Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: "Transforming Pediatric Care in Rural Georgia"

Guests: Marc Welch (VP, Children’s Advocacy, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta) & Dr. Jean Sumner (Dean, Mercer University School of Medicine)
Host: Chris Sosa
Date: August 24, 2025

Overview

This episode explores an innovative partnership between Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Mercer University School of Medicine through the “Kids Alliance for Better Care” program. The discussion centers on the challenges and solutions for providing pediatric care in rural Georgia, highlighting strategies to address healthcare disparities, workforce shortages, and the importance of community-driven approaches. The conversation is rich with firsthand experience, reflections on rural health, and hopes for transformational, sustainable change.

Guest Introductions & Backgrounds

[00:19-01:19]

• Dr. Jean Sumner:

  • Internist by training; Dean at Mercer University School of Medicine for nearly a decade.
  • Lifelong experience practicing in rural Georgia, committed to reducing health disparities.
  • Mercer’s mission: “helping alleviate health disparities in rural Georgia.”

• Marc Welch:

  • VP of Child Advocacy, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; epidemiologist by training.
  • Eight years with the organization, focused on community prevention work and public health initiatives, including this rural health project.

Why Rural Pediatric Care is So Critical

[01:39-02:56]

• Challenge: Of Georgia’s 159 counties, 120 are rural; 65 have no pediatrician.
• Family physicians fill gaps, but pediatricians offer unique expertise.
• Legislators have invested in rural health, but health outcomes for kids have not kept pace.
• Dr. Sumner: “I believe that the most underserved area of medicine is care for children.” [01:49]
• The program aspires to serve as a national model for rural pediatric care.

Program Origins & Four Pillars of Impact

[03:12-06:47]

Marc Welch outlines four focus areas, refined through collaboration and community engagement:

1. Rural Hospitals Support:
   • Hospitals mainly serve adults; needed preparation for pediatric emergencies and care capabilities.
2. Pediatrician Support & Connection:
   • Many rural pediatricians work in isolation:
     • “Often we're out here on an island, we're on our own… they don't have a partner down the hall.” [04:14 – Welch]
   • Program offers telehealth, case sharing, and expert faculty engagement to foster connection.
3. Behavioral and Mental Health Access:
   • Amplified stigma and lack of services in rural areas.
   • Emphasis on school-based screening and completing the “loop” by connecting kids directly to care:
     • “It's not about just screening and identifying and leaving. You have to close the loop and connect to care.” [05:25 – Welch]
4. Long-Term Workforce Development:
   • Scholarships for medical and mental health students who will commit to practice in rural Georgia.
   • “We are excited to have 27 young people… scholarships that will cover their full med school tuition, and they'll commit to four years of serving in a rural community post that training.” [06:11 – Welch]

Building Trust and Local Connection

[07:08-12:38]

Dr. Sumner discusses Mercer’s deep roots and trust in rural communities:

• Mercer recruits and trains rural Georgia students specifically for rural practice.
  • “We only accept Georgians and we preferentially accept rural students. …About 5% or less of students in MD programs came from a small town. And at Mercer, we're between 40 and 50%...” [09:46 – Sumner]
• Many obstacles: Distance, economic strain, misunderstanding of rural culture and motivation.
• Trust is key:
  • “You can't be a mobile doctor. The scholarships… require[d] to live and work in those rural communities. They don't commute.” [08:43 – Sumner]
• Community strengths:
  • “…Rural communities are often looked at as unsophisticated, as not educated… but nothing could be further from the truth. They're actually resilient… people care about their families and they want to do well.” [07:23 – Sumner]
• Networks & Coalitions:
  • Sharing resources, best practices, and telehealth connections between counties.
• Improving local capacity leads to better outcomes and less travel burden for families.

Notable Story

• Dr. Sumner on small-town bonds:
  • “…You know everybody, you know who smokes secretly, you know who drives too fast, you know who does other things, but you care about you. It's a diverse group… you want them to have confidence in your institution.” [10:46 – Sumner]

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Approach

[13:25-14:47]

• Marc Welch emphasizes their approach is grounded in humility and real listening.
• “We will never have that wisdom and the lived experience of what it means to live in one of these rural communities… so the biggest thing for us has been to be willing to have the humility to come and say, ‘Hey, teach us, help us understand where we can make the biggest impact.’” [13:36 – Welch]
• Two-pronged commitment:
  • Financial investment
  • Pediatric expertise from Children’s
• Guidance and engagement led by partners on the ground (Mercer).

Looking to the Future: Hopes and Goals

[15:01-19:38]

• 10-Year Commitment: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has pledged support for a decade.
• Vision: Lasting transformation for families, children, and local economies.
  • “[We] believe that not only are we transforming the health of children and will continue to work diligently to do that, we're transforming economically some of these communities that give the opportunity for industry to come in or businesses and have good health care...” [16:04 – Sumner]
• Sustainable Workforce: Scholarships in medicine and mental health now producing homegrown professionals dedicated to rural Georgia:
  • “We're giving hope again to those communities and having a workforce that will be sustainable, we hope.” [18:17 – Sumner]
• Continuous Learning: Ongoing free education and specialty clinics are bringing expertise closer—patients can avoid long, disruptive trips for care.

Notable Quote

• On progress and partnership:
  • “We're building this family of network that we will stay in touch with and continue to bring them the best that we can bring them. …A lot of that comes from suggestions from the community. What do you think about this? And so we listen intensely and then we try to address those needs.” [16:57 – Sumner]
• On the future:
  • “I think about the kids that will be exposed to a pediatrician because of the work that we're doing, that they themselves will decide that they want a career as a pediatrician because of the exposure that they're getting. I think those are the transformative things as we look five, ten years down the line…” [19:10 – Welch]

Memorable Quotes & Reflections

• “It's easy to sit in a big city and say, I know best… We'll never have that wisdom and the lived experience…”
  — Marc Welch [13:36]

• “What we do is build long-term trust with these communities. When MRSA comes, we don't go away and we listen to the community and we learn what the issues are.”
  — Dr. Jean Sumner [08:11]

• “Healthy children become healthy young people become healthy adults, and children's health transforms the family.”
  — Dr. Jean Sumner [15:27]

Key Timestamps

• 01:39 — Dr. Sumner outlines the pediatric provider shortage in Georgia’s rural counties.
• 03:12 — Marc Welch introduces the four core focus areas of the partnership.
• 07:08 — Dr. Sumner describes how Mercer works deeply within and listens to rural communities.
• 10:10 — Building rural coalitions, trust, and community interconnections.
• 13:36 — Welch discusses the humility needed for effective partnerships with rural communities.
• 15:01 — Interviews turn to the long-term vision: health, economic transformation, and workforce.
• 16:57 — Dr. Sumner on community engagement and learning.

Episode Takeaways

• Rural pediatric care faces unique access and workforce challenges; solutions require community trust and sustained, locally-informed interventions.
• The Kids Alliance for Better Care combines resources, expertise, and local wisdom to strengthen hospitals, connect providers, build the workforce, and improve behavioral health access.
• The program’s collaborative, respectful approach could serve as a national model.
• Impact is measured in both health and community vitality: healthier children, empowered communities, and hope for future generations.