The event of the year for Georgia agriculture – and the Department of Agriculture that oversees it – the Georgia National Fair, just wrapped up in Perry on Sunday. Part livestock show, part carnival and part celebration of all things Georgia, the fair attracts more than a half a million people to central Georgia every year. Featured among the many spotlights on Georgia products featured at the fair is the “Georgia Grown” brand. Peach jams, chocolate, beef jerky and numerous other products carry the brand and are for sale at the fair, in the Georgia Grown exhibit hall, along with the Georgia Forestry Association exhibit – and just a few steps away from the live birthing area.
This year featured a little something different for the Georgia Grown brand though, as it accepted its first school under the moniker. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper signed a proclamation recognizing the Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) as the official “Georgia Grown Medical School.” The brand fits because of MUSM’s policy of only accepting Georgia residents into its medical degree program, a somewhat astonishing commitment to the school’s goal of improving healthcare across the state.
“Georgia Grown is about investing in the people and communities that keep our state strong. By recognizing Mercer University School of Medicine as the official Georgia Grown Medical School, we are highlighting the vital role rural physicians play in supporting the health and well-being of Georgia’s farmers, families and agricultural communities,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “Healthy rural communities are essential to a strong agricultural industry and a prosperous Georgia, and this partnership reinforces our commitment to ensuring rural Georgia has the resources and medical professionals it needs to thrive.”
With clinics in Sumter, Clay, Putnam, Harris, Glynn and Taylor counties, MUSM not only gives preference to students from Georgia but is explicit in its efforts to improve healthcare in the rural parts of the state. When the school was established in 1982, that attention to rural healthcare was part of the mission from the beginning. Today, more than 60 percent of graduates are practicing in the state of Georgia, and of those, more than 80 percent are practicing in a rural or medically underserved part of the state.
“Few honors align more closely with Mercer’s mission than this designation,” said Mercer University President Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D. “For nearly two centuries, Mercer has been committed to serving Georgia and helping its communities thrive. Across the University, and especially through the work of the Mercer University School of Medicine, we are preparing leaders, addressing critical needs and expanding opportunity in every region of our state. We are proud to be recognized as Georgia Grown and honored to contribute to Georgia’s future through education, healthcare and service.”
Mercer’s presence is felt across the state, with the full four-year M.D. program offered in Columbus, Macon and Savannah, as well as years 3 and 4 available in Valdosta. Besides the M.D., MUSM also offers master’s degrees in preclinical sciences and family therapy and Ph.Ds. in biomedical sciences and rural health sciences. Most graduates practice in primary care but these other degrees help to round out the specialization and comprehensiveness that MUSM is bringing to the state.
“Mercer is a national leader in enrolling medical students from rural areas and in preparing them to understand and address the importance of rural health,” said Jean R. Sumner, M.D., MACP, dean of Mercer School of Medicine. “We’re proud that our students can now wear the Georgia Grown label, which reflects on the good people who grow, harvest and produce the many goods in this great state.”
