The SOWEGA area in rural, isolated southwest Georgia is responding critically to the need for community-based health care delivery through a coalition of federal primary health care centers, the state funded public health departments, a not-for-profit hospital and private physicians. This nationally recognized model of health care delivery is acting to recruit and retain physicians and other health professionals in this underserved area through the establishment of a family practice residency program and an Area Health Education Center. In addition, twelve remote community-based practice sites have been identified for placement of students and residents for rural clinical rotations. Currently unaffiliated physicians will be utilized as preceptors in this process. The purpose of the Southwest Georgia (SOWEGA) Information Delivery through Electronic Access (IDEA) Project is to introduce a strong, innovative information access and delivery component into this nationally recognized model community- based health care planning and delivery and to integrate this system into the daily delivery of health care. Specifically, the project would develop a prototype for electronic delivery of information with a full-service information system at these 12 sites utilizing Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information (GaIN) with tailored information geared to local needs; develop a prototype for other AHECs and community-based health centers; electronically link health care professionals into existing information networks--GaIN, PeachNet, Internet; enhance the opportunity for and level of information access to all health professionals in the area regardless of local resources; provide information support of clinical rural rotation practice sites for undergraduate and graduate students and residents; enhance recruitment and retention efforts with provision of quality information access and delivery; promote electronic access to unaffiliated health professionals; and maximize the use of existing shared information resources in the rural health clinics and hospitals.
