Funding will support expansion of programs
that work to place physicians and dentists in rural parts of
Georgia
ATLANTA, Jan. 24,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Peach State Health
Plan, a care management organization that serves the needs of
Georgians through a range of health insurance solutions and a
wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC),
and the Centene Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Centene
Corporation, announced a $2.2 million
funding commitment to Augusta
University (AU). The funding will facilitate the expansion of the
University's Medical College of Georgia
(MCG) 3+ Primary Care Pathway Program (MCG 3+
Program), as well as support the launch of a new loan
forgiveness program for the university's Dental College of Georgia
(DCG) students who commit to five years of practice in rural
and underserved areas. This commitment builds on an existing
relationship with AU and is another example of the work underway to
approach challenges that result from provider shortages in rural
areas of the state.
Peach State Health Plan and the Centene Foundation played a
critical role in the launch of the MCG 3+ Program, with an initial
$5.2 million investment in 2021.The
program, now in its third year, is a critical element in efforts to
combat the rural physician shortage by placing doctors where they
are needed most in Georgia. The
new loan forgiveness program will offer dental students – who agree
to practice in rural, underserved Georgia counties after completing
their dental training – with financial support for tuition.
$200,000 will fund the development of
this program.
"Our collaborative efforts with Augusta University – and its MCG and DCG – are
shining examples of how public-private partnerships provide
long-term solutions to complex healthcare shortages in rural
areas," said Centene's Chief Growth Officer and Plan President and
Chief Executive Officer of Peach State Health Plan, Wade Rakes. "We are proud of the progress being
made by the MCG 3+ Primary Care Pathway Program, which graduated
its first cohort of medical students in May
2023. Peach State Health Plan is confident that a similar
program at the Dental College of Georgia will share the same
success."
According to the 2022 Georgia Board of Health Care
Workforce Report on Rural Physicians, ongoing shortages of
physicians and health care specialists in rural areas of Georgia
have resulted in serious gaps in access to quality health care. In
2022, the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce's Annual Dentist
Workforce Report found that there were 22 counties in Georgia with no practicing dentist, while the
Georgia Department of Community Health found that 127 counties in
Georgia are experiencing at least
partial shortages in dental care.
"Augusta University, our MCG,
and now our DCG, are proud to partner with Peach State Health plan
to expand and create programs that are working to place physicians
and dentists in areas of Georgia where they are needed most," said
Brooks A. Keel, PhD, president of
Augusta University. "Our MCG 3+
Primary Care Pathway Program has been a tremendous success, and
with this additional investment, we are closer to establishing a
fund that will work in perpetuity. We look forward to seeing the
same success with a similar program at our DCG."
"The DCG's new partnerships with Peach State Health Plan and the
rural dentistry program is an innovative milestone in making sure
our new dentists are financially capable of opening new practices
in rural areas of the state," said Nancy
Young, DMD, MED, dean of the DCG at Augusta University. "As Georgia's only dental
school, we are constantly working to make sure the dentists we
train are prepared to serve residents in all parts of Georgia. This
new program will help us do that."
About Medical College of Georgia
(MCG)
The Medical College of
Georgia at Augusta
University is one of the nation's largest medical schools by
class size, with 264 students per class. The educational experience
is anchored by the main campus in Augusta, regional clinical campuses for third-
and fourth-year students across the state and a second four-year
campus in Athens in partnership
with the University of Georgia. MCG's
expanding partnerships with physicians and hospitals across Georgia
currently provides about 350 sites where students can experience
the full spectrum of medicine, from complex care hospitals to
small-town solo practices. MCG and its teaching hospitals also
provide postgraduate education to more than 500 residents and
fellows in more than 50 different Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Education-approved programs.
About the Dental College of Georgia (DCG)
The Dental
College of Georgia at Augusta
University is committed to growing in its purpose of teaching,
patient care, research, and service. Since inception, we have
graduated nearly 2,500 dentists who are now providing oral
healthcare in Georgia and around
the world. Established in 1969, the DCG is the state's sole
dental college now providing education and training for more than
300 dental students and approximately 60 residents per year. In
addition to offering a high-quality education in our
state-of-the-art facilities, we provide care to nearly 50,000
patients each year, some traveling across the state or more to be
treated by our students, residents, and faculty.
About Peach State Health Plan (PSHP)
Peach State
Health Plan is a care management organization that serves the needs
of Georgians through a range of health insurance solutions. Peach
State Health Plan serves the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids®
population in partnership with Georgia Families. The organization
also focuses on under-insured and uninsured individuals through its
federal insurance marketplace plan, Ambetter, and its Medicare
Advantage Special Needs Plan. Peach State Health Plan is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare
enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For
more information visit www.pshpgeorgia.com.
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SOURCE Peach State Health Plan