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Georgia HEART Tax Credit Keeps Your Dollars Local

What is the Georgia HEART rural hospital tax credit?

If you pay Georgia income taxes, you are eligible to receive a 100% state income tax credit on donations to our hospital through the Georgia HEART Hospital Program. The purpose of this program is to help improve the health care in our state with a rural hospital tax credit.

This is a great way to keep your tax dollars local, while allowing us to provide the best healthcare for our community. Support Appling Healthcare and help improve healthcare in our community by redirecting your tax dollars through the Georgia HEART program!

The Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that enables Georgia taxpayers receive a state income tax CREDIT for 100% of the amount they contribute to a qualified rural hospital organization (RHO) (up to the limits set forth below). Appling Healthcare qualifies for this exciting program.

How much can I contribute for the rural hospital tax credit?

  • Individual Filer – up to $5,000
  • Married Filing Separately – up to $5,000
  • Married Filing Jointly – up to $10,000
  • C Corporation, Trust, or Pass-Through Entity electing to pay tax at entity level – up to 75% of annual Georgia tax liability
  • Individual Owner of S-Corp, LLC, or Partnership (Pass-Through Entity) NOT paying tax at entity level – up to $10,000

After June 30 of each year, for so long as a portion of the $75 million annual cap on RHO tax credits is available, to offset their Georgia income tax liability, individual taxpayers may make unlimited contributions to RHOs for a corresponding 100% Georgia income tax credit.

Credits are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so act fast! All of the information and forms are on the Georgia HEART Hospital Program website.

How your donations make a difference 

Every single dollar we receive from the Georgia HEART program is invested into areas that most benefit our community.

Georgia HEART funds have been used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment in our radiology department and nuclear medicine department. In addition, we used HEART funds to upgrade to the new MEDITECH Expanse Electronic Health Record platform. Appling Healthcare is excited about making this investment ($165,035 from Georgia HEART) in the health of their community and providing a more user-friendly and intuitive experience to both patients and providers. You really can make a lasting impact through the Georgia HEART program!

Find out more:

163 E. Tollison St Baxley, GA 31513
912-367-9841
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Doug Harris

Doug Harris is a native and lifelong resident of Appling County, where he graduated from Appling County High School. He graduated from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama, in 1978, with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Computer Science. He retired from Southern Nuclear, working at Plant Hatch for over thirty-six years in the Operations, Materials, and Training departments, having held a Reactor Operators License from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and later a Senior Reactor Operators Certification. His public service includes being a former Appling County School Board member, where he represented the Georgia School Board Association as a Federal Relations Network member. He has also served as an Appling County Board of Commissioners member. In the mid-nineties, Doug was instrumental in attracting and obtaining the Altamaha Technical and Education Center, currently known as Coastal Pines Technical College. He is actively involved in his church, having served in various roles over many years. He is married to Betsy Crummey Harris of Baxley and has four grown children, spouses, and eleven grandchildren.

Perry White

Perry White is the Vice President of Community Bank of Georgia.  He is a graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture.  He is also a Blueberry and Pecan farmer. He is the President of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association. He serves as a Deacon of First Baptist Church in Baxley.  He is married to Hayley White, and they have two children, Lane and Linley. 
 

Tekisha Jones

Tekisha Jones, a proud native of Appling County, is a devoted wife to Jakharis Jones and the loving mother of three children: Takhara, Aleah, and Khamil. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner from Walden University, where she developed a strong commitment to advancing healthcare in her community.
 
Currently, Tekisha serves with East Georgia Healthcare, where she provides compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals and families.

Madeline Rentz-Tucker

Madeline Rentz-Tucker, a native of Baxley, holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctor from Mercer University. She has practiced law in various settings and now works with a long-standing local law firm. Madeline and her husband, Matthew Tucker, a native of Ocilla, enjoy life in Baxley with their two dogs.

