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.

  • We cared for nearly 26,000 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

Children's rural pediatric scholars

Meet the Children's Rural Pediatric Scholars

Meet the Rural Pediatric Scholars, who have been awarded full tuition scholarships for their commitment to practicing in rural communities after residency.
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 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.

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 (Kids ABC), 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 guided by Children's in their own communities.

  • Noey Bravely Battles Leukemia and Helps Other Kids

    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.

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, 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.