Important Updates

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.

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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.
  • Yearly, we care for more than 25,000 patients from rural communities.
  • 57% of our rural patients are on Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids or unable to cover the cost of their care.

Learn More About Our Impact in Rural Georgia

Dr. Nelliana

Meet Dr. Nelliena Young

Dr. Young was awarded the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Rural Pediatric Scholarship while studying at Mercer University School of Medicine.
Fiona with farm animals

Meet Fiona From Pickens County

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

Children's is supporting Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) 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 27 full-tuition physician scholarships.
  • Starting in 2026, the first pediatric scholars will have completed their medical training and will begin caring for kids 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.

  • To date, this program has funded 10 Marriage and Family Therapy scholarships.

 

Our Work in Rural Communities

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

rural health report

MUSM, GRHIC and Children’s formed the Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC), which provides avenues of support for Georgia’s rural hospitals, school districts, pediatricians and rural family practitioners to keep care for kids close to home. The goal is for kids in rural Georgia to have access to the care they deserve: the best care possible, which is care guided by Children's in their own communities.

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 rural hospitals.
  • Currently, there are 22 rural hospitals participating in the program.

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.
  • Currently, there are 18 rural practices participating in the program.

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 four rural school districts.

 

Children's provides a direct line for rural providers participating in KidsABC to seek consultative support from Children’s pediatric specialists.

KidsABC

The Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC), provides avenues of support for Georgia’s rural hospitals, school districts, pediatricians and rural family practitioners. It is actively working with hospitals and pediatricians 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

Kids across Georgia come to Children's for care.

  • Children's cares for patients from all 159 counties, including all 120 rural counties in Georgia.
  • Children's is equipped to handle the most acute and severely injured kids in our state. Arthur M. Blank Hospital has the only Level I pediatric trauma center in Georgia, and Scottish Rite Hospital is a Level II pediatric trauma center.

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.

  • The Children's School Health program coordinates with the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Association of School Nurses and the Georgia Department of Public Health to provide training, education, technical assistance and communication on clinical pediatric topics.
  • Through Strong4Life, the prevention arm of Children’s, we provide training and resources to families, local schools, early care centers and community organizations. Strong4Life.com was developed by our team of specialists as a free, easy-to-access resource to help Georgia's families raise healthy, safe, resilient kids.
  • 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.