James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 37
pipeline of nurses and other healthcare
professionals in southwest Georgia.
A ribbon cutting for the facility
was held in early August, located on
Phoebe’s main campus in Albany. Ben
Roberts, Phoebe’s director of public
relations and communications, says
the first floor will be home to Albany
Technical College’s expanded nursing,
medical assistant and phlebotomy
programs. The upper two floors will
include 80 apartments for students
so they can live where they learn and
train. And Phoebe is offering housing
assistance for students who agree to a
work commitment with Phoebe after
graduation.
Program. And Ahmad and the Graduate Medical Education Committee have
already applied for full accreditation of
the new residency program.
“Although Dr. Ahmad has worked
with us well in advance of his onsite
work, we are excited to have him officially joining the team at the Brunswick Campus where he will continue
leading our graduate medical education accreditation efforts and preparations for the ACGME site visit,” says
Scott Raynes, president and CEO of
the Southeast Georgia Health System.
health coverage commission
Georgia lawmakers created the
Comprehensive Health Coverage ComNeeds in rural Georgia
mission this past legislative session
It’s well-known that rural commu- and it held its first meeting in late July.
nities face significant barriers in acThe commission’s statutory purpose
cessing essential medical care due to is to advise the governor, General Asa shortage of healthcare facilities and sembly and the Department of Comproviders. Patients often must travel
munity Health, as the administrator of
long distances to reach the nearest
the state medical assistance program,
hospital or specialist, leading to deon issues related to access and quality
lays in treatment and reduced health
of healthcare for low-income and uninoutcomes. To address this problem,
sured populations.
Southeast Georgia Health System has
“Over the past year, the General
implemented an initiative through a
Assembly has carefully considered
residency program designed to enways to improve access to healthcare
hance healthcare access and quality
for Georgians and as a result passed
for the region.
legislation to enact meaningful reforms
The health system says “bringing to the state’s Certificate of Need law,”
graduate medical education to South- said Caylee Noggle, president and CEO
east Georgia is the next step in the
of the Georgia Hospital Association
growth of its system to ensure that
and chairperson of Georgia’s Comprewe not only become the Center of Ex- hensive Health Coverage Commission.
cellence for our communities but also “With those changes going into effect,
attract young medical students and
GHA is shifting its focus to ensuring
graduates who otherwise must leave
that all patients have access to quality
the area to get residency training.
health insurance options.”
We will train and retain these highNoggle went on to say that hospily qualified students, residents and
tals are excited about the panel’s crephysicians to meet the future needs of ation because “it provides a first-ever
our community.”
opportunity to explore what additional
Dr. Aftab Ahmad has been named
options may be available for our uninas program director and brings extensured population. The commission’s
sive experience with founding and
scope of work will address multiple
growing residency programs. He will
areas, including barriers to access to
also serve as designated institutional of- care, and identify opportunities for
ficer and internal medicine program di- improvement that will ensure hospitals
rector for the Southeast Georgia Health can better accomplish their mission of
System’s Graduate Medical Education
caring for all Georgia’s citizens.”
S E PT E M B E R/O C TO BER 2024
37
