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PAGE 16 FARMERS AND CONSUMERS MARKET BULLETIN – 404-656-3722 – agr.georgia.gov WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020

Mercer’s Rural Health Innovation Center offers free telehealth

services to rural physicians during COVID-19 pandemic

MACON – Imagine if you or your family needed a brief system and began assisting practices in signing up for this arrival.”
visit for a minor problem, refill of medications or medical service on March 25. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for
advice on the need to seek a different level of care. Rural Enrollment begins by calling or emailing the Georgia Medicare and Medicaid Services released new guidelines
Georgians and rural industry can now initiate medical care Rural Health Innovation Center at 478.301.4700 or info@ for telehealth, broadening access to its services so that ben-
at home or in the workplace from your local physicians, georgiaruralhealth.org. An account, at no charge to the eficiaries can receive care without traveling to a healthcare
nurse practitioners or physician assistants. rural physician, will be promptly established, and appoint- facility. Among the guidelines, a patient’s home is now
The Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer ments for patients can begin immediately. among the approved originating sites for a telehealth visit.
University School of Medicine, through a grant from the “The system is incredibly simple, safe, sustainable and “The coronavirus outbreak is the likely tipping point for
State of Georgia, is providing immediate installation and high-quality,” said Chris Scoggins, director of health policy telehealth,” said Rena Brewer, CEO of GPT and the Global
technical support of the needed tools for rural physicians and operations at Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center. Partnership for Telehealth. “We’re clearly at a crisis with
and health systems. The system is easy to set up, reliable, “These were criteria that we felt were required,” add- the delivery of health care, and the need to think innova-
HIPAA-compliant and secure. The system, called Path- ed Sumner, “and we were able to mitigate the cost through tively and to leverage telehealth technologies is greater than
ways, is accomplished through the Georgia Partnership the state grant. This telehealth system provides a very sim- ever before.”
for Telehealth. This system allows your doctor to have the ple, secure and private method for patients to receive care Sumner said the Georgia Partnership for Telehealth is
ability to see you wherever you are if you have a computer, from their doctors without having to come to the office or one of the largest nonprofit telehealth providers in the coun-
tablet or cell phone. a healthcare facility. It can be accessed through a phone, try. It began as a small network of 40 providers and receiv-
The system costs the practice nothing for six months and tablet or computer. I tested it on my phone, in my car sitting ers of clinical telehealth services and has grown into one of
there are no strings attached. The GRHIC, working with next to the Oconee River bridge in Wilkinson County, and the largest nonprofit telehealth networks in the country with
the Georgia Partnership for Telehealth, is helping provide the quality was superb.” more than 600 providers and receivers. The organization
high quality healthcare using telehealth to rural Georgians. The Pathways software connects a patient at home on a has expanded beyond Georgia to include clinical sites in 10
“This viral pandemic represents a tremendous need for computer or mobile device to a doctor within a few clicks states and four international mission sponsored locations.
care in areas of the state that are already desperately under- of receiving an email. “Their quality is outstanding. Through the Georgia Ru-
served,” said Jean Sumner, M.D., F.A.C.P., dean of Mercer “The telemedicine platform will allow state-of-the-art ral Health Innovation Center, the Georgia Partnership has
University School of Medicine. “Help us help you by en- care and afford the patient convenience,” said Wentzelle been able to offer this service to rural physician practices.
couraging your physicians to use a telehealth option during Kim Kitchens, M.D., who practices internal medicine and Citizens in rural Georgia deserve and should expect the
this crisis.” sleep medicine in Sandersville. “The COVID-19 pandemic same quality of care of any patient, and GPT is known for
With technical support from GPT, the Georgia Rural makes telemedicine a more urgent need. We may help pa- providing the highest quality of telehealth technology you
Health Innovation Center will make the telehealth consul- tients more efficiently without putting our staff at risk by can access,” Sumner said.
tation software easily available to rural physicians across evaluating and treating remotely. In the event an office visit
the state. The Center’s project managers were trained on the is needed, we are able to assess the risks and needs prior to -Source: Mercer University, www.mercer.edu

