Center for Rural Health

GHACenterforRuralLogo

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.


Hospital Leadership Training Program

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


Rural Hospital Tax Credit Resources


Critical Access Hospitals

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.

  • Archbold Brooks County Hospital
  • Archbold Mitchell County Hospital
  • Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center
  • Atrium Health Navicent Peach
  • Bacon County Hospital and Health System
  • Bleckley Memorial Hospital
  • Candler County Hospital
  • Chatuge Regional Hospital, Inc.
  • Clinch Memorial Hospital
  • Early Medical Center
  • Effingham Health System
  • Elbert Memorial Hospital
  • Higgins General Hospital
  • Jasper Memorial Hospital
  • Jeff Davis Hospital
  • Jenkins County Medical Center
  • Liberty Regional Medical Center
  • Miller County Hospital
  • Monroe County Hospital
  • 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