Student-run organizations at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State University are raising awareness about human trafficking and working with local organizations to combat it. Human trafficking involves illegally trading people for exploitation or commercial gain. Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to lure their victims and force them into labor or commercial…
Historically, the hymen, a thin piece of skin-like tissue that stretches partly across the opening of the vagina, has been known as the “virginity shield.” It’s commonly believed that if the hymen is undamaged, sexual penetration has not occurred, particularly in the case of a child. But this idea is false. Sometimes, a woman may…
Jonathan Swanson decided in high school that he wanted to become a doctor. But he doesn’t credit this decision to his own intellectual journey or to his parents’ steering him toward medicine. He believes the decision was influenced by a higher power. “I believe that God gives us specific talents and desires that we can…
Emergency medicine is unique. At any time of the day or night, practitioners in an ER must be ready to treat any kind of problem, said Dr. Sam Kini, a veteran emergency physician. Patients rush in with everything from chest pains to vaginal discharge. Among the common problems are back pains, abdominal cramps, fevers, bruises…
Betting on Reno(Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of articles on the Athens uninsured initiative, produced by graduate students in the Health and Medical Journalism Program at the University of Georgia. Visit the previous articles by clicking on the red button to the left.) When Alvin Dye Jr. of Athens has a…
Lack of inpatient beds, nursing shortages, slow lab turnarounds and flu season can all contribute to overcrowding and long wait times in hospital emergency departments. Many factors can lead to ED backups, says Dr. Richard Schwartz, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Georgia Regents University in Augusta. He also notes that some patients…
A sudden ache or illness is troubling at the best of times. And if you can’t get in to see your primary care provider — or don’t have one — the situation can be worse still. At such times, many people turn to the emergency department (ED) at the nearest hospital. Often known as the…