In October 2000, the Governor of the State of Georgia declared war on cancer and announced plans to use a significant portion of Georgia’s tobacco settlement to develop a strong system for cancer control in Georgia. The announcement fired the imaginations of people throughout the state and that was true in rural Southwest Georgia as well.

People in Southwest Georgia came together, convened initially by a large hospital in Southwest Georgia and a public health district officer, to discuss the needs in the region, the opportunity to reduce the burden and horror of cancer and to capture desperately needed additional resources to prevent, control and treat cancer.

By late 2001, an ad hoc group of health care providers, business executives, public health officials and religious leaders formally decided to work together, pledged personal and organizational resources and time to create the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition.

Ken Beverly, chief executive officer of Archbold Health Systems in Thomasville, was elected to chair a 30-member steering committee and 10-member executive committee. Jim Hotz, MD, clinical director of the Albany Area Primary Health Care Centers, was named vice chairman and Paul Newell, MD, Director of Public Health for District 8-2, was elected secretary. These officers have continued in leadership positions and in early 2003 the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition incorporated as a 501-c3 organization. From late 2001 to early 2003, Phoebe Putney Hospital served as the organizational home and provided substantial resources necessary for a new organization, including accounting staff and space.

From the beginning work to organize the region to fight cancer and win resources, the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition has been open and inclusive. The leaders engaged community citizens; health leaders and business leaders and many gave countless hours to the work. Several public forums were held in 2002 and 2003, and partnerships formed. The Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition received a planning grant (one of 8 funded from 15 applicants) from the Georgia Cancer Coalition (the statewide vehicle formed to operationally direct the state’s public and private partnership in the war on cancer) in July 2002 in response to a planning grant proposal. In June 2003, the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition along with two other regions were certified by the GCC as a Regional Program of Excellence. (Four other regions were designated in December 2003).

Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition used open forums and engaged a wide group of health, social, faith, civic, business leaders as well as cancer survivors and family members touched by cancer, in addition to primary care, public health and oncology experts to inform the planning and implementation work.

Initially the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition covered a 38 county region which was the region served by the Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Centers Program. The coalition now covers 33 counties, most of which are very rural. The population is approximately 713,000 with approximately 40% African American. Four cancer centers are located in the region, which touches parts of five public health districts.

From the beginning the framers of the work encouraged participation from all sectors and to that end formed workgroups to examine facets of the work to be done. Organizations provided staff leadership and the group engaged a consultant to help facilitate, direct and coordinate the work.

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