Mercer University School of Medicine and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center have announced the expansion of their Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC) program for a third year. Supported by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the initiative now involves 22 rural hospitals across Georgia.
Eight new hospitals have joined the program in its third year: Donalsonville Hospital in Seminole County, Irwin County Hospital in Irwin County, Jenkins County Medical Center in Jenkins County, Liberty Regional Medical Center in Liberty County, SGMC Health Berrien in Berrien County, St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greene County, Stephens County Hospital in Stephens County, and Warm Springs Medical Center in Meriwether County.
The KidsABC program began in February 2023 to address difficulties rural hospitals face when providing pediatric care. Many rural facilities struggle to keep children for treatment locally and often lack resources for emergency and mental health services. The program offers training, support, and equipment to help these hospitals improve pediatric care delivery within their communities.
“It’s exciting to see the impact KidsABC is making in rural communities. It’s inspiring to see the dedication from participating hospitals to enhance the care they already provide to the members of their communities,” said MUSM Dean Jean R. Sumner, M.D., FACP. “Keeping care for kids as close to home as possible is a major goal of the program. Through specialized training and pediatric equipment installations, we’re seeing these hospitals strengthen their ability to deliver high-quality pediatric care in their facilities.”
“It is so exciting to see how much progress has been made in a short amount of time toward improving access to quality pediatric health care for all of Georgia’s kids,” said Donna Hyland, Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “We are thrilled that these adult hospital systems are working with KidsABC to better support their physicians and local patient families seeking care close to home.”
The initiative builds a statewide network connecting rural hospital emergency departments with pediatricians, family medicine physicians, regional pediatric hospitals, and school systems. The collaboration aims to provide emergency department support through clinical guidance and training; facilitate telehealth consultations between providers; expand behavioral health services such as virtual counseling; and increase school-based mental health assessments.
To help sustain improvements made by KidsABC programs into the future—especially regarding primary care access—the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Rural Pediatric Scholarship Program awards ten annual scholarships to Mercer medical students who plan careers serving rural Georgia communities. Additionally, scholarships are available for those training as family therapists focused on rural mental health needs.
KidsABC plans further expansion over seven years with an aim toward strengthening pediatric healthcare throughout all rural areas of Georgia.
More information about KidsABC initiatives can be found at https://den.mercer.edu/school-of-medicine-announces-community-partners-in-rural-pediatric-health-care-initiative/ and details on collaborative expansions are available at https://den.mercer.edu/musm-and-grhic-expand-major-rural-pediatric-health-care-initiative-to-newly-selected-hospitals/.