new norMal: Companies try to reinvent themselves and keep workers employed

Continued From Page 1
said the company ordinarily delivers to 10 who knows how long months, two months, Each relief boxes contain a week’s worth of allows the company to retain as many of its
states overnight from Atlanta, filling orders to we’re not sure. It’s hard to tell,” he said. free produce. own employees as possible.
food service companies and other wholesalers. Sympathy for customers who have had to let “Eighty percent of our customers are “We are basically trying to reinvent, our-
While retail supply and demand are level- employees go led another market tenant – Ath- restaurants, caterers or hotels, and we have selves and maybe we should have this conver-
ing off now, Nickey Gregory is still doing a ena Farms – to box up its perishable inventory restaurant after restaurant that are some of the sation in four weeks because this is an ongoing
brisk business with distributors who service and deliver it to unemployed restaurant work- best restaurants in town that are completely thing,” he said. “I think we’re trying to give
school accounts engaged in the distribution of ers. not doing anything,” Poole said. (work to) everybody that wants some hours
free meals to students who rely on breakfast “We were sitting on a lot of inventory that Athena Farms is still making deliveries six and I think we’re really taking that week-to-
and lunch service when school is in session. was not going anywhere. From one day to the days a week to the restaurants that are eking week to see where we stand but like I said, call
Although it’s not enough to compensate next people stopped going to restaurants and by with take-out and curbside service, which me in four weeks and we’ll talk again.”
for lost business, Scott said the company has restaurants don’t need stuff, so they’re not or-
so far avoided making cuts to its 200-person dering,” said salesman Robert Poole. “We have Learn more about the products available from Sutherland’s
workforce. provided probably close to 800 relief boxes Foodservice by calling 404.366.8550 or email cservice@suthfood.com
“We’re just trying to survive these next that we have funneled to our restaurants.”
Pesticides: Science helps farmers apply herbicides at the right time

Continued From Page 1

sion agents received 67 drift complaints. switch the approach from addressing the is- employees be more aware of the right condi-
The GDA investigated about 100 drift sue after it occurred to how we could gener- tions and methods to perform the correct ap-
complaints in 2019, and not all of them were ate a preemptive strike,” Culpepper said. “We plication. He said the most significant advan-
determined to be caused by dicamba drift. In wanted to use science to help our farmers im- tage to the training is that today you have to be
comparison, Arkansas reported 456 cases of prove on-target applications.” certified to apply dicamba.
herbicide drift complaints. Of those cases, 210 John Strickland is one of those farmers. He Strickland said before UPW, he would be
were alleged involving dicamba. grows about 5,000 acres of cotton in Pierce the one providing the training to his employ-
As a result of the training program’s suc- County and said the UPW training had been a ees before they climbed onto the tractors.
cess, the federal Environmental Protection great benefit for his farm. He said he has more “Coming from a trained professional, a
Agency granted Georgia a change in its lo- Training varies from state-to-state, and neighbors to be aware of today with residential county agent or someone from the department
cal-use pesticide labeling to require applica- Georgia was one of the first states to man- areas built around his farm within the last 20 of ag, there’s a little more weight there. Even
tors train biannually instead of annually. Those date training for pesticide applicators. Gray years. though what I say means something, I guess
certified applicators who received training last explained pesticide drift became a problem “Of course, they have their flower beds and the training draws out just how much more
year will not have to retake it until 2021. in the Midwest and mid-Southern states as grass that they really enjoy,” he said. “In to- important it is than just something from the
However, even with the reduced training dicamba-resistant cotton and soybeans were day’s environment, you have to be a lot more boss,” he said.
requirements, Gray said everyone still needs developed in the last decade. careful and alert to wind speed and your sur- “You know, 20 years ago I would say,
to continue working to keep herbicide drift Farmers have used dicamba for years as a roundings. You have to understand where ‘Spray it,’ and they would spray it. Today, if
down. pre-emergent herbicide, but with new crops you’re spraying and why you’re spraying.” I said, ‘Spray it,’ they will come back and say,
Stanley Culpepper, UGA professor and Ex- resistant to dicamba, they were able to use it Strickland said the program has helped his ‘Well boss, the conditions ain’t good to spray.’”
tension agronomist, said the success of UPW during the growing season, too. The ability
training comes from everyone understanding to fight weeds midseason also exposed crops COVID-19 affects pesticide applicator training schedule
that correct pesticide application is a shared that were not resistant to dicamba. Gray said
responsibility. that manufacturers, state and federal regula- All “Using Pesticides Wisely” classroom trainings are canceled until further
“I assure you that every pesticide applicator tors, and farmers across the country have been notice. If you need this training to purchase dicamba or 2,4-D products and
in our state wants to make a perfect applica- working ever since to correct the problem. did not receive it in 2019, please contact your county Extension Office. Find
tion,” he said. “What the need is is the science The idea for UPW training in Georgia your office online at https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices.html
to empower them to achieve that goal. That’s came to Culpepper 2014. He was studying Commercial pesticide applicator examinations are currently unavailable due
really what it’s about. It’s about research, it’s ways to reduce crop damage caused by pesti- to the closure of Georgia’s Technical College System. Contact GDA’s Ag In-
about the extension, it’s about communication, cide drift. After noticing a significant increase puts Division at 404.656.4958 for information on interim testing options.
it’s about working together, and it’s about hav- in drift complaints, he reached out to the GDA For more information about pesticide training, visit http://agr.georgia.gov/
ing that commitment of our entire agricultural to start training for applicators. 1pesticide-applicator-licensing-and-certification.aspx
family.” “It became very evident that we needed to