DESCRIPTION The Center for Rural Health (The Center) is a sub-set of the Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation – the nonprofit division of GHA that receives and administers grant funds for the purpose of creating valued added services at free or reduced rates for the association’s membership. All GHA member hospitals, that meet the Center’s definition of a ‘small rural’ hospital, are vicariously members of the Center for Rural Health. The Center requires no additional dues or fees of its members. The Center originated as a GHA member council referred to as the “Council on Small and Rural Hospitals”. Upon receipt of grant from Healthcare Georgia Foundation, the council was more formally organized, complete with By Laws and a governing board, in August of 2005 as “The Center for Rural Health”. The Governing Board of Trustees is comprised of 9 to 12 members including the President of GHA as an ex-officio member. The Executive Director of the Center has dual reporting responsibilities to GHA Executive Leadership as well as the governing board of the Center.

MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of the Center for Rural Health is to represent the needs of Georgia’s small and rural hospitals in a manner that promotes accessibility to high quality, cost efficient healthcare, and to act as a central agency for the study, discussion, resolution, and dissemination of ideas and information that addresses problems faced by small and rural hospitals.

CENTER FOR RURAL HEALTH DEFINITION FOR A “SMALL RURAL HOSPITAL” An acute care or critical access hospital which is a member of GHA and meets the following criteria: (1) have an average daily hospital inpatient census of seventy-five (75) or fewer; (2) be located in a county with a population of seventy-five thousand (75,000) persons or fewer; or (3) is a Critical Access Hospital (CAH). There are 69 small rural hospitals including 34 Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and 35 Prospective Payment System (PPS) Hospitals Approximately 34 small rural hospitals provide OB services Approximately 14 are certified through CMS/State Licensure and approximately 55 are certified through The Joint Commission Approximately 26 small rural hospitals operate hospital based nursing homes Average size of a small rural hospital in Georgia - licensed for 50 beds Avergae size of a county w/ a small rural hospital - 20,000 Average Appropriate Care Measure (ACM) score – 67%

* Center's Strategic Plan