Making a Difference in Georgia
The Lillian Carter Center collaborates with more than three dozen partners in Georgia. Our students have provided compassionate care to patients from all walks of life: youth, elderly, refugees, farm workers, the homeless, and the uninsured. For many of these people, the care provided by nursing faculty and students may be the only health care treatment they receive each year.
Caring for children
Georgia has one of the highest rates of uninsured children in the U.S., so the Lillian Carter Center has created innovative outreach programs to support their needs. Emory nursing students and faculty provide care to children in Atlanta Public Schools, community health clinics, and churches.
Meeting the needs of the elderly
Nurses are critical to meeting the growing health care needs of Georgia’s aging population. Emory nursing faculty and students conduct home-based clinical appointments in senior living facilities across Atlanta, where they assist older adult residents in the creation of a Personal Health Record and learn the nuances of geriatric assessment in this monthlong experience. This experience is made possible through partnerships with the Atlanta Housing Authority and Wesley Woods Senior Living housing.
Giving hope to the homeless
Chronic homelessness is a serious issue in Atlanta and this population is faced with severe health issues. With the guidance of dedicated faculty, Emory nursing students provide holistic care to homeless persons at Atlanta’s largest shelters including the Gateway Center, Cafe 458, City of Refuge, and Samaritan House.
Treating refugees and their families
Thousands of refugees resettle in the Atlanta metro region from Bosnia, Somalia, Liberia, Vietnam, and other countries each year. Emory nursing students provide health care to refugees and their children who have been devastated by the mental and physical effects of civil wars and human suffering. The Lillian Carter Center partners with The Fugees Family, the Global Village School, the International School, and the Clarkston Community Center to care for refugees in Atlanta.
Serving Georgia’s farm workers
There are more than 100,000 migrant and seasonal farm workers in Georgia. These workers face more complex health issues than the general population because of the physical demands of their jobs, pesticide exposure, poor access to health care services, and substandard housing conditions. Each summer, Emory nursing students travel to Moultrie, Georgia to provide health care services to migrant farm workers and their families. The nursing volunteers examine children by day and set up mobile clinics to treat adult farm workers in the evening. By collaborating with the Ellenton Clinic, this unique program treats nearly 1,000 people each year.
