Georgia is one of 23 states that will receive a performance bonus for enrolling eligible children in government health insurance programs, but the amount is far less than last year’s award. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Wednesday that Georgia will receive a bonus of $1.9 million. The state’s bonus last year was…
A year of improvements in child care earned a new three-star rating for Explorations Christian Academy. Suezenette McDonald, who runs the Explorations service in Lawrencville, achieved that top rating by enlarging her playground, improving the nutrition and learning materials, and adding safety features, among other enhancements. “Parents love it,’’ McDonald says. “Parents see what the…
Once again, Georgia is not including questions about sexual behavior in a CDC-sponsored survey of high school students. A health coalition recently sent a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal, asking him to rescind a decision to omit the sex questions in next year’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Those questions include: Have you ever had…
Despite all the headlines about meth, marijuana, synthetic pot and prescription misuse, alcohol remains the most commonly used and abused drug among U.S. youth. Excessive alcohol consumption, including binge drinking, accounts for thousands of deaths among young Americans each year, the CDC says. Drinking, including moderate drinking, is a factor in a large percentage of…
The U.S. health care system is hurtling toward big changes, propelled in part by the Affordable Care Act. Separate gatherings in Atlanta on Tuesday spotlighted the 2010 law’s impact in two very different areas: the problem of uninsured children, and the advance of health information technology. A Georgetown University health policy researcher told a group…
Georgia lowered its preterm birth rate last year, but the state still received a “D’’ grade on the annual preterm birth report card released Tuesday by the March of Dimes. The reduction of Georgia’s preterm birth rate – from 13.8 percent to 13.2 percent – is part of a national trend. Forty states saw improvement in their rates between…
A 2011 CDC report showed the percentage of Georgia births at “Baby-Friendly’’ hospitals — those that promote breastfeeding — stood at zero. This year’s updated report card shows Georgia still at zero. State public health officials, though, aim to help put Georgia hospitals on the “Baby-Friendly’’ map. The Georgia Department of Public Health and the…
It may be tougher than ever to be a young person in America. Yes, these kids today have conveniences and technology that some previous generations could hardly have imagined – cellphones, computers, cable TV. But two Georgia newspapers have reported on two areas in which threats to adolescent health appear greater than ever. The Columbus…
Football recently has made us much more aware of concussions, but these brain injuries occur in many other youth activities and sports. Some of the increase in concussions comes from greater sports participation by girls. State legislators this year considered a bill that would require school teams to remove any player showing signs of a…
Dr. Evelyn Johnson was overcome by a “sense of emptiness” when she got the call from the coroner about an infant’s death. Johnson, a Brunswick pediatrician, had just seen the month-old baby two days before. The child was nursing well, and its development was right on track. The mother, after breastfeeding, fell asleep in a…