Emory Healthcare Partners With Hospitals Statewide on Rural Access Initiative

Emory Healthcare announced a new rural access initiative this week, partnering with hospitals in several rural Georgia counties to place medical residents in underserved communities that have long struggled to recruit and retain primary care physicians.

Under the program, residents completing their training will spend an extended rotation, in some cases up to six months, practicing in a rural clinic setting under the supervision of local physicians. Emory Healthcare says the goal is to expose residents to rural practice early enough in their careers that some choose to stay after completing their training, rather than defaulting to Metro Atlanta practices near larger hospital systems.

"Physicians tend to practice where they trained, which is exactly why rural counties keep losing this recruitment battle," said Emory's Vice President of Graduate Medical Education. "If a resident never sets foot in a rural clinic during training, they're unlikely to consider one after graduation."

Georgia's most rural counties have among the lowest primary care physician-to-resident ratios in the state, according to data cited by Emory Healthcare, forcing many residents to drive substantial distances for routine care. The initiative launched with 20 resident placements this year and is expected to expand next year if early retention results are promising.

Participating hospitals say they are also offering loan repayment incentives to residents who commit to practicing in the partner counties for at least three years after completing training.