Cohort 1, have completed milestones and will be honored with celebrations on December 7 and December 10, respectively.
Rural Pediatrician Support Collaborative
Pediatric education offerings have continued with several virtual speaker sessions spanning topics of pediatrician interest including primary care clinic application of quality improvement methods; connections between gastrointestinal discomfort, jaundice, and cancer; and vaccine hesitancy and rebuilding trust. Newsletter resources have provided families with key information on addressing multiple pediatric needs. Telehealth appointments are consistently ongoing at some Cohort 1 offices and at Cohort 2 sites, with their first appointments following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative
Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) and its Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) are working with Emory University, which was awarded a multi-million-dollar Sparks Foundation grant to perform universal mental health and wellness screening with school aged children grades 3-12. As may be indicated based on the results of the screenings, students’ parents/guardians will be offered behavioral health services for their students from Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Centers’ Pediatric Mental Health Initiative (MUSM) or local community resources. For grades K-2, wellness programs will be offered to the students and faculty by GRHIC and MUSM. Rural school systems have agreed to participate in the universal mental health and wellness screening. Meetings with the school systems are being held, and others planned, to discuss the universal mental health and wellness screening initiative.
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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. | |
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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.
Introducing PAWS: Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series
The PASS: Pediatric Alliance Speakers Series will transition to PAWS: Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series in 2025. We will continue to offer high-quality, virtual training sessions to physicians, advanced practice practitioners and health care professionals on a variety of topics.
If you are a rural pediatric provider, please click to register for trainings and subscribe to Rural Pediatric News.
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2024 Ongoing Center Initiatives | |
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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
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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
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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
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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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