$7 billion is a lot of taxpayer dollars. That’s the cost of the government Medicaid and PeachCare programs in Georgia, and it alone would make Gov.-elect Nathan Deal’s choice for Department of Community Health commissioner vitally important for the state. But it’s only part of the picture. On Friday, Deal announced that Clyde Reese, the…
The peanut-related salmonella outbreak two years ago could have been mitigated if the FDA overhaul now being proposed had been in place then, says a University of Georgia food safety expert. The Senate-passed food safety legislation, by requiring well-documented prevention programs of potential hazards, would have made Peanut Corp. of America’s problems more apparent, said…
The U.S. Senate’s approval of new food safety rules Tuesday would give the FDA power to order food recalls, which are currently voluntary. The Wall Street Journal reports that House passage of the bill isn’t certain because of the tight schedule for the lame-duck session of Congress. Meanwhile, Bob Keefe in the AJC notes that…
Older people have always been prime targets for scam artists seeking to prey on the vulnerable. According to a recent survey, more than 7 million American seniors have already been victimized by a financial swindle. A new campaign to combat investment swindles will train medical professionals to spot people who are susceptible to these scams….
Georgia already ranks low nationally in several public health measures, and two rankings that appeared Wednesday won’t do much to enhance the state’s portfolio. The March of Dimes issued its Premature Birth Report Card, and the state received an “F’’ for its high pre-term birth rate. The Georgia figure did improve slightly, to 13.4 percent…
One fascinating story to watch in the upcoming session of the General Assembly is whether the state’s public health program will become a stand-alone agency. Legislative approval of an independent agency would follow last year’s creation of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which was broken off from Human Resources (DHR) amid the…
The recent projection of a normal flu season is welcome relief from last year, when the H1N1 pandemic strain emerged, requiring a separate vaccine. And there’s plenty of this year’s vaccine available. About 119 million doses have been distributed as of late September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.