Dr. Chelsey Carter Returns Home to Join Appling Healthcare as Primary Care Physician

BAXLEY, GA. — Appling Healthcare is proud to welcome Dr. Chelsey Carter, MD, as a primary care physician, bringing a physician with deep local roots back home to serve the community that helped shape her.

After leaving the area to pursue her education and medical training, Dr. Carter returns to Baxley to begin a new chapter in her career — caring for patients and families in a community that has been an important part of her life from the beginning. Her addition to Appling Healthcare’s medical staff represents an important investment in strengthening access to primary care for Appling County and the surrounding area.

“My husband and I are incredibly grateful to have returned to our hometown and to be
surrounded by our family, friends and the community that shaped us,” said Dr. Carter. “For me, practicing rural medicine is not only a professional commitment, but also a meaningful way to give back to the community that has given so much to me and my family.” Dr. Carter earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Medicine & Health Sciences and completed her Internal Medicine Residency through the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership in Athens. During her final year of residency, she was selected to serve as Chief Resident.

With her training in internal medicine, Dr. Carter will provide comprehensive primary care, including preventive and routine care and the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic conditions. Her approach to care will also include patient education, preventive health, and coordination with specialists when needed, with a focus on helping patients achieve their best possible overall health and well-being.

Central to Dr. Carter’s practice will be developing lasting relationships with her patients and providing consistent, comprehensive care close to home. Through regular visits and ongoing communication, she will work closely with patients to understand their individual needs, recognize changes in their health, and help coordinate the care and resources they may need over time.

“My experiences have shaped not only my decision to pursue medicine, but also my
commitment to caring for the rural communities that I am proud to call home,” said Dr. Carter. “I look forward to continuing to serve patients by providing compassionate, comprehensive care and helping them optimize their overall health and well-being.”

Returning to practice in an area she knows so well gives Dr. Carter the opportunity to bring her medical training and experience back to a place that has long been part of her life. That connection brings an added sense of purpose as she begins building relationships with patients and caring for local families.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Carter enjoys spending time with her husband, Caleb Carter, a Baxley native, and their family and friends. She also enjoys shopping, trips to the beach, and spending time with their Boykin Spaniel, Ember.

“There is something truly special about welcoming a physician home to care for the community that helped shape her. Dr. Carter knows this community; she understands the people who call it home, and she has chosen to bring her training and experience back here to serve them. We are incredibly proud to welcome her to Appling Healthcare, and I believe her return represents exactly what rural healthcare is about—investing in our community, strengthening access to care, and taking care of those around us. Welcome home, Dr. Carter,” said Shannah Martin, CEO of Appling Healthcare.

Dr. Carter will establish her practice at South Georgia Medical Associates, located at 654 S. Main Street in Baxley, as Appling Healthcare reopens the South Georgia Medical Associates location for primary care. She is expected to begin seeing patients in January 2027.

As part of the transition, Logan Tillman, FNP-C, will move from Appling Medical Group to South Georgia Medical Associates, where she will practice alongside Dr. Carter. Tillman’s transition will provide continuity within Appling Healthcare’s primary care network while bringing together Dr. Carter’s physician practice and Tillman’s experience as a family nurse practitioner at the South Main Street location.

South Georgia Medical Associates will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., providing patients with access to primary care throughout the workweek.

The reopening of South Georgia Medical Associates, anchored by Dr. Carter’s practice, represents another step in Appling Healthcare’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare
services and invest in the long-term health of the community. For Appling Healthcare, the opportunity to welcome a physician with such a meaningful connection to the area makes this addition particularly special.

Dr. Carter left the area to pursue her calling in medicine and now returns with the training and experience to care for patients in a place that helped shape who she is today.

South Georgia Medical Associates
654 S. Main Street
Baxley, GA 31513
Monday–Friday | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Dr. Carter is expected to begin seeing patients in January 2027.

About Appling Healthcare
Appling Healthcare has proudly served Baxley and surrounding communities since 1951, providing high-quality, compassionate care with a small-town heart. The nonprofit healthcare system offers a range of services, including emergency care, surgery, primary and pediatric care, inpatient and outpatient therapy, mental health services, and skilled nursing care. For more information, visit ahcs.org.