U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will bring a South Georgia hospital leader to Washington this week as his guest to the State of the Union address, highlighting growing concerns about rural health care funding in Georgia.

Warnock announced that Bill Lee, CEO of Evans Memorial Hospital in Claxton, will attend Tuesday’s address as lawmakers debate the future of federal health care programs.

Evans Memorial Hospital, a rural nonprofit facility serving Claxton and surrounding communities since 1968, is facing what leaders describe as mounting financial pressure. According to Warnock’s office, the hospital could lose critical services — including its intensive care unit — and is confronting a potential $1 million shortfall tied to recent federal tax and health care policy changes.

“I’m proud to welcome Bill to Washington as my State of the Union guest,” Warnock said in a statement. He warned that recent health care funding reductions could be “devastating for rural hospitals and clinics,” including Evans Memorial.

The hospital has already scaled back services in recent years. In the past, Evans Memorial shuttered its labor and delivery unit, citing rising costs and financial challenges.

Lee said he hopes his presence in Washington underscores the importance of protecting access to care in rural communities.

“For decades, Evans Memorial Hospital has been providing vital services and compassionate care to Claxton and neighboring South Georgia communities,” Lee said. “Rural health care continues to face financial challenges… it is more important than ever that we ensure every Georgian can access quality health insurance.”

Warnock’s office said broader impacts could be significant for the state. The senator cited estimates that up to 93,000 Georgians could lose Medicaid coverage under current policy changes. In addition, the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for the 2026 plan year could raise premiums for many consumers, potentially leading to coverage losses statewide.

Georgia’s health care sector could see billions in financial strain, according to the senator’s office, with rural hospitals among the most vulnerable.

Lee, who holds both an MBA and a Master of Health Administration from Georgia State University, also serves as a trustee on the Georgia Hospital Association board. He has previously held executive leadership roles at major health systems across the state.

Warnock has long advocated for expanding Medicaid access in Georgia and has argued that stabilizing coverage helps both families and local economies.

As the president delivers his annual address, the presence of a rural Georgia hospital CEO in the chamber is expected to spotlight the ongoing debate over how federal policy decisions in Washington affect health care access in communities like Claxton.

What started with an application to volunteer with Fulton County Animal Services turned into thousands of lives saved.

In 2014, Jennifer Siegel stopped by Fulton County Animal Services to volunteer and ended up leaving as a foster parent.

Bosley, the 3-week-old puppy she fostered, became the inspiration for Bosley’s Place in Smyrna. The nonprofit is an animal rescue that provides bottle feeding and 24-hour care for orphaned or homeless neonatal puppies.

“Usually, their worst day is also their best day because they get to join the rescue when it’s all over, from their happiness forever,” Siegel said.

Three weeks after Bosley was born, he was found abandoned at Grant Park in a trash can.

He ended up at Fulton County Animal Services just before Siegel walked in.

“I just happened to be in the right place, wrong time, wrong place, right time?” Siegel said. “I’m not really sure, but it was also timing for me. Like,  everything aligned, and I started this rescue because once I realized that I could save a life, I was like, I think I’m addicted.”

It was that moment, that right place at the right time, that led Siegel to create Bosley’s Place.

The rescue provides puppies with comprehensive medical care, around-the-clock care, and bottle feeding.

“It is very unusual for a rescue to do as much in-house vetting as we do,” Siegel said. “But the truth is, it’s necessary when you know, to vet a single puppy could, you know, from birth till adopted, and that includes surgery, it could be $1,000. I can cover the majority of those costs here in-house. Which helps a great deal.”

Siegel and her team of trained volunteers will also foster the puppies themselves — just like Mateo.

She said Mateo came in as just skin and bones. He had a parasite that made him appear to be blind and deaf.

His foster parent and Bosley’s Place volunteer, Tori Paquin, said that by the first week, he started to look like a different dog.

“His hip bones were starting to disappear, his tail looked like a skeleton, and it started to get some cushioning, his hair started to grow back, and he just started to be interested in all of the puppy things again,” Paquin said.

The puppies are ready for adoption at 8 weeks old, and prospective adopters undergo an in-depth screening process.

In fact, some families will adopt more than one puppy from Bosley’s place.

“We love their mission,” said Kyle Isaacs. “We track their dogs pretty much year-round at this point. And, yeah, we just decided that it was time to add to the family again.”

Tejal Shah and her family are also adopting their second puppy from Bosley’s Place. They stopped by to introduce Bruno to his new “partner-in-crime.”

“I was the most excited to see Bruno’s interaction with the little guy,” Shah said. “And he seems to love him. It’s so cool. Bruno needs a friend.”

If you are interested in volunteering, fostering, adopting a puppy, or donating to Bosley’s Place, click here.