Sarah Adams, the Archway professional in Colquitt County.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A University of Georgia program that began in Colquitt County recently won a national award for its work in Pulaski County.

The Archway Partnership is a unit of the University of Georgia Public Service and Outreach that helps rural communities in Georgia. The first one was a pilot program that started in 2005 in Colquitt County.

In October the university received a national Award of Excellence from the University Economic Development Association for helping Taylor Regional Hospital in Pulaski County to stay open. The hospital was within days of shutting down in December 2015 because it did not have enough funds to complete a Community Needs Health Assessment as required by the Affordable Care Act, according to a story about the award in UGA Today. Without the assessment, the hospital would lose its nonprofit status and be forced to close, the article said.

Over the years, the partnership in Colquitt County has included leadership development, local planning, efforts to increase the high school graduation rate and health-related outreach.

In 2018 Archway has helped establish the 2018 Colquitt County Leadership Summit, which brings together elected and appointed officials from Colquitt County, the cities of Moultrie, Berlin, Doerun, Ellenton, Funston and Norman Park, the Development Authority, Board of Education, and the Hospital Authority. It also has helped increase efforts on career aptitude testing, as Bethany Mills with the UGA Career Center helped 30 students take the Strong Interest Inventory Test, a test designed to help students make decisions about career paths by showing them where their interests line up. It has also been involved with traffic studies and housing data as the community prepares for the potential growth offered by the new medical college.

The university’s resources for Archway aren’t unlimited, so not every community can have one. The partnership requires financial contributions from local partners. In Colquitt County, they’re the City of Moultrie, Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, Colquitt County Board of Education and Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

Sarah Adams is working in her first year as the Archway professional for Colquitt County. She’s optimistic about her new position and what she can do for Colquitt County.

“Since starting my position this year, I’ve learned so much about the university resources that are available to Archway communities across the state,” Adams said. “One of the great things about being an Archway professional is that I have the opportunity to see some of the great things going on in other communities that I could bring to Colquitt County to address our priority areas and vice versa. No two days are alike.

“I work with a phenomenal Executive Committee where each member ‘leaves their hat at the door’ to work together to consider the good of the whole community,” she said. “We are accomplishing so much this way. I also work with a fantastic Archway team that quickly networks, offers creative ideas, and problem-solves to serve our communities across the state with excellence. I could not be prouder of my community or my Archway team. It is a fun job!”