ATLANTA – State Representative Mack Jackson (D-Sandersville) recently convened the second meeting of the House Rural Development Council for the 2023-2024 legislative term at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. Rep. Jackson was named co-chair of the House Rural Development Council, along with State Representative Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert), by House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) earlier this year.
“It was a pleasure to hold the second meeting of the House Rural Development Council at Georgia Southern University, alongside my co-chair Representative Gerald Greene and fellow legislators, as we continue to work towards prioritizing the needs of Georgia’s rural communities,” said Rep. Jackson. “I was proud to see such an impressive turn out as the council heard from numerous state leaders and stakeholders who share an interest in supporting Georgia’s rural communities. I am eager to see the results of this meeting be put into action as we approach the 2024 legislative session.”
During this two-day convening of the House Rural Development Council, members received testimony from agency heads, state and local leaders and numerous stakeholders on several areas of concern and importance that impact Georgia’s rural communities. Specifically, this meeting heavily focused its efforts on addressing issues relating to access to rural health care, aging support, medical coverage for veterans and service members, resources for children and families and updates on juvenile justice and mental health for young Georgians.
The council received an update from Georgia Health Initiative on various rural health indicators, highlighting the needs and disparities for accessible health care across the state. Georgia Health Initiative gave an overview of county health rankings based on four overall categories including health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. The initiative reported that about three in five rural counties are ranked in the bottom half for health outcomes and health factors and fewer than one in five non rural counties were ranked in the bottom half for health outcomes and health factors.
The council also heard from the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) on Georgia’s Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program. GHA provided an overview of the impact that the Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program has had on hospitals in rural Georgia and, specifically, how those tax credit dollars are being spent to best serve the needs all Georgians living in rural communities. GHA also touched briefly on the nationwide impact of the Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program stating that several other states have asked for information about the program and how to best implement the program in their respective state. State Senator Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro), echoed this statement to the council, emphasizing the importance of the Rural Hospital Tax Credit Program and the positive impact it has had on Georgia’s rural communities.
The Georgia’s Department of Community Health (DCH) commissioner Russel Carlson provided the council with a status update on rural hospitals from a financial perspective. DCH gave a review of the supplemental funding for rural hospitals and the sources of that funding. Specifically, he discussed the State Directed Payment Preprints (DPP), the Rural Hospital Tax Credit (RHTC) Program and the Rural Hospital Stabilization (RHS) Grant Program and how these programs compliment rural hospitals in Georgia. The Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University informed the council on the need for more doctors and medical professionals. The university reported that Georgia ranks 40th in the number of active physicians and 40th in the number of primary care physicians. In addition, the university reported that 89 of Georgia’s 159 counties are designated as care health professional shortage areas.
Representatives from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) gave the council an overview of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) and their role in drug spending in rural Georgia. The presentation detailed an in-depth definition of what PBMs are in addition to stressing the importance of their purpose to provide accessible avenues for acquiring necessary medications. The association also outlined the savings and patient impact of PBMs in Georgia stating that these pharmacy benefit experts have the ability to secure lower prescription drug costs and enable better outcomes for patients. Georgia’s Council on Aging presented members of the council with an update on aging in rural Georgia stating that the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center predicts the proportion of Georgia’s population who are age 60 and older is projected to grow rapidly in the next 20 years. Georgia’s Council on Aging also covered their priorities for the upcoming year including additional funding for home and community based services, establishing multidisciplinary teams for adult abuse, neglect and exploitation, medical aid in dying and improvements to assisted living. Members from Kaiser Permanente in Georgia gave the council a detailed overview of a program implemented in Virginia, which gives military veterans the opportunity to enter into health care following active duty. The organization stressed the need for this program in Georgia to allow for more health care officials who are readily available in rural parts of the state.
Finally, to conclude the first day of the House Rural Development Council meetings, House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) addressed the council to thank them for their dedicated efforts in prioritizing rural Georgia in addition to working to expand economic opportunity to every part of the state.
The following day, the council reconvened to hear from additional agency heads and stakeholders. The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) provided the council with an update on Georgia’s foster care system in addition to highlighting some of the needs for rural foster care. Specifically, DHS emphasized the need for increased mental health services for adults and youth, increased accessibility to resources that provide support for youth experiencing mental health crises, more impatient and outpatient drug rehabilitation facilities for parents and additional placement resources for youth in foster care with complex needs. The council also heard from the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice on the challenges faced by the department concerning their rural facilities, including staffing shortages and recruitment and retention of employees.
Lastly, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) presented the council with an outline of their initiatives for rural Georgia. Currently, DBHDD is partnering with sheriffs in 30 southwest and central Georgia counties to conduct a transportation study assessing the impact of mental health transports on local law enforcement, particularly in rural areas. The goal of this initiative is to explore alternatives to the current process where individuals in a mental health crisis, mandated for evaluation by a physician or probate judge, are transported by the local sheriff’s department. In addition, DBHDD discussed the Georgia Apex Program, a school-based mental health program aimed at enhancing the accessibility of mental health services for school-aged youth from Pre-K to 12th grade across the state. DBHDD reports that 49.7 percent of Apex schools are located in rural Georgia.
The council will explore legislative solutions to these issues and others during the 2024 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly.
The House Rural Development Council was first created in 2017 to work with rural communities to find ways to encourage economic growth and job creation. During the 2023 legislative session, the council was renewed for the current term through the unanimous adoption of House Resolution 488.
More information about the House Rural Development Council may be found here: https://www.house.ga.gov/Committees/en-US/HouseRuralDevelopmentCouncil.aspx
Representative Mack Jackson represents the citizens of District 128, which includes Glascock, Hancock, Warren and Washington counties, as well as portions of Baldwin and McDuffie counties. He was elected in 2008 and currently serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development and the Health, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Reapportionment and Redistricting, Rules, Small Business Development, State Planning & Community Affairs and Transportation committees.
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