Cam Mayers

Cam Mayers is a native of Appling County and a graduate of Georgia Southern University’s Parker College of Business. He has worked for various industries here in Southeast Georgia and is currently a lender with Pineland Bank. He is actively involved in the community, serving on the Appling County Festival Committee, and is a recent graduate of the Appling Leads Leadership Program. Cam and his wife, Hannah Carter Mayer,s have two young daughters, Lillian and Bess.

Sloan Lott

Sloan Lott is a lifelong resident of Baxley. He has been employed by Bland Farms for 28 years and is currently their Director of Sales. He is married to Kendra Lott, and they have two daughters, Isabella and Amelia. He is a graduate of Georgia Southern University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Sloan currently serves on numerous industry and charitable boards. He is a member of the executive board of directors forthe  Southeast Produce Council and a member of the board for Society of St. Andrews.

Lee Lewis

Lee Lewis is the City Market Executive and Senior Vice-President for Pineland Bank in Baxley. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia from the Terry College of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. Lee is actively involved in his community, serving as Chairman of the Coastal Pines Technical College Board, Secretary of the Appling County Hospital Authority, Executive Board Member for the Coastal Georgia Council BSA, and Treasurer of the Appling County Tourism Board. In 2023, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Hospital Association. Lee is married to Melody Lewis, and they have one son, Hudson.

Jaymal R. Patel, MD

Geriatric Psychiatry / Hospitalist

163 E. Tollison Street
Baxley, GA 31513
(912) 367-9841

Primary Focus

Senior Care Unit (Behavioral Health)

Education & Training

Board Certified: General Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Board Certified: Geriatric Psychiatry, American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry,
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Medical School: Baroda Medical College and affiliated hospitals, Baroda, India
Internship: Baroda Medical College and affiliated hospitals, Baroda, India
Residency in Psychiatry: Medical College of Georgia and University of Pennsylvania
Fellowship: University of Pennsylvania,Geriatric Psychiatry Program

Melanie Young, APRN, FNP-C

Pediatrics

105 E. Tollison Street Suite D
Baxley, GA 31513
(912) 366-9688

Education & Training

Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner: Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA
Bachelor of Science in Nursing: Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Affiliations/Certifications

-Family Nurse Practitioner
-Registered Nurse, Georgia
-Basic Cardiac Life Support
-Advanced Cardiac Life Support
-Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support
-ONS Chemotherapy/Biotherapy Provider Course
-American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
-Sigma Theta Tau International

Orlando V. Fernando, MD

Internal Medicine

105 E. Tollison Street Suite B
Baxley, GA 31513
(912) 367-0102

Education & Training

Medical School: University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
Residency: Memorial University/Mercer University Hospital, Savannah, GA
Internship: Memorial University/Mercer University Hospital, Savannah, GA

Affiliations

-Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
-Certified, Medical Review Officer, Southern Nuclear Company
-Member, American College of Physicians
-Recognition with Commendation, American Medical Association

Matt Hodges, FNP-BC

Family Medicine

105 E. Tollison Street Suite B
Baxley, GA 31513
(912) 367-0102

Matt is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who treats patients two years and older. He is a certified BioTE® medical provider for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, including BioTE® hormone pellet therapy.

Key Services
-Chronic Disease Management
-Health Maintenance Screenings
-Acute Care
-Physical Exams
-Disease Prevention
-BioTE® Hormone Replacement Therapy
–Botox® injections
-BMI-based weight management program ($45, bi-monthly)

 

Education & Training

Master of Science in Nursing: South University, Savannah, GA (Family Nurse Practitioner)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing: Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA

Certifications/Memberships

-Family Nurse Practitioner
-Registered Nurse, Georgia
-Advanced Cardiac Life Support
-Basic Life Support (BLS)
-Chemotherapy & Biotherapy Provider
-Oncology Nursing Society
-Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing

Josefina Abendan-Dubberly, MD

Pediatrics

105 E. Tollison Street Suite D
Baxley, GA 31513
(912) 366-9688

Key Services

-Primary Care
-Well Checks
-Acute Care
-Physical Exams
-Disease Preventions
-Patient Education

Education & Training

Medical School: University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
Residency: Brookdale University Hospital, Brooklyn, New York

Affiliation

-American Board of Pediatrics