When asked about the stench, neighbors in a rural corner of northeast Georgia tend to mention a single phrase: “The smell of death.” As Steven Adair of Lexington says of the pervasive odor, “It was like tying a couple of dead chickens to your belt. There were people who were miles away complaining about it.’’ The…
By Katja Ridderbusch Michael Goodroe isn’t the type who worries easily or is quickly scared. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, “I was a little sad,” he says as he sits down in his parents’ Roswell bungalow, his hands neatly folded on the large wooden dining room table. “Because I felt that the life I knew…
By Brenda Goodman and Andy Miller Brenda Goodman is a reporter for Medscape and WebMD. Andy Miller the editor and CEO of Georgia Health News. On August 22, 2018, the citizens of Willowbrook, Ill., had just one hour to learn that local EPA officials were investigating high levels of a toxic gas in the neighborhoods…
A big change in drug treatment for cancer is arriving in Georgia. It’s not a new medication. What’s coming is something known as “white bagging,’’ an insurer tactic involving expensive infusion or injection drugs. And at Crisp Regional Health Services in Cordele, Jennifer Taylor, an oncology nurse practitioner, is concerned about the ultimate effect on patient…
By Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine The Georgia House’s last-day inaction on a contentious gun rights bill took many by surprise. That included opponents of House Bill 218 such as state Sen. Michelle Au. The Johns Creek Democrat not only opposed the gun rights expansion, but sponsored her own legislation on background checks and waiting…
Five years ago, Marietta-based Wellstar Health System bought five Georgia hospitals from Tenet Healthcare. The prize of the lot was seen to be North Fulton Hospital in suburban Roswell, not far from Wellstar’s hub. Today, it’s doing well financially, as expected. Two other hospitals, in towns on the southern outskirts of metro Atlanta, have made…
Near America’s largest coal-fired power plant, toxins are showing up in drinking water and people have fallen ill. Thousands of pages of internal documents show how one giant energy company plans to avoid the cleanup costs for coal ash. By Max Blau Mark Berry raised his right hand, pledging to tell the whole truth and…
Before the pandemic struck, Himali Patel and her brother owned five small retail businesses. Now they’re down to one — a dry cleaning establishment. They have seen a disheartening drop in their income as COVID-19 ravaged the economy. Patel, an Atlantan who has multiple medical conditions, has been getting her health insurance through the Georgia exchange….
It’s not just the actual infections that have altered the medical landscape in Cook County. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many more people with depression and anxiety, says Dr. Jairaj Goberdhan, a family physician in the South Georgia county. “I have written more prescriptions for that,’’ he says, adding, “I have written more sleep aid…
Matt Gaffney had trouble living in a group home for people with disabilities like himself. He’s nonverbal and suffers from multiple conditions: severe autism, bipolar disorder, chronic gastrointestinal issues. In group homes, Matt, now 42, had his medications ‘‘raised to higher levels,’’ says Sue Gaffney, his mother. And she adds that his last group home…