To our community, 

As of Aug. 17th, our state was among the top 10 in the nation in the number of cases of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is not a ranking any of us want for our community, our families and our state.  

This virus, which was new to us just six months ago, is hurting the core of our physical and fiscal wellbeing. Each of us now know individuals, families and businesses directly impacted, and some devastated, by this virus. But we also know that there is great strength among us in our community to come together against any challenge. 

The leadership of the Medical College of Georgia, the state’s only public medical school based in Augusta, and the MCG Foundation, applaud the valiant efforts you already are making on this front, like feeding the unprecedented number of hungry citizens and rapidly transforming your business into a place that makes PPE even as it may be struggling for survival.

Now we also ask that you join us in a concerted, community-wide campaign that encourages each of us to keep a safe distance of six feet from others, to wear a mask when we are with others, to regularly wash our hands and to clean the many surfaces in our homes and businesses that may harbor virus.

Like you, media outlets in our community, have stepped up their efforts in this pandemic to help keep us informed. Now we ask them and you, our committed and strong Augusta area residents, chambers of commerce, faith groups and businesses to help us with this intensive and lifesaving educational effort.

Some may think that COVID-19 already is all we hear about. But we feel compelled to ensure that every person in our community has the information they need to stay safe and to help eradicate this virus and pandemic. We hope and believe many of you feel the same. 

Please contact Kim McCue at the MCG Foundation at [email protected], 706-823-5500, or 877-823-5501 (toll free) by Sept. 5 to let us know how you would like to work with us. 

Together we will get through this.

David C. Hess, MD

Dean, Medical College of Georgia G.E.

Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs

and Integration, Augusta University 

Vincent JB Robinson, MD

Garrison, MD Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine,

Professor of Medicine & Radiology

President, MCG Faculty Senate

Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

Martha S. Tingen, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor of Medicine & Charles W. Linder, MD

Endowed Chair in Pediatrics 

Associate Director of Cancer Prevention, Control

& Population Health, Medical College of Georgia,

Augusta University

Ian Mercier, MBA, MPA

President and CEO, MCG Foundation

Vice President for University Foundations, 

Augusta University