FEBRUARY 2026 ISSUE

FEATURE

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Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center Hosts First KidsABC Rural Pediatric Respiratory Session

By Kelly Rodgers, Community Resource and Assessment Specialist

Photo Credit: Kylie Hatton, Clinch Memorial Hospital

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On Jan. 29, the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center hosted the first KidsABC Rural Pediatric Respiratory Session at Clinch Memorial Hospital. The Rural Pediatric Respiratory Session is an educational training offered to respiratory therapists and nurses working in rural hospital emergency departments that focuses on improving methods for pediatric respiratory emergencies. The training was led by Kenya Jones, the KidsABC simulation clinical educator, and Laura Quinn, the director of performance improvement, infection control and education at Mountain Lakes Medical Center. Participants represented Clinch Memorial Hospital, Coffee Regional Medical Center, Evans Memorial Hospital, SGMC Health Berrien and Taylor Regional Hospital.

KidsABC began offering sessions at the request of respiratory therapists, or RRTs, in rural hospitals who felt this training would enhance their skills and increase their knowledge of pediatric airway management. RRTs and nurses in rural emergency departments often face a lack of specialty-focused support. The respiratory session bridges the gaps in limited training opportunities and meets the needs of these staff members.

This specialized training includes hands-on simulation with high-fidelity manikins based on real-world scenarios. Training components include interactive online modules, skills practice sessions, scenario-based simulations, team dynamics training and competency evaluations. By practicing on manikins and mimicking realistic scenarios, participants are able to practice early recognition and intervention methods and apply them to day-to-day patient care and clinical responsibilities.

Key takeaways from training include learning the importance of taking quick action during respiratory distress in pediatrics, medication management tips and how to follow proper protocols for respiratory support.

KidsABC will host regional trainings throughout the year for participating rural hospital emergency departments. The next training will take place at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center on April 27.

Simmons Joins GRHIC as Clinical Behavioral Health Specialist

Joye Simmons joined the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center in January 2026 and serves as a clinical behavioral health specialist. She brings a background in supporting children, emerging adults, and individuals navigating academic, personal and life transitions. Simmons holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Georgia Southern University and a master's degree in psychology from Capella University. Her professional experience spans higher education, psychology instruction, and clinical care, with an emphasis on trauma-informed, relational support and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is known for her calm, thoughtful approach and her commitment to creating spaces where individuals feel safe, supported, and empowered to move forward. Simmons values humane, steady care rooted in dignity and is passionate about helping people navigate periods of change with clarity and compassion.

GRHIC Staff Complete Community Resiliency Model Certification

Clinical behavioral health specialists Mercedes Madrid-Lowery and Joye Simmons completed teacher certification training for the Community Resiliency Model (CRM).

CRM was developed by the Trauma Resource Institute and 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 Center 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.

Deep Roots, Strong Communities: Farm Stress Summit Focuses on Mental Health Challenges in Georgia’s Rural Farmers

Georgia farmers, farm family members, agricultural community members and agricultural mental health stakeholders will meet at the fifth annual 2026 Georgia Farm Stress Summit to connect communities with resources and build strong cross-sector partnerships.

The event will be held on March 12 at Fort Valley State University’s C.W. Pettigrew Farm and Community Life Center in Fort Valley.

Farm families and farming communities across the state are under considerable pressure as they face challenges in their profession. In 2022, researchers with Mercer University School of Medicine’s Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC), led by Anne Montgomery, Ph.D., and her students in the Rural Health Sciences Ph.D. program at the School of Medicine, published a study based on surveys completed by more than 1,600 Georgia farm owners, farm managers, farmworkers and spouses. The survey documented concerning levels of stress, negative coping strategies and suicidal ideation.



The summit features a keynote address from AgriSafe Network Health Director Tara Haskins, DNP, RN, AHN-BC, and a panel discussion with Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kevin Tanner and Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall.

Georgia Farm Stress Summit

March 12 | Fort Valley State University

Preconference Activities: March 11

• Research Sharing Session : 1-3 p.m.
• Pearson Farm Tour: 3:15-5 p.m.

*Preconference activities require pre-registration.

Visit gafarmstress.org for the conference agenda and additional details.

