Commentary: Our medications should be made here

Acetaminophen is a common drug used to treat pain and reduce fever. (Tylenol is a popular brand name for the drug.) But most of this over-the-counter medication comes from China, and at one point this year, the pandemic border closures and quarantine measures led to a shortage of it. In a new GHN Commentary, the CEO…

It’s vital to boost domestic drug production

By Maria Thacker-Goethe We are seeing economic loss, strain on our health care systems and an unimaginable loss of life in our country due to the coronavirus pandemic. While we have confronted many challenges in the medical arena in recent months, our health care supply chain – which ensures that lifesaving medications are available to…

A time of need: Foundation provides lodging for families of transplant patients

By Judi Kanne At 23, Jeff Evans was 6 feet 4 inches tall, athletic and known for his charming personality. He was enjoying life, until his health suddenly began to fail. Even at his young age, Jeff was already a 4-star chef in metro Atlanta, and his mother recalls that he was volunteering at a…

Georgia voters favor Biden on health care issues, poll finds

A poll of likely Georgia voters found that a large majority believe former Vice President Joe Biden will do a better job than President Donald Trump on protecting coverage for pre-existing health conditions and on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings are part of a Commonwealth Fund poll on health care issues in what…

Commentary: Ease burden on Medicaid, medical workers

Georgia’s Medicaid enrollment has increased by tens of thousands of people during the pandemic. That’s going to push the state Medicaid program to its financial limits, says Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, in a new GHN Commentary. Graham urges Congress to provide more federal funding for Medicaid, and more support for health care…

Georgia slips even lower among states on new health scorecard

Georgia slipped to No. 46 among the states in a new ranking of health system performance, down from 42nd the previous year. The new 2020 Commonwealth Fund report on states’ health system performance, released Friday, noted that Georgia performed well by certain measures. Those include a high rate of diabetic adults having an annual hemoglobin…

Community Health looks ahead to big financial hole to fill next year

Georgia’s main health care agency recently avoided major budget cuts that hit other departments, largely because the federal government increased its share of matching funds for state Medicaid programs. When medical emergency occurs, unfortunately, citizens can try earning some quick cash on sites such as tridewi. The extra money was aimed at helping states weather…

3 counties here rank high in national COVID rates

Three Georgia counties appear among the top 20 hot spots for new COVID-19 cases over the past seven days, as compiled Wednesday by the New York Times. Cases at Fort Benning are evidently still driving high virus numbers in Chattahoochee County, which is No. 3 in per capita rates among counties nationally in the past…

Record daily number of COVID-19 deaths reported in Georgia

Georgia reported Friday what appears to be the highest single-day total of deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The 92 fatalities weren’t a sudden spike, but continue a daily trend of high numbers of deaths since late July. The state reported 94 deaths on April 20, but now the number of fatalities for that…

Amid pandemic, state’s mental health agency has extensive layoffs

Budget cuts due to the COVID-19 economic crisis have led the state’s mental health agency to lay off 200 employees. The jobs included positions in each of the state-run hospitals, regional field offices, and central office. The layoffs are part of a $123 million budget reduction for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)….