Calhoun County lies in a swath of counties between Columbus and Albany that generally have poor health statistics. Recently, when the county’s only hospital closed, it was a blow not just to local health care but also to economic development there. In a new Commentary, Charles Hayslett, manager of Partner Up! for Public Health, writes…
More American mothers are breastfeeding their babies, the CDC recently reported. Yet the percentage of African-American women breastfeeding, while rising, lags behind that of other racial and ethnic groups. And Georgia and the Southeast have among the poorest breastfeeding rates, say Emory University researchers. In this video, Emory experts Maeve Howett and Laura Gaydos talk…
State public health officials are worried that Georgia will soon lose up to $1.5 million in CDC funds for treating sexually transmitted diseases. “This will be devastating to Georgia,’’ said Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Department of Public Health, as she discussed the possible funding reduction at the agency’s board meeting last week. The…
As a junior in high school, Erica says, “I was the All-American girl.’’ She had solid grades, came from a good family, and played varsity girls’ sports at her Gwinnett County school. That’s when she met the guy. “He was cute. He was really sweet,’’ she says now, 10 years later. “He really wooed me.’’…
Nancy Humberstone fought an eight-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease before passing away last year. She was just 65 years old when she died. Humberstone, of Gainesville, was an Emory University professor of physical therapy. But the disease, as it slowly took its toll on her brain, made her unable to figure out how to check…
Eliminating a hospital provider fee would create a hole of nearly $500 million in the state’s Medicaid budget, state lawmakers were told Thursday. David Cook, commissioner of the Department of Community Health, outlined the potential fiscal calamity at a budget hearing at the state Capitol. He said that if the Legislature were to reject renewing the…
A new report shows that although Georgia has a low number of dentists per capita, a large majority of them still have room in their practices to accept new patients. The report on Georgia’s dental workforce also found that only about 20 percent of dentists serve Medicaid and PeachCare patients. The workforce report, produced by…
Med student Brian Brewer is working on a body — his own. He grips the pull-up bar and slowly uses it to raise himself, then goes back down and repeats the procedure. After completing a set of pull-ups, he drops to the floor for pushups. He follows that with core training to work his lower…
Georgia’s telemedicine network is a jewel in the state’s health care infrastructure. It’s delivering medical care in rural areas, using high-definition cameras to illuminate problem areas and transmit them to a doctor hours away with clear pictures. The examinations can range from skin problems to behavioral health issues. And telemedicine is working for stroke victims…
Three years ago, Gail Dobbs had a CT scan done for an abdominal problem. The test showed something unexpected — a small spot on her lung. It was lung cancer. Dobbs, who had never smoked, was stunned to have a health problem that people commonly associate with smoking. She had surgery to remove the small…