By Max Blau Nursing homes have become a constant battleground during the COVID-19 epidemic — in Georgia, around the nation and in several other countries. Nearly half of Georgia’s 2,784 deaths have come from long-term care facilities, a percentage that’s mirrored in national statistics. In mid-March, as COVID-19 quickly spread across southwest Georgia, PruittHealth was…
By Max Blau Story updated A group of nurses at a Georgia hospital have filed a lawsuit accusing their CEO of what they call a “COVID-19 coverup” involving the improper collection of test samples to reduce positive test results for the virus and downplay its spread. Nurses employed or formerly employed at Landmark Hospital of Athens, a 42-bed long-term…
The search for answers over whether waste from America’s largest coal-fired plant has tainted drinking water in a small central Georgia town has united local officials and a riverkeeper group.
Of Georgia’s more than 1,100 COVID-19 deaths, 12% are from long-term care facilities in a region that holds just 3% of the state’s population. As the state reopens, staff know that risks of exposure will only increase. By Max Blau This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica. Georgia Health News is a member of…
People living near Plant Scherer, America’s largest coal-fired plant, are one step closer to not having to rely on tainted water from private drinking wells. But the decision hasn’t quelled local residents’ demands that Georgia Power remove coal ash from the plant site in Central Georgia.
By Max Blau Corrections officials are struggling to combat the rising spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails throughout the state. The disease has led to one death, and more than two dozen other people are either known to be infected or showing potential symptoms. Georgia Health News has learned that three people at the federal…
On the same February morning when Juliette residents marched into Gov. Brian Kemp’s office demanding he support legislation to remove coal ash from their town, Monroe County Manager Jim Hedges sent an email to nationally known scientist Avner Vengosh, asking for help.
State regulators last month approved a Georgia Power request to charge customers for the costs of cleaning up toxic waste produced by its coal-fired plants. But an environmental organization is contesting that decision, claiming the utility failed to disclose how it would spend more than $500 million it had requested for environmental compliance.
Over the past month, people in the Georgia town of Juliette have expressed fears that nearby Plant Scherer, America’s largest coal-fired plant, has caused their water to be contaminated with coal ash. Their outcry, along with a flood of statewide media coverage, has led local officials to offer free water to any local residents who need it.
In a small Georgia town, residents worry that their neighbor, a giant coal plant, has tainted their drinking water. Some are relying on the help of the Altamaha Riverkeeper to find answers.