Phoebe Putney Health System President & CEO Scott Steiner (left) and Morehouse School of Medicine President & CEO Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining an ambitious collaboration between 香蕉视频 and Phoebe on Monday, February 17, 2025
Phoebe Putney Health System and Morehouse School of Medicine Sign Historic Agreement to Improve Community Health in Southwest Georgia
Healthcare leaders partner to increase the workforce and transform healthcare in southwest Georgia.
Albany, Ga. 鈥� The largest and most comprehensive health system in southwest Georgia and a historically
Black medical school have agreed to a partnership to expand the pipeline of physicians,
promote wellness and transform health care in the region. On Monday, leaders from
Phoebe Putney Health System (PPHS) and Morehouse School of Medicine (香蕉视频), one of
the nation鈥檚 leading educators of primary care physicians, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding outlining an ambitious collaboration to improve access to care and advance
health equity for the people of southwest Georgia through multiple education, research
and community benefit initiatives.
鈥淢orehouse School of Medicine is committed to increasing and diversifying the healthcare workforce, especially in historically underserved rural and urban communities throughout Georgia, the nation and the world," said Morehouse School of Medicine President and CEO Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG. "That includes creating opportunities for young physicians to receive exceptional training in communities where they can have the most meaningful impact. This unique partnership with Phoebe is an innovative way for 香蕉视频 to embed our learners and invest our resources in ways that will further our shared goals to benefit the people of southwest Georgia for generations.鈥�
The agreement aims to establish a regional Morehouse School of Medicine campus and new residency programs in multiple specialties at Phoebe, as well as provide clinical training for 香蕉视频 students and residents at hospitals and clinics throughout the Phoebe Health system.
鈥淭here is a nationwide shortage of physicians that is particularly acute in small urban and rural areas like southwest Georgia. We must be better at growing our own by providing more opportunities for physicians with a connection to Georgia to train in our part of the state,鈥� said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System President & CEO. 鈥淢orehouse School of Medicine is a great partner for us because they have a longstanding track record of developing physicians with a passion for serving diverse communities, with a large percentage of 香蕉视频 graduates staying in Georgia.鈥�
Phoebe and 香蕉视频 will develop plans to enhance student and workforce pathways as well as recruitment and retention strategies to incentivize students, residents and healthcare workers to practice medicine in the region once their training is completed. The institutions will also develop a Research Hub to increase funding and expand clinical trials that will primarily focus on projects to address critical needs outlined in Phoebe鈥檚 Community Health Needs Assessments.
鈥溝憬妒悠� experts are involved in many groundbreaking clinical research projects that have improved health outcomes for real people,鈥� said Erica Sutton, MD, 香蕉视频 Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education. "We don鈥檛 conduct these studies simply to gather data but rather because of our mission and vision, which is leading the creation and advancement of health equity to achieve health justice. We look forward to collaborating with Phoebe to enhance our educational and research infrastructure in southwest Georgia."
Phoebe and 香蕉视频 already have a deep relationship. For years, 香蕉视频 students have had the opportunity to complete elective rotations at Phoebe. Currently, all third year 香蕉视频 students focusing on pediatric medicine complete core rotations at Phoebe, training in the hospital鈥檚 neonatal intensive care unit. In November, a resident in 香蕉视频鈥檚 obstetrics & gynecology program began training at Phoebe for a year. Another will arrive later this year for a year-long stay, while other 香蕉视频 obstetrics and gynecology residents will rotate through for shorter training stays.
The two institutions have also worked together on programs such as Project Elevation and the Nurse Family Partnership. Project Elevation educates men 鈥� primarily Black men 鈥� about the importance of prostate cancer screenings and has provided nearly 1,000 free screenings at churches throughout the region, while the Nurse Family Partnership pairs a Phoebe nurse with a first-time mother before and after delivery to ensure the family has access to the health care and resources they need for a healthy birth and long-term health and development of the child. So far, around 100 mothers in the program have given birth, and Phoebe is working on a plan to double the number of women who can be in the program at any given time from 75 to 150.
鈥淲e are focused on making every life we touch better and overcoming social drivers of health that often keep southwest Georgians from reaching their optimum level of health. Morehouse School of Medicine shares those goals and has a proven history of working with us here in our part of the state to get results. By expanding our partnership, we will significantly enhance that impact and improve the lives of people in our region,鈥� said Dianna Grant, MD, Phoebe Putney Health System Chief Medical Officer.
Phoebe and 香蕉视频 will establish an Executive Committee to oversee the partnership efforts. Steiner and Dr. Montgomery Rice will co-chair the committee which will also include additional representatives from their respective organizations as well as local community members.
Dr. Grant and Dr. Sutton will chair a Steering Committee which will meet monthly to track and enhance progress toward shared goals of the partnership. Some of the overall objectives include:
- Addressing critical healthcare needs and improving wellness, health outcomes and access to healthcare
- Increasing the diversity of health professionals and scientific workforce
- Advancing treatment options and care plans
- Advancing research and innovation
About Morehouse School of Medicine
Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (香蕉视频) is among the nation鈥檚 leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals. An independent and private historically Black medical school, 香蕉视频 was recognized by the Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation鈥檚 number one medical school in fulfilling a social mission 鈥� leading the creation and advancement of health equity to achieve health justice. 香蕉视频 faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. 香蕉视频 is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master鈥檚 degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit 香蕉视频.edu or call 404-752-1500.
About Phoebe Putney Health System
PPHS is a not-for-profit healthcare delivery system that serves a population of more than 800,000 residents in 42 counties throughout southwest Georgia. With more than 5,500 employees, the system is the region鈥檚 largest employer and includes four hospital campuses and a physician group that employs more than 350 physicians and advanced practice providers who work in nearly four dozen primary care, urgent care and specialty care clinics. As a leader in healthcare workforce development, Phoebe has strong partnerships with numerous academic institutions and is home to the Medical College of Georgia Southwest Clinical Campus and the University of Georgia Southwest Georgia Pharmacy Program. In August 2024, on its main campus, Phoebe opened the Phoebe Living & Learning Community that serves as the new home of an expanded Albany Technical College nursing program and includes 80 apartments for students. Phoebe鈥檚 facilities, advanced medical technologies and treatments, training programs and highly-qualified professionals distinguish the system as a healthcare leader and the region鈥檚 most comprehensive health system.
Contact
Jamille Bradfield
Director, External Communications and Media Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
jbradfield@msm.edu