Purpose:
The residents of East Georgia Health Cooperative area counties have the poorest health status index in the state. National Statistics also identified a higher incidence of chronic diseases in our cooperative area including diabetes, asthma, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Statistical data also indicate some possible contributing factors to this phenomenon are a higher incidence of poverty, lack of education, limited access or no access to health insurance. Programs have been developed and implemented to reach these patients utilizing a multi-faceted approach (ie patient awareness through community outreach programs with seminars, health fairs, handouts, radio and newspaper articles and physician/medical community awareness is heightened with in-services.) Data collection continues and patient populations are followed to measure the success of our endeavors.

Goals:
To produce stable community health care systems that deliver a set of "clinically relevant services" that:

• Match the health care needs of the community and are the same or better quality than services available outside of the community.
• Remain financially viable over the long run.
• Maintain access to the maximum set of services that are reasonable for the community and retain the highest proportion of health care dollars at the community level as possible.
• Explore and participate in appropriate regional partnerships with other rural communities and larger regional networks.