A new program to improve maternal health in nine rural counties is expected to have a ripple effect on healthcare systems in Augusta.
The Rural Healthcare Access Partnership (RHAP), funded by a $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration is part of Wellstar MCG’s Rural Community Consortium. It is available in Jefferson, Burke, Emanuel, Washington, Glascock, Warren, McDuffie, Jenkins, and Johnson counties. Those have been defined as Maternity Care Deserts.
“By that we mean that they may not have access to a OB or GYN provider in a particular area, but also, when you look at their birthing hospital, they may have to drive 30 minutes to over hours to particularly get to where they will be delivering,” program director Keisha Mays explained for ABD. “That’s what our program is trying to do, is improve that quality access to moms in rural and medically underserved areas.”
In Feb. 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found more than half of Georgia’s 159 counties do not have an OB/GYN, leading to more pregnant women skipping prenatal care. An estimated 15.8% of women live more than 30 minutes from the nearest hospital with maternity services. Nationwide, the number is 9.7%.
Mays said Georgia has one of the nation’s highest rates of maternal morbidity and mortality. The funding allows the hospital to find ways to improve maternal health outcomes.
“One of the great things about a program is there is a Jefferson County clinic that our midwife, Lisa Randolph, works out of two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, that moms can actually have that care from a midwife there,” she said. “That midwifery model has really been important for our moms, because they don’t have to drive 30 minutes to an hour to downtown Augusta to get that care.”
Mays added it takes some of the pressure off medical facilities and practices in Augusta, while still providing a continuity of care.
“When mom is in Jefferson County clinic seeing Lisa for weekly appointments, when it’s time to deliver, they’ll have that same midwife that will be there potentially for their birth as well. So that continuity of care is important, but also, we have integrated doula services into our program, and with that, doulas have been shown to have an impact on birth outcomes,” she said.
The team of doulas, “birth besties” as Mays calls them, that work with patients in the Jefferson County clinic, are also present when women travel to Augusta to give birth.
Through the Rural Community Consortium, the program provides support beyond maternity care, including housing assistance, food programs, workforce development resources, and essential baby supplies.
“It truly is an all-encompassing program,” Mays said. “What we have to realize if we’re going to impact maternal health outcomes, one agency can’t do it alone. That’s why we have to have these community partners. Because if we encounter a mom that needs maybe access to housing or maybe needs some more access to food or transportation, that’s why we’re trying to create this consortium that we can address that holistic care for mom.”
There is also a Healthy Start program in Spalding, Butts, and Troup counties in west Georgia. It has served more than 1,300 mothers, fathers, and infants since it began in 2024.
“We have telehealth appointments so that patients can actually stay in their hometowns, see their practicing OBGYN, but then also have consultative services at one of our larger institutions, without having the burden of travel,” said Tiffany Bryant, Executive Director, Wellstar Women’s Health Education and Support Services. “So, they might have their workup and their normal follow-up from their OBGYN in their hometowns and areas, or it might be at the satellite clinic at Jefferson County clinic in our nine rural counties that surround MCG.”
To learn more or enroll in RHAP, visit: www.wellstar.org/rhap
