Georgia Allied Health Institute opens here

A new school is opening in Hazlehurst as Georgia Allied Health Institute will begin instructing students to enter the field of health technicians.
The school is owned by Rose Tabi, mother of Hazlehurst physician Dr. George Tabi of The Tabi Wellness Center on Hester Street.
Georgia Allied Health Institute is working with Jeff Davis Hospital to train students to be phlebotomy technicians, EKG/telemetry technicians, patient care technicians, certified nurse assistants, clinical medical assistants, dialysis technicians and ultrasound technicians.
According to Jo Harlan, the school administrator at the Hazlehurst site, the school offers hybrid training with virtual classes and in-person classes at the school at 11 East Coffee Street. Harlan is in hopes of having day, night and weekend classes to accommodate students and staff. During training, students will do their clinical experience at Jeff Davis Hospital.
“Dr. Tabi asked his mom to look at coming here to establish a school,” Harlan said. That’s how Georgia Allied Health Institute (GAHI) began looking at Hazlehurst as a site for a new school.
Harlan worked with Jeff Davis Hospital CEO Barry Bloom to establish the relationship between the hospital and GAHI.
Harlan said the school will give high school graduates who are not planning to go to college an opportunity to train for careers in health care. Graduates will be certified health technicians and “they can use their training to help them become doctors, nurses, physician assistants and so forth,” said Harlan.
GAHI is not only looking for students but also looking for staff to train the students. “The hospital has already sent a couple of people to be interviewed” for staff positions, said Harlan. She added that health care retirees may also be interested in becoming staff members to use their experience to teach younger people at the school.