Bringing Health Care Home

When Plains, Ga., needed medical care, its most famous resident, Jimmy Carter, 93, had just what the doctor

ordered. His small hometown (pop. 734) has no practicing physician, so President Carter called the president of Mercer University School of Medicine in nearby Macon, where he’s a trustee. Jimmy “was very involved” in talking about the need for local health care, said the school’s dean, Dr. Jean Sumner. “He opened the door.” And in August, the school will open the doors of a Plains health clinic, staffed by a physician and nurse practitioner who’ll also train Mercer medical students. On May 17, Jimmy and his wife, Rosalynn, 90, met with Mercer and the Global Partnership for Telehealth [above] to discuss its cutting-edge technology.

“Rural communities deserve quality care.” — Dr. Jean Sumner