Starting next month, hundreds of uninsured South Georgians – most of them with chronic disease – will be looking for a new place to get medical care. Public health officials are closing a primary care clinic at the Lowndes County Health Department on Sept. 30 because of budget problems. The Valdosta clinic has been serving…
The clinic’s waiting room filled up quickly Wednesday morning, and there were still more patients waiting outside, sitting on the porch of the converted home. Good Shepherd Clinic, which provides free medical services to the uninsured of Clayton County, is a busy place every Monday and Wednesday, the only days when it’s open. Patients and…
The Georgia Board of Dentistry on Friday rejected a proposed rule that public health officials feared would have restricted dental hygienists’ work with low-income patients. Several health groups had said the provision, if approved, would require a dentist to examine a patient before a hygienist can apply sealants, clean teeth and perform other preventive dental…
The bureaucratic-sounding rule 150-5-.03 has rekindled a sharp debate over limits on dental services for low-income Georgians. The Georgia Board of Dentistry, at a meeting Friday, is expected to take up the proposed rule, which several health organizations say would unnecessarily restrict dental hygienists’ work in public health settings, such as school clinics. The health…
The nurse’s offices at two elementary schools in South Georgia are on the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to delivering health care in rural areas of America. This fall, the students, faculty and staff returning to school in the small town of Nashville in Berrien County have access to a full range of pediatric,…
Nine years ago, Vanetta Keyes didn’t know what to do. Her teenage daughter was obese, and there were no local programs for overweight children and their families. Keyes knew her daughter’s situation could get worse. On her own initiative, she began reaching out to other parents in similar situations, encouraging them to work out together…
The new Department of Public Health’s board, recently appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal, features experienced leaders who can help tackle the state’s health problems, experts say. All that talent will be needed. The agency, which became a standalone department July 1, faces plenty of challenges. Georgia ranks 36th among the states on a prominent public…
First came the Reader’s Digest issue with a grim-sounding cover article: “How Safe Is Our Water?’’ “You need to read this,’’ my wife said, knowing my interest in health. Then came a letter from a Marine general, encouraging me to participate in a health survey related to water contamination at Camp Lejeune, a sprawling Marine…
Take heat in the 90s and the typical August humidity. Mix in thousands of people of all shapes, ages, fitness and health levels, and add a touch of alcohol and caffeine. Conditions at this week’s PGA Championship are ripe for heat-related illness. The medical crew at the golf tournament, though, is ready for plenty of action….
Tony W. had no income, no health insurance, and an AIDS diagnosis, along with other major medical problems, when he was referred to Living Room Inc. earlier this year. At the time, he was living in Sharpsburg with his mother, having lost his nearby rental home. But Tony, 50, needed to be close to his…