The Center for Rural Health is a council within the Georgia Hospital Association that embodies the interests of Georgia's small rural hospitals, which we define as an acute care or critical access hospital that meets one of the following criteria: 

• an average daily (inpatient) census of 75 or fewer and located in a county with a population of 75,000 people or fewer
• or, designated critical access hospitals (CAH)

There are 71 hospital members of the Center for Rural Health.

The Center for Rural Health is governed by a board of trustees comprised of 11 small rural hospital CEOs, the president of GHA (ex-officio), and the executive director of The Center for Rural Health.  The executive director has dual reporting responsibilities to GHA executive leadership as well as the governing board of the Center.

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 and cost-efficient health care 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.

The 2022-23 Center for Rural Health Board was announced during the 2022 Center for Rural Health Annual Meeting Aug. 17-19 at St. Simons Island.

Chair

Michael Gay, Union General Hospital, Blairsville

Chair-Elect

Damien Scott, Emanuel Medical Center, Swainsboro

Immediate Past Chair

Kim Gilman, Phoebe Worth Medical Center, Sylvester

Regional Trustees

Laura Gentry, Atrium Health Navicent Peach, Byron

Tyler Williams, Habersham Medical Center, Demorest

James Womack, Mitchell County Hospital, Camilla

Antoine Poythress, Jenkins County Medical Center, Millen

Tammy Mims, Liberty Regional Medical Center, Hinesville

At Large Trustees

Glenn Gann, Southeast Georgia Health System Camden Campus, Brunswick

Angie Stiggins, CHI Memorial Hospital of Georgia, Fort Oglethorpe

Tanya Adcock, St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital, Greensboro

GHA and Georgia Southern University (GSU) have partnered to provide state-mandated educational training for hospital executives and board members.

Georgia Heart Hospital Program - Employee Giving Guide

Payroll Deduction Calculator (password protected)
Department of Revenue Proposed Contribution Timeline
Center for Rural Health Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program Eligibility - Keri Conley, Associate General Counsel & Carie Summers, VP Healthcare Financing, Georgia Hospital Association
Eligibility Flow Chart for SB 258- Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program
Grassroots Fundraising - Patti Lyons, Executive Partner, Pride Philanthropy
Rural Hospital Tax Credit: Legal Considerations - Sarah F. Kuipers, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Tax and Record Keeping for SB 258 - Jim Creamer, Partner & Bert Bennett, Partner, Draffin & Tucker
Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program (SB 258) - Audio File - C. Bert Bennett, Partner, Draffin & Tucker

Established under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) are limited-service hospitals located in rural areas with no more than 25 acute-care beds. They receive cost-based payment for Medicare patients and are relieved from some Medicare regulations. There are 30 CAHs in Georgia.

• Atrium Health Navicent Peach
• Bacon County Hospital and Health System
• Bleckley Memorial Hospital
• Brooks County Hospital
• Candler County Hospital
• Chatuge Regional Hospital, Inc.
• Clinch Memorial Hospital
• Effingham Health System
• Elbert Memorial Hospital
• Floyd Polk Medical Center
• Higgins General Hospital
• Jasper Memorial Hospital
• Jeff Davis Hospital
• Jenkins County Medical Center
• Liberty Regional Medical Center
• LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early
• Miller County Hospital
• Mitchell County Hospital
• Monroe County Hospital, Atrium Health Navicent Partner
• Morgan Medical Center
• Mountain Lakes Medical Center
• Optim Medical Center - Screven
• Optim Medical Center - Tattnall
• Phoebe Worth Medical Center
• Putnam General Hospital
• South Georgia Medical Center Lanier Campus
• St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital
• Warm Springs Medical Center
• Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital, Inc.
• Wills Memorial Hospital