For families in rural Georgia, a trip to the pediatrician can mean hours on the road. In some communities, finding a pediatrician at all is the challenge.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Mercer University School of Medicine and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center are working to change that through a partnership designed to expand pediatric care, strengthen rural hospitals and train the next generation of health care providers. The initiative addresses a shortage that has left more than 60 of Georgia’s 120 rural counties without a pediatrician.
“At Children’s, we serve kids from all 159 counties across the state,” said Marc Welsh, vice president of community impact at Children’s. “But we also recognize that our locations are primarily centered in Metro Atlanta, and there are kids across our state who need care.”
The partnership combines Children’s pediatric expertise and financial resources with Mercer’s experience serving rural communities. Its approach focuses on four areas: hospital readiness, support for rural pediatricians, mental health services and workforce development.
Welsh said the initiative began with conversations involving rural pediatricians and hospital leaders to better understand their communities’ needs.
“We can’t enter this with an assumption that we know what is best for our rural families,” Welsh said. “We needed to hear from rural communities.”
One of the partnership’s central efforts is the Kids Alliance for Better Care, or KidsABC, program, which is working with hospitals and pediatricians in 44 counties.
Participating hospitals undergo assessments of their pediatric readiness, including staffing, equipment and emergency protocols. They then receive training, resources and opportunities to consult with Children’s specialists through telehealth.
Dr. Jean Sumner, dean of Mercer University School of Medicine, recalled a training exercise in which hospital staff in Claxton practiced responding to a school bus crash.
Two days later, a school bus crash occurred in Evans County, injuring approximately 28 children. Sumner said hospital staff followed the protocols they had recently practiced, treating many children locally and transferring others for additional care. All survived.
“Those nurses and doctors saved lives that day, and their knowledge had just been refreshed, which is important,” Sumner said.
Beyond emergency preparedness, the partnership is addressing the shortage of rural health care professionals through scholarships.
So far, the initiative has funded 59 scholarships, including 34 full-tuition awards for medical students and 25 scholarships for marriage and family therapy students.
Medical scholarship recipients commit to practicing pediatrics in rural Georgia for at least four years after residency. The mental health scholarships are intended to expand access to therapists for children and families in underserved communities.
This year, the first two pediatric scholarship recipients completed their residencies and returned to rural Georgia. One began practicing in Tifton, while the other established a practice in Brantley County, which Sumner said had never previously had a pediatrician.
“I think you’re going to see these counties have the opportunity to have great young pediatricians that will transform healthcare for children,” Sumner said.
The initiative also connects rural physicians with Atlanta-based specialists through telehealth consultations, potentially reducing long-distance travel for families seeking specialized treatment.
Welsh emphasized that the consequences of limited access extend beyond emergencies. Without routine pediatric visits, children may miss vaccinations, developmental screenings and opportunities to identify physical or mental health concerns early.
The partnership’s long-term goal is to establish sustainable pediatric care throughout rural Georgia, with Welsh hoping every rural community will have meaningful access to children’s health services within the next decade.
For Sumner, the effort represents more than placing doctors in underserved counties. It is about building relationships and ensuring children can receive care close to home.
“We don’t forget them,” Sumner said of participating communities. “We keep going back. We keep talking to them.”
And for families who have spent years traveling hours for medical appointments, that continued commitment could mean something much simpler: a doctor closer to home.
