The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center is collaborating with community partners Dr. L. Joy Baker, MD, FACOG, PMH-C, C-EFM, MT (ASCP), WellStar Medical Group Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Keisha Callins, MD, MPH, OB/GYN, Community Health Care Systems (Jones/Twiggs) to develop and implement the Maternal Health Pilot Project.
The goal of this program is to bring monthly prenatal services to rural Georgia counties that currently do not have any prenatal care services. Working with office-based, high-end general imaging ultrasound equipment and hand-held ultrasound equipment, approved practice guidelines for the performance of obstetrical ultrasound will be used. This pilot study program aims to compare the hand-held ultrasound device with the traditional office-based, high-end general imaging ultrasound machine when performing obstetrical sonographic studies.
Comprehensive data will be collected as directed by the physicians and partners to evaluate effectiveness and outcomes. As we plan to expand services, take on larger scale communities, and combat Georgia’s high maternal mortality rate, we look forward to partnering with Global Partnership for Telehealth (GPT), a non-profit telehealth network provider.
The Maternal Health Pilot program aims to improve health literacy and access to maternal care, address transportation barriers, and reduce health disparities across Georgia.
The Center is currently preparing an Institutional Review Board (IRB) research project application with plans to submit to Mercer University’s IRB Review committee this month. The project team has also gathered data from the Department of Public Health, District 4 regarding obstetric care referrals which will help decide how to pursue program expansion into west-central Georgia.