Mom and daughter share snacks

Our Commitment to Rural Health

Children’s is actively supporting statewide partners to address the current and future needs for families in Georgia’s 120 rural counties.

read our report

Children’s is the only healthcare system in Georgia solely dedicated to kids.

  • Children’s cares for patients from all 159 counties in Georgia, including all 120 rural counties.
  • We provided $31.5 million in unreimbursed Medicaid and charity care to patients from rural Georgia in 2023, addressing the majority of the rural patients we served.
  • Our Medicaid payor mix of 56% is one of the largest of any hospital system in the state. In rural Georgia, our Medicaid payor mix is 59%.

Learn More About Our Impact in Rural Georgia

  • Meet Fiona

    Diagnosed with a rare condition that carries high risk for childhood cancer, Fiona is a patient in our Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

  • Meet Noey

    The 7-year-old tackled her fears and is in the final stages of treatment, thanks to the support of her Children’s care team.

  • Now playing

    Meet Fiona

  • Now playing

    Meet Noey

Children's is supporting Mercer University School of Medicine and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center as they continue to establish programs with rural hospitals and pediatricians with the aim of improving access to pediatric care closer to home.

Rural Pediatrician Pipeline Support

Given the identified need for more pediatricians throughout Georgia, Children’s has committed to funding scholarships through a program at MUSM for medical students specializing in pediatrics who commit to serving in rural Georgia for at least four years after residency.

  • Children’s funds 10 full-tuition scholarships annually. To date, Children’s has funded a total of 20 full-tuition scholarships.
  • By 2031, all 20 of the current pediatric scholars will be working in rural communities.

Established in 2024, the Marriage and Family Therapy Scholarship Program awards scholars who have a strong commitment to becoming Marriage and Family therapists and serving in rural, medically underserved areas of Georgia. Upon completion of their education, scholars will be required to work full-time for two continuous years in an approved rural Georgia county, and to serve the surrounding organizations or counties in need.

  • All the Marriage and Family Therapy Scholars from 2024 will be serving rural communities by the end of 2025.

Our Work in Rural Communities

We are actively working to address the current and future needs for families in rural Georgia.

rural health report

Children’s is supporting Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) as they establish programs with rural hospitals and pediatricians with the aim of improving access to pediatric care closer to home.

The Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC) is a joint initiative between Children’s, MUSM and the GRHIC. KidsABC provides avenues of support for Georgia’s rural hospitals, pediatricians and rural family practitioners to keep care for kids close to home.

Rural hospitals currently face a challenge in their ability to treat and keep pediatric patients in their communities. KidsABC supports rural hospitals to better prepare them to respond to pediatric patients in their emergency departments. Participating rural hospitals undergo an assessment with a focus on staff competency, facility readiness and the presence of pediatric-focused clinical guidelines. Upon completion of the assessment, participating hospitals receive applicable training and assistance establishing guidelines.

  • In 2023, the inaugural cohort included eight hospitals.
  • In 2024, six additional hospitals joined KidsABC.

Rural pediatricians are often isolated with little access to subspecialty support, after-hours support, and regular clinical updates. This initiative provides physician-to-physician telehealth support and offers provider training. MUSM conducts a needs assessment to determine core training needs.

  • The Rural Pediatrician Support project initially involved five rural pediatric practices.
  • Six additional practices joining KidsABC in 2024.

Behavioral and mental health support continues to be identified as an urgent need across the country, with a specific need to create access points for rural providers and schools to connect to mental health professionals. MUSM and Children’s work with schools, pediatricians and hospitals to develop a comprehensive approach to pediatric mental health. This support is currently offered in three communities, with virtual mental health services and a focus on suicide awareness and prevention.

 

In 2023, Children’s implemented a direct line for rural providers participating in the KidsABC to seek consultative support from Children’s pediatric specialists.

KidsABC

The KidsABC initiative is now actively working with hospitals and pediatricians in 20 rural counties across Georgia.

Children’s has been dedicated to providing the best possible care to sick and injured children and to helping kids stay healthy through our prevention and advocacy programs across Georgia.

Our clinical reach in rural Georgia

Rural patients sought care at Children’s for emergencies, surgeries, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, hematology/oncology and a variety of other treatments.

Our prevention reach in rural Georgia

Our prevention programs impact kids across Georgia, offering a variety of services, trainings and resources to support children in our state.

  • Children’s serves as a resource for school health services across Georgia, and our regional school nurse coordinator serves as a contact for school health professionals.
  • Children’s is the lead agency for Safe Kids Georgia.
  • Through Strong4Life, the prevention arm of Children’s, we provide training and resources to families, local schools, early care centers and community organizations. This includes programs for early care and education centers, for providers, and school nutrition programs.
  • Marcus Autism Center provides consultations, trainings, and professional development for school systems to effectively serve students with educational needs and behavioral challenges, especially those diagnosed with autism and other behavioral health disorders.
  • Project S.A.V.E. hosts professional CPR/AED trainings across Georgia.