Effingham Health System is among a handful of rural hospitals to receive state funds under the Dual Track Rural Hospital Support program.
The announcements came Tuesday as Kemp released that the state would be dishing out $6 million in funds.
Administered through the Department of Community Health’s (DCH) State Office of Rural Health (SORH), program awardees have the option of choosing between funding new or existing graduate medical education (GME) programs or direct hospital support through a single application process.
Graduate medical education funds are used to support existing or new GME programs that provide additional training for physicians who have completed medical school and are interested in learning more about a particular specialty of medicine.
Direct hospital support funds can be used to increase access to healthcare, ensure adequate staffing, and make financial and operational improvements. The selected hospitals were awarded between $250,000 and $1 million each to further strengthen access to quality care for Georgia’s rural communities.
The Dual Track Rural Hospital Support Grant is funded through the state’s Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant, which was established in 2014, and has awarded more than $40 million in grant funding for Georgia rural hospitals since its inception.
Effingham Health System opted for direct hospital support funds.
Effingham Health System has been tax exempt since 2015 and in 2022, reported to the IRS that it had:
- $70.4 million in revenue
- $74.1 million in expenses
- $57.2 million in assets
- $49.3 million in liabilities
2022 is the most recent year available on ProPublica. Effingham Health System does not have any information newer than 2021 on its’ Financial Transparency tab on the entity website.
In 2021, however, Effingham County Health system showed $42,753 paid to the hospital from Effingham County taxpayers via property tax assessments.
Other awardees include:
Graduate Medical Education Funding
• John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital (Thomasville, GA) – $1M
• Colquitt Regional Medical Center (Moultrie, GA) – $1M
• Coffee Regional Medical Center (Douglas, GA) – $250,000
• Memorial Health Meadows Hospital (Vidalia, GA) – $250,000
• Fairview Park Hospital (Dublin, GA) – $250,000
Hospital Support Funding
• Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin (Milledgeville, GA) – $500,000
• Emanuel Medical Center (Swainsboro, GA) – $500,000
• Putnam General Hospital (Eatonton, GA) – $500,000
• Washington County Regional Medical Center (Sandersville, GA) – $500,000
• Jefferson Hospital (Louisville, GA) – $250,000
• Upson Regional Medical Center (Thomaston, GA) – $250,000
• Union General Hospital (Blairsville, GA) – $250,000
“These grant awards reflect our commitment to addressing the healthcare needs of rural hospitals and providing effective solutions,” said Joel Presley, executive director of the State Office of Rural Health. “These funds will provide support to initiatives that address critical needs for both Georgia’s rural hospitals and citizens. I’m excited to see how these grants will help drive quality healthcare in these communities.”
Oh if only it wasn’t always about money. Effingham hospital is a mere 10 miles from us, though we live in Bulloch. We’ve always gone to Effingham for our emergency service. They’re always caring and efficient. But our last trip when my husband ruptured his esophagus, we decided that we’d be best served to just drive to St Joseph’s on Abercorn.
Memorial has a habit of linking with corporations who are all about the bottom line. Hospitals truly need to be about patient first.