Two local hospitals partner with Mercer University School of Medicine to boost pediatric health

The rural pediatric health care initiative aims to keep kids closer to home for treatment instead of sending them to bigger cities that are further away.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Monroe County Hospital and Bleckley Memorial Hospital are partnering with the Mercer University School of Medicine and its Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center.

In 2023, the Mercer University School of Medicine launched a major initiative to strengthen access to pediatric healthcare in rural communities across the state. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta partnered with Mercer and established a dedicated fund of $200 million over 10 years to support this effort. The effort established the Kids Alliance for Better Care (KidsABC) and initially involved hospitals, pediatricians and school systems in 12 rural Georgia counties.

The hospitals in Cochran and Forsyth are two of six added this year.

“We’ve already taken several of our nurses to training so that they can get the best training that there is possible for our pediatric population,” said Casey Fleckenstein, Monroe County Hospital Chief Nursing Officer.  “We’ve gotten some additional equipment already. We already had some pediatric equipment, but this allowed us to just expand upon that and get some additional things that are specialized just for pediatrics.”

Dr. Jean Sumner, the Dean of the Mercer University School of Medicine, is looking forward to seeing the impact the initiative has on Monroe, Bleckley and other rural counties across the state. She says what she enjoys the most is watching staff learn and grow to better serve their community.

“The fun thing is to watch them work together and to build pride in their work,” Dr. Sumner said.  “They are good people and they do good work, and they want to do even better work. And this alliance allows us to accomplish that.”