Blacks’ vaccination rates rise as many overcome hesitancy, obstacles

Story updated The devastating impact of the Delta variant helped push John Arthur Brown into action. Brown, an Atlanta photographer, had been reluctant to get vaccinated. “I was the hesitant one,’’ he said. His doubts were based on how quickly the Covid-19 vaccines were developed. He had what he called a mild case of Covid…

Don’t delay! Ban menthol cigarettes

By Dr. David Satcher Race has long been a key determinant of public health in this country, and as U.S. Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton, I saw those disparities – and worse outcomes for Black Americans – every day. In 1998, I released the first Surgeon General’s report on “Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups,”…

Commentary: Fighting lung cancer among communities of color

Statistics show that lung cancer has a disproportionate impact on communities of color. A new GHN Commentary outlines steps that can be taken to end health disparities related to this diagnosis. “Lung cancer adversely affects certain communities partly due to a history of targeted advertisement by tobacco companies, a disproportionate number of people of color…

It’s time to address health inequities in lung cancer

By Rochelle Smalls and Dr. Daniel Miller Lung cancer is called the “silent killer” because it is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths and is often diagnosed in its later stages. It is generally associated with cigarette smoking, though it can be caused by pollutants in the air. Additionally, lung cancer has an especially large impact…

Employer teamwork boosts vaccine access for Latino community

Three rival Georgia carpet companies took a break from their floor-covering competition to focus on a foe that united them: COVID-19. Mohawk Industries, Shaw Industries and Engineered Floors collaborated on a COVID vaccination event for the workers at their Dalton-area plants recently. Almost 5,000 shots were administered over two weeks in the northwest Georgia city that’s…

New treatment sought for two struggling hospitals

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…

Race and COVID: Stark disparities in rural Georgia

A USA Today analysis shows that of the 10 counties in the nation with the highest death rates from COVID-19, five are in Georgia. Hancock County is No. 1 on the list. The Middle Georgia county, with a death rate from COVID-19 of 45.7 per 10,000 residents, became a virus hot spot after outbreaks in two…

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…

Hospitals’ COVID-19 teamwork a highlight of upcoming conference

From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders of local health care systems have been holding conference calls daily to share information about the challenges they face. Operations officers of heavyweight hospital systems Piedmont, Emory, Wellstar, Grady, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Northeast Georgia have used these sessions to talk over issues like surges in…

Latinos in Georgia feel doubly vulnerable to COVID-19

David was working as a laborer at a North Georgia construction site in May when he began to feel body pains and chills. A Latino from El Salvador, David, who requested anonymity for this article, was eventually admitted to a hospital with a severe case of COVID-19. His brother, who like him does not have…