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stay in the area upon graduation to work in local health-care facilities. Students also get experience working in rural areas such as Peach, Pulaski and Baldwin counties. "Our students really saw rural health in Pulaski County during the rise of COVID-19. Taylor Regional allowed our students to come in, with the right PPE (personal protective equipment) to take care of their COVID patients," said CGTC Registered Nursing Program Chair Jessica Wilcox. "Our students were able to see some of the sickest of the sick of those who are from rural Georgia." Wilcox said CGTC is looking at the ability to also work with telehealth and teach students more about this process and the advancement it has made to help hospital systems such as Atrium Health Navicent (AHN). While virtual health is not new, the capability has quickly become more advanced. "We are utilizing virtual care to reach more patients, especially those who have difficulty coming into our offices. I'll be able to connect with them through video, look at their conditions and provide them care through care coordination. Once I determine their condition, I can send Home Health or a different nursing agency to come out to their home to take care of that patient," said Dr. Gorby Leon, medical director for Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care Fort Valley, a facility of Atrium Health Navicent Peach. Dr. Leon has treated numerous patients from rural areas. He sometimes sees people who drive several hours from surrounding areas. But he understands not everyone is able to do that frequently or at all. "We have several areas, just in the Fort Valley area, that are considered food deserts. Because of that, we have an increase in patients with diabetes and patients who are suffering from diabetes," said Dr. Leon. Virtual health has become a helpful tool for him and his staff to get people the care they need and deserve. In 2017, AHN tried a ground-breaking program with ConnectWell that provided diabetic patients from areas in rural Georgia with internet-ready tablets that would allow patients to monitor their diabetes and interact with their primary care doctors. "That program helped us get started with virtual health, and we slowly grew there," said Dr. Leon. "But COVID-19 was a catalyst to push us where we were going anyway." The pandemic quickly pushed along the advancement of virtual health. Today, Dr. Leon said he sees about 60 percent of his patients through virtual health, mainly because of the hospital's policy with COVID-19, but 46 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022