“Together, Let’s Shape the Future of Health in South Georgia” is the theme for the groundbreaking ceremony of PCOM South Georgia, a four-year medical program to be located in Moultrie, Georgia.

At the ceremony, one high school student and one college student will be recognized as winners of an essay contest launched in conjunction with the groundbreaking. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2018 near the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Tallokas Road.

The Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center (SOWEGA-AHEC), based in Albany, coordinated the contest which asked students to respond to the question – “How will your generation help shape the future of health” in the region.

Laura Calhoun, executive director of the SOWEGA-AHEC, said, “The future of healthcare in southwest Georgia looks bright if the essays submitted are an indication of our future providers!  I am encouraged by the commitment level the students expressed in wanting to make a difference in the health of southwest Georgia as well as the level of understanding of the challenges we face.”

Zizi Ohamadike, a senior at Lee County High School in Leesburg, was the high school winner, while Julia Patterson, a senior at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, was the college winner. Ohamadike is a current participant in the SOWEGA AHEC’s Rural Health Leadership Program, while Patterson has worked with the AHEC since high school. Patterson participated in the SERVE (Students Embracing Real Volunteer Experiences) intensive program, volunteered for two years at the Farmworker Health Project, and was selected for the Pathway to Med School program last year.

Ohamadike wrote, “In order to maintain the health of South Georgia, my generation must realize our responsibility to maintain a community in which quality health is feasible to all people. Such a responsibility demands that we possess the attributes of a servant leader that enable us to serve the community that nurtures us.”

According to Patterson, “My generation must be the one that steps up and answers the call to serve our region. We must become physicians, physician assistants, nurses and other healthcare providers who are willing to commit to serving our communities long term. She added, “The satisfaction of serving our rural community must outweigh the conveniences and amenities that could be found in a big city…I think my generation has the potential to redefine the healthcare system of South Georgia.

The students will be presented with certificates and $500 checks at the April 26 groundbreaking ceremony. Calhoun added, “With PCOM expanding into southwest Georgia, the opportunity to train and “grow our own” continues to expand in order to meet the needs in rural Georgia.”