ATLANTA (July 26, 2013) – Sen. Renee Unterman (R –Buford), chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, recently participated in an extensive four-day tour to examine the unique challenges facing Georgia’s rural health care network.
“It was an honor to visit Georgia’s rural health care facilities and gather feedback from some of our state’s most respected health care providers and policymakers, said Sen. Unterman. “Working to strengthen public-private partnerships is crucial to bringing quality health care to Georgians and reducing the growing disparity between rural and urban health care networks statewide.”
Throughout her years as a public servant, Sen. Renee Unterman has focused on improving Georgia’s extensive health care system, and has given special attention to developing specialized programs and services to optimize Georgia’s rural health care network.
While visiting districts across South Georgia, Sen. Unterman was joined by several of her colleagues in the General Assembly, including Sens. Cecil Staton, Dean Burke, Tim Golden and Rep. Amy Carter. Highlights of the trip include visits to the following health care facilities:
- The Calhoun County Public Health Department
- The Dougherty County Public Health Department
- The Phoebe Putney Medical Center in Albany
- Bainbridge Memorial Hospital
- Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville
- South GA. Medical and the Valdosta State University Health Sciences Building
- The Medical Center of Central Georgia and the Mercer University School of Medicine
At each stop along the tour, Sen. Unterman worked with interested stakeholders and health care providers to identify possible solutions to strengthen Georgia’s health care network and ensure rural health care facilities continue to operate under the highest quality of care.
The four-day tour concluded with a joint statewide public forum to solicit input for both the intrastate funding formula for aging services and the Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias State Plan. During the 2013 Legislative Session, Sen. Renee Unterman sponsored the resolution responsible for creating the Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Task Force. This group of policymakers and interested stakeholders will help establish a comprehensive statewide plan for addressing the current and future impact of Alzheimer’s disease in Georgia.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release
July 26, 2013
For Contact Information:
Jennifer Yarber, Interim Director
Shawna Mercer, Sr. Communications Specialist
Shawna.mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028