March 2, 2012 Advisers
Continued from page 1 provements to our department that maybe a little bit difficult for our CAs to understand. Some of those improvements have included the expansion of our administrative staff to include a new associate director for student development and an area coordinator level.” Noah felt like this change in administration really affected the workers at West Campus and made their job more difficult. “We got some new administration, and it felt like we had three times more work than we used to,” Noah said. The anonymous CA had trouble with some of the deadlines that were set for them and felt they were a little unreasonable. They said that they had a problem with “the lastminuteness of some of the things.” McClanahan said there is a kind of a chain of command for their employees to go through if they have any complaints or problems with how they are treated or their responsibilities. “Any CA that has a concern of any type whether it be about their work responsibilities or communication issues or that sort of thing, their first stop is to going to be to their Community Director,” McClanahan said. “We highly encourage them to speak to that Community Director and find out more about the situation. Did maybe they miss an email, and they weren’t aware of a deadline or did one really come out of thin air?” McClanahan said that those are legitimate questions to be asked.
“If that Community Director cannot answer their questions fully their next stop is their area coordinator and from there they would speak with the Associate Director.” McClanahan hopes that this chain of command would help to quell any kind of problems that CAs may have, but another former CA said that the lack of communication was an issue. “I think the huge problem was the communication issues between the higher ups, the CDs (Community Directors) and the CAs and RAs,” senior rhetoric major and former RA Meredith Nelson said. Noah said one thing he was not ready for was some of the things he saw as a CA. “You get to see the nasty side of GCSU. Stupid kids doing stupid things,” Noah said. “One time this kid was passed out in the middle of the floor in the hallway. We had to call an ambulance.” McClanahan said the administration does their best to help the CAs with time management for such a demanding position and hopes they would come to their superiors with any suggestions to help. “We know that as students they have a lot of responsibilities and deadline things come up for class. The CA role on top of that can be very challenging to manage when it comes to making sure you have enough time to handle your academics, handle your job responsibilities, to handle your social responsibilities to things like getting your laundry done,” McClanahan said. “So we support our CAs in every way we can to make sure they have the skills necessary to handle time management.”
The Colonnade Reuse
Continued from page 1 urban families, according to the United Health Foundation. Rural residents are also sicker, as they are more likely to suffer from heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Rural Georgians are also more likely to be under-insured or uninsured, according to Georgia’s State Office of Rural Health. Milledgeville borders many underserved counties with regard to health care delivery. These counties include Baldwin, Washington, Hancock, Putnam, Jasper, Morgan, Greene and Twiggs. The plan to develop a rural health care center will focus on the effective delivery of health care to the surrounding counties and other underserved areas in the state through education, research and specialized training with the use of interactive technology in rural health care delivery. In terms of potential for not only Milledgeville and GC, but also for the surrounding counties that are directly adjacent to the CSH campus, the renovation to the campus is Milledgeville’s greatest economic development opportunity, according to the CSH Reuse Initiative Executive Summary presented by the City of Milledgeville. The CSH reuse plan will bring a new service sector and professional jobs to Milledgeville. “A consistent and creative approach to the redevelopment of this great old facility could have decades of impact on the economic vitality of the region. It is the best for Milledgeville’s future,” according to the CSH Reuse Initiative Executive Summary. Training and Research Programs The new rural health care center will have a specialized focus on comprehensive telehealth training programs across the health professions, consulting services for rural communities seeking technology supported health care, and similar programs and services needed to effectively address Georgia’s rural health care chal-
lenges. The rural health care center will include five specific components: training programs, consulting services, distance education, research programs and it will serve as a resource clearinghouse. The rural health care center will serve as a site for comprehensive telehealth training programs, which will feature a hands-on approach to multiple aspects of technology-supported care services. The center will also provide telehealth-consulting services to rural communities. “Telehealth is the thought process of using a home base for research and resource, and using automation via laptop and wireless web to provide health care directly in a bedroom or home,” Milledgeville City Planner, Mike Couch said. “Telehealth can provide health care for those who are unable to reach Emory University Hospital or any other regional health care system.” The rural health care center will provide distance education for rural health care providers and patients in multiple formats, including web-seminars, special certification related courses and other online courses. The new center will be an information clearinghouse for rural telehealth, and a rural healthcare public policy think-tank. Grant funded research and demonstration projects will be supported by the rural healthcare center. The demonstration projects will focus on rural health and the use of technology to address rural health challenges. The College of Health Sciences will play a major role in implementing specific health care resources, but “it is too early to say what facilities will be available,” Judy Bailey, media relations manager, said. Building Details The CSH campus consist of approximately 190 buildings, and almost 2,000 acres of developed and forested land. Today less than 15 percent of the facility is being used. The buildings contained in the 322acre tract at the north end of the hospital’s campus will be ideally suited to support
5 the new Center’s functions. This track consists of buildings located around a central green space. The buildings include an auditorium, museum, dormitory-style buildings and the historic Powell Building. The former dormitories will serve as short-term housing for those who travel from around the state and nation to participate in training programs, conferences and continuing education programs. The dormitories will also provide temporary housing for faculty from partner institutions who participate in research studies and other sponsored programs, according to Leland’s executive summary. The auditorium will facilitate large meetings and lectures, and the dignified and expansive Powell building will serve as the technological and administrative hub for the Center’s operations, according to Leland’s executive summary. Gaining Support and the Next Steps GC is in the initial stages of a process for reaching out to other academic institutions, agencies and potential funding partners to gather their ideas and gauge their interest. “Right now we are in the process of seeking a grant to fund a feasibility study,” Amason said. Some potential partners include several nonprivate universities as well as several private universities: Georgia Health Sciences University, University of Georgia, Mercer University and Emory University. “We are working with Georgia Rural Health Association and we have actually had inquiries Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis,” Couch said. Other partnerships include Georgia Department of Community Health, the Georgia Department of Human Services, and several non-profit organizations such as Georgia Partnership for Telehealth, Inc. The process of revamping the Central State Campus and transforming it into the Center of Excellence for Rural Health Care Delivery is extensive. The city has already been working on the planning process for a year, and they expect the planning to last another 12 to 18 months.
Central State Hospital: Six-month Federal outlook for 2012 reuse initiative Winter (January - February): Identify federal agency targets for meeting in Washington, D.C., and develop messaging strategy
Early Spring (February - April): Hold congressional meetings and follow up for Central State agenda and coordinate member and staff visits to the hospital
Spring - Summer: Assist with open funding opportunities and application for Central State.
Source: 2012 Planning Items for City of Milledgeville