On October 13, 2011, Washington County Archway Partnership Public Health Professional Laura Gillman coordinated a meeting at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel on the University of Georgia campus to connect Family and Consumer Science agents and students and faculty in the College of Public Health. The meeting was attended by 15 Family and Consumer Science agents and specialists. The goal of the meeting was to facilitate student internships with Family and Consumer Science agents and potential collaborations with the colleges.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

On October 3, 2011, David Mathis, who coordinates the Rural Medical Scholars program for Mercer University in Sandersville, Georgia, traveled to Hawkinsville, Georgia, for a meeting with Archway Partnership Executive Committee member Dan Maddock to talk about the program and tour the Taylor Regional Hospital facilities. The Pulaski County Archway Executive Committee has emphasized interest in finding ways to build a stronger relationship between Pulaski County and the Mercer University School of Medicine. The Mercer Rural Scholars program is one of the community health ideas being developed.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

In October 2011, the Archway Partnership worked with Taylor Regional Hospital in Pulaski County to create a Rural Medical Scholars partnership with Mercer School of Medicine. The program will be the second in the state and is patterned after the successful pilot program in Sandersville, Georgia, coordinated by Archway Partnership health professional Laura Gillman.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

In October 2011, the Marine Extension Service’s Brunswick Station and Georgia Sea Grant assisted the Glynn Environmental Coalition and three other public agency partners in the redesign and production of a user-friendly single-page Fish Consumption Advisory pamphlet for waterways in Glynn County, home to four federal Superfund sites. The multi-agency partnership between the Coastal Health District (Glynn County Health Department), Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Coastal Resources Division), Georgia Environmental Protection Division (Environmental Toxicology Program), University of Georgia (Marine Extension Service), Georgia Sea Grant program, and the Glynn Environmental Coalition makes fish consumption advisories easier to understand. The updated pamphlets for Glynn County are available in English with a Spanish version in final production.

To find out more: Marine Extension Service

On September 20-22, 2011, the Campus Kitchen Project (CKP) began its fall food collection and deliveries to food insecure senior citizens by establishing a new partnership with Talmage Terrace/Lanier Gardens Senior Residence. Talmage Terrace provides commercial kitchen space and ServSafe supervision, as well as an opportunity for intergenerational service-learning as senior citizens in their facility volunteer alongside UGA Campus Kitchen students. Senior citizens and UGA students provided meals for 14 families headed by Grandparents Raising Grandchildren with local produce grown at UGArden, and food from local restaurants. Campus Kitchen is a food recovery and redistribution program with affiliates at 29 colleges and universities nationwide.

To find out more: Office of Service-Learning

In September 2011, the UGA College of Public Health is coordinated a needs assessment for the Pulaski County community at the request of the Archway Community Health Issue Work Group. This effort was coordinated through the College of Public Health with the assistance of Laura Gillman, Archway public health professional.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

On August 13, 2011, the American Diabetes Association hosted its annual Kayak for a Kure. The event began at Butterbean Beach where 60 kayakers launched their kayaks into the Skidaway River and paddled three miles to the Marine Education Center and Aquarium. The event ended with closing ceremonies on the bluff behind the facility. The event raised more than $3,000 for research and education for individuals with diabetes.

To find out more: Marine Extension Service

During July 2011, student and faculty volunteers delivered more than 300 lbs. of rescued food to 22 families that were identified as being food-insecure by the Athens Community Council on Aging, a founding partner of the Office of Service-Learning's UGA Campus Kitchen Project. Summer deliveries have been made up primarily of fresh produce boxes provided by UGArden, the on-campus "student powered" garden located on South Milledge Avenue. Nearly 1,200 lbs. of food have been delivered since UGA Campus Kitchen's pilot began in March 2011.

To find out more: Office of Service-Learning

In July 2011, the Office of Student Learning's Campus Kitchen Project partnered with the Georgia Center and Talmage Terrace/Lanier Gardens Senior Living Community to provide commercial kitchen space and excess food donations. UGA's Campus Kitchen is a partnership with the Athens Community Council on Aging focused on alleviating senior hunger in Athens by becoming a hub for service-learning courses and student volunteers interested in issues of nutrition, hunger, and food insecurity. The Office of Service-Learning is sponsoring UGA's application to become a national affiliate and the first Campus Kitchens Project in Georgia.

To find out more: Office of Service-Learning

On June 10, 2011, the Clayton Public Health Issue Work Group held its first meeting. The Clayton County Archway Partnership Executive Committee identified Community Health as a priority issue as it affects all facets of the community.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

During June 2011, the seventh Mercer medical student in the Georgia Rural Medical Scholar Program started his rotation in Sandersville, Georgia. The program has grown in popularity among Mercer students, bringing more recognition to the community.

To find out more: Archway Partnership

In May 2011, Marine Extension Service-Advisory Services in Brunswick, Georgia, completed a survey to locate and identify residential septic tanks and drinking water wells near state water bodies in Bryan, Effingham, Liberty and Long counties. The project provided a computerized inventory database, maps, and analysis of relevant septic systems and drinking water wells in those counties. The information will assist county health departments with planning for future needs in growing communities.

To find out more: Marine Extension Service

In May 2011, a second phase of work began relating to the requirements of the Patient Care and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). Governor Nathan Deal issued an executive order to establish the Governor’s Health Exchange Advisory Committee and tapped the Vinson Institute to play a role in designing and managing committee activities. The committee is examining Georgia’s approach to the establishment of Small Business Health Exchanges and how they may or may not be of value in supporting small business profitability and growth.

To find out more: Carl Vinson Institute of Government