Nursing home exec’s loophole may haunt Georgia

He wanted to fix rural America’s broken nursing homes. Now, taxpayers may be on the hook for $76 million. By Max Blau This article was produced in partnership with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Georgia Health News is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. Nearly 20 years ago, Ronnie…

Politically connected firm earning millions in state contract

A health care staffing company with strong political connections has been paid more than $40 million by the state of Georgia to supply medical workers to fight COVID-19. Jackson Healthcare, a private company based in Alpharetta, was asked by state officials for help in March. That’s when Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and the city of…

How a small town became ground zero for landfill collapses

By Max Blau Carolyn Dorondo couldn’t escape the smell of garbage. There were days last year when she couldn’t go outside due to the smell. Some nights, the stench wafted into her Ball Ground home, awakening her from a restful sleep. The odor grew so foul that Dorondo, along with other residents of Cherokee County,…

Nursing home chain suffers big toll from COVID

By Max Blau The Georgia nursing homes hardest hit by COVID-19 are scattered across the state, from the southwestern farm belt to the Blue Ridge Mountains. But the five with the highest number of total coronavirus cases have one thing in common: They’re run by the same company. PruittHealth, one of the South’s largest nursing…

Another rural hospital to close in Georgia, this time in Commerce

A northeast Georgia hospital is closing due to financial losses, becoming the second rural facility in the state to announce in recent weeks that it plans to shut down. Northridge Medical Center, a nonprofit 90-bed hospital in Commerce, will close effective Oct. 31, said an official with its parent company, Ethica Health & Retirement Communities,…

Rapid rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations worries health care leaders

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are soaring across Georgia, with more than 300 additional patients reported in hospitals statewide between Thursday and Monday. Officials representing hospitals in major metropolitan areas, as well as rural counties, told GHN on Tuesday that the surge in inpatients has come over the past week or two. Many of the newly hospitalized…

‘COVID fatigue’: Are folks slacking off in the fight? 

Tired of wearing a mask in public places? Do you ever forget to take one along when you go out? Are you weary of social distancing with friends and family members? Is your hand-washing getting less frequent and a little less thorough? These may be signs that weariness with COVID-19 guidelines is setting in. This…

Young adults and COVID-19: A troubling infection trend

This article was reported and written in collaboration with WebMD By Debbie Koenig and Andy Miller The number of young adults testing positive for COVID-19 has increased dramatically in recent weeks across many states. The spike among those ages 20-39 could be explained by a combination of increased testing, rejection of social distancing and masks,…

Nurses’ lawsuit claims ‘fabricated’ COVID-19 tests at Athens hospital

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…

State’s COVID scorecard shows negative trends; farmworker cases hit South Georgia

A national scorecard shows Georgia as having negative trends on fighting COVID-19, just a week after it rated the state as making progress. The primary change in Georgia’s rating appears related to a rise in the 14-day trend of coronavirus cases in the state. Georgia joins several other Southern states with increasing infections being reported…