Dates: January 24th - January 25th, 2025 | Location: Albany, GA
Registration is $99. Maximum of 9.25 CME Credits. Conference Flyer
OWEGA-AHEC will reimburse the registration cost to qualifying attendees at the end of the conference on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
Qualifying Attendees include RN and Allied Health Professionals from a SOWEGA-AHEC county (Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Pulaski, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Webster, Wilcox, and Worth).
Bridging the Gap: Caring for Rural Georgia Moms will address the Obstetric health care disparity by highlighting the gap in care, providing targeted education and skills training for preventable obstetric morbidity and mortality. Rural obstetric care is a major health disparity in Georgia. Approximately 80% of maternal deaths are preventable with 22% of deaths occurred during pregnancy, 25% occurred on the day of delivery or within 7 days after, and 53% occurred between 7 days to 1 year after pregnancy. The conference will provide evidence-based education for improvement in measures of maternal health and teach technical skills for the interprofessional rural health care team. The target audience is any clinician, physician, nurse, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, and other members of the health care team who provide care for mothers or babies.
Dr. Dean Burke
CMO, Department of Community Health
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Dean Burke. Dr. Burke serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Medical Assistance Plans for the Department of Community Health (DCH). In this role, Dr. Burke leads the department’s efforts related to health performance and quality reporting within the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® populations.
Dean Burke M.D. currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Community Health, Georgia’s Healthcare finance and regulatory agency. DCH’s budget is over 4 billion dollars annually in state funds and 18+ billion in combined state and federal dollars. DCH manages the state’s Medicaid Program, Healthcare Planning, Health Facility Regulation, the State Health Benefit Program among other Divisions. Dr. Burke has direct oversite of SHBP and the State Office of Rural Health and advises the Commissioner of DCH on healthcare policy and oversight.
Dr. Burke’s passion is improving healthcare access and outcomes in Georgia with a focus on reducing maternal mortality and increasing wellness opportunities for all Georgians, particularly in the rural parts of the state.
Dr. Burke has previously served for 10 years as the State Senator for District 11, a large multi-county district in deep Southwest Georgia. Senator Burke served in Senate Leadership as Secretary/Treasurer of the majority caucus, the Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and Ethics Committee, an Ex-Officio of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, the Secretary of Appropriations, and was a member of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and the Rules Committee. He also served for eight years as the Chairman of the Community Health Appropriations Sub-Committee which is responsible for 14.1 percent of the states total budget.
His Senate career is highlighted by sponsoring significant pieces of legislation in partnership with Senate and House leadership and Governor’s Deal and Kemp, including the development of the Maternal Mortality Commission, the Rural Hospital Tax Credit program, establishment of the office of Governor’s office of Health Strategy and Coordination, the states All Payer Claims Database, The Rural Hospital Stabilization grant program, the rural hospital E-ICU grant program and the Maternal Mortality Prevention Grants overseen by Georgia Department of Public Health in addition to many other initiatives.
Prior to being elected to the State Senate, Senator Burke contributed to his community by serving five years on the Bainbridge City Council and the Lower Flint Water Council. He is also a member of the Rotary Club and former member of the Hospital Authority of the City of Bainbridge and Decatur County. Dr. Burke graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia Southwestern University and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He received his specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercer University School of Medicine and practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 27 years in Decatur County. Prior to his current role at DCH he spent the prior 10 years as a rural hospital executive in the role of Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge.
Dr. Burke and his wife, Thea, have been married for 44 plus years, have two children, and three grandchildren.
Dr. Kelli Braun, MD, FACOG
Associate Dean for Admissions, MCG
Bailey Creamer, PharmD
Director of Pharmacy, Emanuel Medical Center
Dr. David Hess, MD
Dean, Medical College of Georgia
Angie James, RRT, MSc
Respiratory Therapist, CHOG, Wellstar MCG Health
Cara Jones, RN
Director, Clinical Procedures, MCG
Dr. Denise Kornegay, MSW
Associate Dean, AHEC, MCG
Dr. Michelle Krupp, EdD, MS
Associate Dean for Faculty Development, MCG
Dr. Matthew Lyon, MD
Associate Dean, Experiential Learning, MCG
Director, MCG Center for Telehealth
Dr. Kathryn Martin, PhD. MPH, MPA
Associate Dean for Regional Campuses, MCG
Dr. Kelsey Mayo, PhD
Co-Founder and CEO, Armor Medical Inc.
Dr. Douglas Patten, MD, FACS
Associate Dean, Southwest Regional Campus, MCG
Dr. Chadburn Ray, MD, RPh, FACOG
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MCG
Ricaurte Solis, DO Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, MCG
Dr. Marlo Vernon, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, MCG GA Prevention Institute, MCG
Dr. Kristin Yates, DO OB Hospitalist Medical Director, Southwell Medical Clinic
Beth Young, RN Perinatal Nurse Manager ,Wellstar MCG Health
January 24th, 2025
1300-1315: Arrival and Registration
1315-1330: Welcome and Overview (Drs. Doug Patten and Kathryn Martin)
1330-1355: Overview of rural Georgia Health Disparities (Dr. David Hess)
1355-14:00: Introduction of Dr. Dean Burke (Madison White)
1400-1430: Rural Georgia Obstetric Care: Do all roads lead to a city? (Dr. Dean Burke)
1430-1515: Preparing for OB's Not-So-Silent Killers (Bailey Creamer, Angie James, Beth Young)
1515-1600: Rural OB Emergencies: Preparing for the Worst (Drs. Kelli Braun and Chad Ray)
1600-1630: Questions and Answers - Panel Discussion (Drs. Kelli Braun, Ric Solis and Bailey Creamer)
1630-1700: Post-Partum Depression (Dr. Kristin Yates)
1700-1800: Refreshments
1800-2030: Dinner While Learning: New Technologies and Strategies to Decrease Rural OB Disparity
January 25th, 2025
0800-0830: Preparing Future MDs for Rural Practice (Dr. Michelle Krupp)
0830-0900: Compassion Fatique (Dr. Denise Kornegay)
0900-1200: Hands on Interprofessional Skills Stations (Cara Jones) (Participants will select multiple stations)
Southwest Georgia AHEC Area Health Education Center
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hopsital
Georgia Statewide AHEC Network
MCG Center for Telehealth
Medical College of Georgia Foundation
Community Foundation of Central Georgia
Accreditation - The Medical College of Georgia is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.
Designation - This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation
requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
(ACCME) through the joint providership of the Medical College of Georgia and the Southwest
Georgia AHEC. The Medical College of Georgia is accredited by the ACCME to provide
continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical College of Georgia designates
this live activity for a maximum of 9.25 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. Attendees should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation
in the activity.
AHEC CME Statement - The Georgia Board of Nursing deems Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center
(SOWEGA-AHEC) as an Approved Provider for Nursing Continuing Education (CE). This
CE Activity Awards 9.25 Contact Hours Towards the Continuing Education Competency
Requirement for Georgia Nurse License Renewal. Activity # 2025-01.
EMS CME Credit:
This activity is approved for 9.25 hours of EMS CME credit by the Office of EMS and
Trauma.
