The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center is partnering with tech companies to bolster rural healthcare security. The Cyber Resiliency Center (CRC) is a nonprofit initiative by the Georgia Cyber Center, affiliated with Augusta University, geared toward strengthening cybersecurity across various sectors throughout the state, such as local governments, school districts and rural hospitals. Cyber resilience involves a system’s ability to deal with, prevent and recover from potential problems, like cyber attacks. In February, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) announced that it qualified for more than $218 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funds. This gave rise to the Georgia Rural Enhancement and Transformation of Health (GREAT) Program to finance projects throughout the state to improve rural healthcare. Wednesday, the CRC announced that it would be meshing its rural healthcare cybersecurity and resilience initiatives with the goals of the DCH’s Rural Health Transformation program (RHT). The CRC will be collaborating with CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity tech company based in Austin, and health data risk management organization HITRUST, also based in Texas, to establish strong cybersecurity for rural healthcare providers. This includes securing telehealth systems, electronic health records, and protecting patients’ and hospitals’ data. This burgeoning digital infrastructure may also lead to integrating cybersecurity training into both clinical and administrative roles, the CRC says. “Cybersecurity is no longer an IT issue. It’s a patient safety and access-to-care issue,” said CRC director Dr. John McLain. “By aligning with [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’] Rural Health Transformation goals, we are helping Georgia build resilient, future-ready rural healthcare systems that can innovate, collaborate, and thrive.” The CRC also touted the posssiblity that the modernized system to secure rural healthcare data could establish a scalable model other states can use. Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering general reporting with The Augusta