Lelia Stina had to act fast when her 4-year-old son, Liam, developed severe breathing problems last August. First she took him to an urgent care center in Rome, but it was a Sunday night and the center was closed. So she drove to Redmond Regional Medical Center, a hospital that’s in the network of her…
A recent legislative hearing in Atlanta featured a stream of PBM critics. South Georgia pharmacist Nikki Bryant said PBMs are putting her out of business. Cancer patient Katie Groover said they have “exhausting” bureaucratic processes that “take away patient choice.’’ Dr. Melissa Dillmon, a Rome oncologist, said PBMs often cause delays for patients trying to get…
At 3 years old, Sarah Davis was a typically rambunctious child. But one day when she leaped onto the family sofa and plopped into her favorite position, the maneuver resulted in a piercing pain that struck without warning. “We didn’t know what was wrong, we just knew she was in a lot of pain,” says…
By Crysta Jones and Andy Miller Habersham County has a high uninsured rate, with 12 percent of its children lacking health coverage. The mountainous northeast Georgia county also has a low number of primary care physicians and mental health providers. For those reasons and others, a school-based telemedicine program would seem like a natural fit…
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.
From waivers to toxic pollution to disease outbreaks, Georgia experienced an eventful year in health care. Here is our list of the Top 10 health care stories in 2019. Let us know what we got right – and what we missed! 1. Gov. Brian Kemp unveiled proposals to offer more people Medicaid coverage and improve private…
Rosario Hernandez regularly gardens with her grandchildren at her two Atlanta properties in the English Avenue district, about a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. So Hernandez, who works with Historic Westside Gardens, was alarmed when an Emory University team analyzed the soil in July 2018 and discovered it contained unsafe concentrations of lead — a potent…
Just one of Gov. Brian Kemp’s waiver proposals was unveiled Thursday. But that one part, announced at the state Capitol, is still a lot to grasp. The so-called 1332 waiver proposal is designed to make fundamental changes in the health insurance system for individuals and families in the state. The goal is to make coverage…
Metro Atlanta resident Becky Ferguson says she started using non-addictive cannabis oil because she hoped it would ease her chronic pain. The result was not quite what she expected. “It might have helped a little bit [with the pain], but I am getting a tremendous reduction in anxiety,” says Ferguson, who is in her late 50s….
Editorial note: This is a reporter’s tribute to a Georgian beloved by people from all walks of life and all shades of opinion. As a lobbyist, Dawn Alford was smart, tenacious and effective. As a person, she was unfailingly pleasant, greeting people with a big smile. And as a woman with disabilities, Dawn set a compelling…