FEATURE
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Addressing Health Disparities though Faith in Rural Health Program
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The start of 2023 was impactful in the Faith in Rural Health (FIRH) initiative, a collaborative program between the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC), Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM), and McAfee School of Theology. For nearly a year, intensive work in the program has focused on Berrien, Putnam, and Toombs/Montgomery counties. Each hosted a pair of interns made up of a medical student and a theology student, who worked three-week rotations in the designated counties. They are: Kristin Pierce (McAfee) and Daniel Pham (MUSM) in Berrien County, Sydney Stallings (MUSM) and Tonja Meadows (McAfee) in Putnam County, and Persia Suarez (MUSM) and Stuart Miner (McAfee) in Toombs/Montgomery Counties.
The broad goals of the FIRH internships were to create a presence in the community, learn about each county’s faith and health care strengths and needs, and to bring faith leaders and health care providers in the community together to share perspectives and devise ways to use their combined strengths and influence to address the community’s health care needs. Interns were matched with faith leaders and health care providers in their communities who served as preceptors and program supporters. Interns visited medical clinics and local congregations, participated in community events, and completed qualitative interviews. Additionally, they complied a map of the medical and faith resources for their county and recruited a representative group of faith leaders, health care providers and community leaders to attend a roundtable discussion.
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Faith in Rural Health Program Intern Spotlights | |
Persia, assigned to Toombs and Montgomery counties, wanted to "learn more about how and if it is possible to find connections between a patient's faith and health needs so that no vital component of a patient's physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is ignored." She particularly enjoyed her work with the Mercy Ministries clinic, where health care providers and ministers work together to care for the whole person. Persia also found the Round Table discussions with community members transformative and encouraging. | |  |
Stuart, assigned to Toombs and Montgomery counties, is a former US Marine and an advanced EMT. This program allows him to combine his first-responder background with his deep-rooted faith. "My thought on theology school right now is to become a military chaplain." He looked forward to seeing what “patterns emerge from answers” during patient and provider surveys regarding the intersection of medicine and faith practices. | |
GRHIC Study Finds
First-Generation Farmers Experience Higher Stress Levels than Generational Farmers
by Stephanie Basey, Center Research Assistant and Ph.D. Candidate in Rural Health Sciences at Mercer University
Agriculture is an essential part of Georgia’s economy, contributing nearly $70 million yearly.1 Georgia farmers lead the nation in producing peanuts, broiler chickens, pecans, blueberries, and spring onions. In addition, they are top producers of other commodities like cotton, watermelon, and peaches. Of Georgia’s 37 million acres, 9.95 million are farmland. Farmers navigate an intricate growing, processing, marketing, and distribution network to get commodities from their farms to your table.
There is a significant impact of farm stressors on the mental health of farmers. The suicide rate among farmers is much higher than that of the overall working population.2 In 2020, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) partnered with the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and the Georgia Farm Bureau to study the effects of farm stressors on mental health.3 An alarming finding of that study, published in 2022, is that first-generation farmers experience increased stressors, negative thoughts and feelings, and suicidal ideation compared to generational farmers.
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Basey Earns Ph.D.
Stephanie Basey, research assistant for the Center, successfully defended her dissertation, "Identifying the Food Environment of Rural Households," for the Rural Health Sciences Ph.D. program at Mercer University School of Medicine.
Rural Health Sciences is a three-year program that teaches students to design, implement, and evaluate strategies that improve health outcomes and address determinants of health in rural communities. It is the only program of its kind in the U.S.
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Maternal Health Improvement Pilot Project
Expanding the Outreach of Rural Prenatal Care
by Kedrick Williams, DPH, MHA, Center Senior
Field Representative
The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center recognizes the value of creating community-centric models to improve availability and access to care, in particular, preserving local access to care. The Center has identified a unique opportunity to yield cutting-edge research data as part of its Maternal Mental Health Improvement Pilot Project.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that maternal deaths and mortality rates are progressively rising in the U.S., according to 2018-2020 data.1 However, Georgia, which formerly topped the list as the state with the highest maternal mortality rate, dropped to the seventh highest with a rate of 33.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for all women.1
Credible sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, inform us that fetal ultrasonography imaging is the most commonly used fetal imaging tool and is an accurate method of determining gestational age, fetal number, viability, and placental location.2 Routine prenatal care, including fetal ultrasound, should be performed throughout pregnancy on all women to identify risk factors and initiate preventive care measures.3 Rural pregnant women are at increased risk of late or no initiation of prenatal care all due to their lack of access and resources.4 As a means to combat this significant health disparity, we at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center want to bring monthly prenatal, obstetrical, and postpartum services to rural Georgia counties that currently do not have any.5
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Telehealth Makes Care Accessible in Rural Communities
The Southeastern TeleHealth Resource Center (SETRC) is one of 14 TeleHealth Resource Centers (12 regional and two national) funded by the federal Office for the Advancement of Telehealth through a grant program to provide support and guidance to telehealth programs. SETRC's mission is to serve as a focal point for advancing the effective use of telehealth and support access to telehealth services in rural and underserved communities in the southeastern region of the United State, the islands of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The SETRC team is dedicated to helping organizations and practices overcome barriers, advance telehealth education, and facilitate the development of sustainable telehealth programs.
The Georgia Partnership for Telehealth (GPT) is the grantee for the program and works to bring access to health services to communities across the state, including in schools and providers' offices. GPT will help implement services as part of the new rural pediatric health care initiative with Mercer University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
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2023 Ongoing Center Initiatives | |
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The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center and Mercer University's Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities is hosting a Maternal Mental Health Training. We welcome anyone interested in perinatal mental health. Leave prepared to better support the mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum patients. Topics covered: postpartum depression, perinatal trauma, perinatal OCD/complex anxiety, suicidal ideation, psychopharmacology, and more.
Speakers:
Dr. Jennifer Barkin, Professor, Mercer University
Leah Mele-Bazaz, Survivor, Advocate
Steven D'Achille, Survivor, Advocate
Dr. Rebecca Woo, Psychiatrist, Emory University
Dr. Toby Goldsmith, Psychiatrist, Emory University
Elizabeth O'Brien, LPC, PMH-C
Melissa Keane, LPC, PMH-C
Dr. Bonzo Reddick, District Health Dir., Coastal Health District
*In-person registration is full. Register to join via livestream.
REGISTER HERE
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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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