Georgia Southern University is the state’s largest and most comprehensive center of higher education south of Atlanta. With 142 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, Georgia Southern has been designated a Carnegie Doctoral/Research university and serves more than 27,000 students from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico as well as 102 nations. With three vibrant campuses — the Armstrong Campus in Savannah, the Statesboro Campus and the Liberty Campus in Hinesville — Georgia Southern offers an attractive campus environment that encourages learning, discovery and personal growth. Georgia Southern’s nationally accredited academic programs prepare diverse scholars for leadership and service as world citizens. A unit of the University System of Georgia, the University boasts 200-plus student organizations, outstanding Division I athletics, and state-of-the art residence halls and campus facilities.

Since 1906, the University’s hallmark has been a culture of engagement that bridges theory with practice, extends the learning environment beyond the classroom, and promotes student growth and life success. Central to the University’s mission is the faculty’s dedication to excellence in teaching and the development of a fertile learning environment exemplified by a free exchange of ideas, high academic expectations, and individual responsibility for academic achievement. Faculty, staff, and students embrace core values expressed through integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness, and social responsibility.

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Hospital Champion, HomeTown Health

Distinguished Service Award, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health

Service Appreciation, Georgia Association of Primary Care Association

In August 2015, Mr. Charles F. Owens received Direct Appointment as Associate Clinical Professor for Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) and the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice & Research.  Under faculty appointment provides instruction in the JPHCOPH Health Policy & Management Division focusing on health care finance, workforce development and policy.  As the Director for the JPHCOPH Center for Public Health Practice & Research facilitates the integration of the JPHCOPH academic resources into local, state and national fields for application in communities and areas of research.  He administers various grant programs targeting specific areas of public health including but not limited to, Public Health, Emergency Medical Services, needs assessment, program evaluation, health systems planning and various other components within the health and health care arenas.

Beginning his health care career in 1991, his tenure in the health care industry exceeds 27 years.  Prior to joining Georgia Southern University, Mr. Owens served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Department of Community Health’s State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care Office.  Mr. Owens provided oversight to various programs focusing on improving the health care delivery system and health of Georgians in underserved communities.  These programs were supported by state and federal grant funds averaging over $9M annually.  Mr. Owens was appointed to Governor Nathan Deal’s Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee.  He also serves on the Board of the Georgia Rural Health Association.  Previously he received appointment by Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to serve on the 2012-2013 Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas, and he has held a variety of leadership positions in rural hospitals.

Emergency Medical Services

Physician Practices

Federally Qualified Health Centers

Rural Health Care Access & Delivery

Health Care Access & Delivery

Rural and Critical Access Hospitals

Rural Health Clinics

Public Health

Scholar Profile 

georgia-southerns-public-health-center-receives-4-million-to-assist-rural-hospitals-nationwide

Director, Center for Public Health Practice and Research

Georgia Southern University’s Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) received a $4 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide targeted technical assistance to rural hospitals nationwide. The funding will support the team’s implementation of the Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program over a five-year period (2023-2028).

 “Many rural hospitals are struggling financially across the U.S.,” said JPHCOPH Dean Stuart Tedders, Ph.D. “Long-term, the primary program goal of this grant is to ensure that all rural hospitals are financially viable and positioned to serve their communities with the essential health care services that we all need and expect. A viable health care system is essential for assuring that all communities and their residents thrive. I am very proud of the Center for Public Health Practice and Research at the JPHCOPH and the commitment they have made to improving the quality of life of rural and underserved populations across the country.”   Bettye Apenteng, Ph.D., and Charles Owens, both professors of health policy and management, serve as the co-principal investigators for the grant.

“We are proud to be selected to work cooperatively with rural hospitals across the U.S. to strengthen their viability so they can continue to provide essential health care locally so the residents, the local hospital and the community may thrive,” said Owens.  As part of this cooperative agreement, the team will work in partnership with HRSA and rural health stakeholders to provide in-depth and tailored technical assistance to rural hospitals at risk of financial distress nationwide. Technical assistance delivered as part of this program will help rural hospital communities implement a prioritized strategy for maintaining essential services locally through capacity building in evidence-based decision-making, operational and financial improvement, strategic management, community partnership, project implementation and evaluation.
 “We are excited to extend the work we have done in Georgia with rural hospitals, for close to a decade, to the rest of the nation,” said Apenteng. “We look forward to building strong collaborative relationships with rural hospital communities nationwide.”   The grant activities will be executed by a multidisciplinary team that includes additional JPHCOPH faculty Angie Peden; Andrew Hansen, DrPH; Linda Kimsey, Ph.D.; William Mase, DrPH; Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, Ph.D., and Samuel Opoku, Ph.D.; and Parker College of Business’ Kwabena Boakye, Ph.D.; and the College of Arts and Humanities’ Jason Murdock.

Interested in learning more or looking to talk with Bettye Apenteng, Ph.D., and Charles Owens about this grant? Simply click on an expert's icon or contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.


Georgia Southern’s public health center receives $4 million to assist rural hospitals nationwide

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