About Us

The Health Care Ethics Consortium of Georgia (HCECG) was founded in January 1994 following a three year planning period funded by Emory University and the Georgia Humanities Council. Clinicians and health administrators statewide participated in the formation of a network of health care organizations that shared a common interest in bringing ethics analysis to patient care and organizational issues. The membership is comprised of hospitals and health systems, home health agencies, hospices, long term care facilities, managed care organizations and rehabilitation centers. The Emory University's Center for Ethics houses and staffs the Consortium.

The Consortium provides educational programs and consultative services for physicians, staff of member organizations, and the community. HCECG offers regional meetings in each of the three regions of the state: north Georgia, southeast Georgia, and southwest Georgia. An annual conference attracts participants from across the state. Educational programming addresses a wide variety of issues chosen from the interests of our member institutions. Meetings are videotaped and the tapes are made available to members through our lending library.

Other services to Consortium members include:

• CME and other CEU credits for health professionals
• Support for implementation of JCAHO standards regarding organizational ethics and patient's rights
• Orientation for new ethics committee members
• Access to ethics resource people and materials; consultation service available
• Surveys regarding the status of ethics activity in the state
• Networking with other ethics consortiums nationally
• Membership directory
• Sharing of member policies and procedures related to ethics