EGHCoop was founded in 1999, by 7 organizations (Emanuel Medical Center, Jefferson Hospital, Jenkins County Hospital, East Georgia Health Care, Community Healthcare Systems, Tri-County Health Care and Washington County Regional Medical Center).  In 2001, MCGHealth Inc. was added as the eighth organizational member.
EGHCOOP is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization located in Washington County providing health care linkages and services to 14 rural counties in East Central Georgia-Candler, Emanuel, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Taliaferro, Tattnall, Treutlen, Twiggs, Warren, Washington, and Wilkinson.  With assistance from The Medical College of Georgia, the Cooperative offers services and expertise to it’s’ members and communities.  Efforts are targeted in four major areas:

1. Shared services.
2. Shared resources for community and staff education.
3. Cooperative endeavors to keep patients in their home communities.
4. Assisting citizens who are uninsured or underinsured in accessing care.

Member Benefits:Benefits to members include group purchasing contracts, access to MCGHealth Inc. educational services and networking. Services “under construction” include: hazardous waste disposal contracts, external peer review brokering, staff education services, medical equipment servicing contracts, group purchasing contract renegotiations.

Excellence in Performance: We are proud that between 1999 and 2008, EGHCoop has secured over $2,000,000 in federal, state, and foundation funding.  The EGHCoop was most recently awarded a three-year HRSA Network Development Grant.

New Initiative: In an attempt to address one of the most significant threats to healthcare infrastructure in rural communities; workforce shortages, Emanual County Medical Center, Jefferson County Hospital, Washington County Regional Medical Center and EGHCoop launched “Club Scrub” in August 2008. The primary goal of this after-school program is to increase awareness of health-related professions through hands-on activities. The program is open to interested eighth grade students who must submit essays for program admission. A select forty-five students (15 for each hospital) will be chosen by EGHCoop to participate. The current class of students are working and learning side-by-side with hospital employees representing a variety of healthcare disciplines, including emergency services, dietary, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, nursing, radiology, laboratory and more. Club Scrub participants meet monthly at their local hospital throughout the entire school year.

Board of Directors:

Jennie Wren Denmark, East Georgia Healthcare Center, Chairman
Rich Bias, MCG Health Inc., Vice Chairman
Heyward Wells, Jefferson Hospital, Secretary/Treasurer
Carla W. Belcher, Community Health Care Center
Jimmy Childre, Washington County Regional Medical Center
Mary Cook, Community Representative
Pete Mills, Jenkins County
Donna Newsome, Tri-County Health Care Center
John Nolan, Public Health Official
Van Vandeveer, Emanuel Medical Center