KidsABC Celebrates Wayne Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department

Wayne Memorial Hospital was recognized for its commitment to strengthening pediatric emergency care in Wayne County during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 29.

KidsABC helps participating rural hospitals acquire child-friendly equipment, complete pediatric-specific emergency care staff training, and implement the latest protocols and policies for treating children with acute medical conditions.

Rural Hospital Emergency Department Collaborative

The KidsABC Rural Emergency Department Project continues to advance rural pediatric care across the state. In February, we continued onboarding hospitals for the fourth cohort, adding eight facilities across rural Georgia. Pediatric-specific training for rural ED staff remains ongoing, and our team has continued planning additional Rural Pediatric Respiratory Sessions and Neonatal Resuscitation Program initial and recertification courses. These sessions are designed to better equip respiratory and nursing staff to handle airway-specific pediatric emergencies. Additionally, the KidsABC Simulating Pediatric Assessment for Rural Kids (SPARK) program is planning to conduct simulation training at Bleckley Memorial Hospital and Crisp Regional Hospital in the coming weeks. Planning is concluding for the two-day annual KidsABC Rural ED Collaborative Meeting. Day one will be tailored to hospitals new to the program, followed by a second day for all KidsABC participants. We are looking forward to a packed schedule of education sessions, networking and resource sharing.

Rural Pediatric Support Collaborative

KidsABC pediatric and family medicine offices in Cohort 3 received telehealth carts this month, with training to come in March. Following training, offices will be fully equipped to use telehealth services within their practices. This expansion will add thirteen additional offices with telehealth capability. With eleven pediatric subspecialties available, telehealth serves as a critical resource for rural offices and communities that lack local access to these subspecialty physicians. Telehealth visits from earlier cohorts are ongoing and continue to demonstrate significant value, including reduced travel distances and improved access to care. This month, physicians attended the virtual Pediatric Alliance Webinar Series (PAWS) session on pediatric feeding development and intervention with Rose Herring, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative

During the 2025-26 academic year, the KidsABC Mental Health and Wellness Project has been implemented by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center and the Rural Pediatric Mental Health Collaborative. KidsABC has offered the mental health and wellness screening program to 11 rural school systems. Additionally, GRHIC offers additional services and training to the school systems and communities participating in the KidsABC program. QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide awareness and prevention training was provided to the faculty and staff in Dawson County Schools, Ben Hill County Schools and Jefferson County Schools. The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) training was provided for 185 eighth-grade students at T.J. Elder Middle School during the annual Mental Health Summit, an event held by Washington County Schools to prepare eighth-grade students for the transition from middle school to high school.

KidsABC Training Events

The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center works with rural partners to enhance health education through health fairs. 

We encourage these community members to join us:

Washington County

March 7 | 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Co-Host: Representative Mack Jackson

Harris County

July 25 | 9–11 a.m.

Co-Host: Harris County School District

Georgia Healthy Farmer Mindset

Monthly Meeting | Virtual

Each month, the Georgia Agricultural Wellness Alliance hosts the Georgia Healthy Farmer Mindset Zoom meeting, which focuses on topics related to stress and mental health in the agricultural community. 

Rural Autism ECHO

March–May | Virtual

The Rural Autism ECHO: Strategies for Improving Health Care for Autistic Patients in Rural Georgia was launched in collaboration with the Autism ToolKit of Georgia. The series was created because rural families and communities often have limited access to information about autism, making it difficult to recognize early signs and respond to a child’s unusual behavior. By offering a virtual, peer-driven learning environment, the Rural Autism ECHO empowers rural physicians and other health care professionals to diagnose and treat autism more effectively without requiring families to travel long distances.

Georgia Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine ECHO

March–October | Virtual

The Georgia Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedicine Conversations & Voices ECHO provides continued learning opportunities to mobile integrated health and community paramedicine professionals around the state. This ECHO is tailored to increase mobile integrated health professionals' and community paramedics’ understanding of specifics they may encounter in the field such as motivational interviewing, resilience training, and patient-centered communication. Mobile integrated health professionals and community paramedics are encouraged to attend to increase their networks of support with peers and subject matter experts.

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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