April Williams wants to keep her children safe. That feeling is not unusual, of course, but Williams’ job probably gives her an enhanced perspective on the issue. She’s the special events and marketing manager at Athens Regional Medical Center, one of the biggest regional hospitals in northeast Georgia. She’s keenly aware of the health threats…
Healthcare Georgia Foundation has announced fourth-quarter grant awards to 20 nonprofit organizations totaling almost $1.5 million. The grants include funding to three evidence-based approaches to infant mortality prevention that target adverse birth outcomes in Valdosta, Clayton County and Albany. Citing the closures of hospitals and an emerging health care crisis in rural Georgia, Healthcare Georgia…
A kid doesn’t have to bring an odd-looking homemade device to school to attract attention from the authorities. A prescription pill will do the trick. A child who pulls out an antibiotic capsule at the water fountain may be marched to the principal’s office for questioning. Schools have to comply with drug laws, and they…
In a growing state where health-related news is happening every day, it was hard to whittle down the list. Give us your thoughts. 1. Jimmy Carter diagnosed with cancer The former U.S. president, the only Georgian ever to hold the office, announced in August that he had melanoma. But after treatment at Emory, the 91-year-old Carter,…
Childhood obesity, dental and medical services, mental health care, and HIV prevention are among the issues addressed by a new round of grants from the Georgia Health Foundation. The foundation was created in 1985 through the conversion of a nonprofit HMO into an independent organization. The Georgia Health Foundation, dedicated to improving the health of…
Georgia’s ranking on a health system score card has slipped to 46th in the nation. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2015 score card, which ranked the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, was released Wednesday. It noted that Georgia had improved on 11 measures, including having more children and adults with insurance, and more children up to date…
A pediatric network has inked its first major contract with a health insurer that will pay the doctors based on incentives in meeting quality-of-care standards. The Children’s Care Network, which has more than 1,100 pediatricians in Georgia, has signed a two-year agreement with WellCare Health Plans that will include bonus pay if the provider organization achieves improvements on medical…
Law enforcement officers in the South made 445,928 drug arrests in 2014. Georgia is keeping pace with its neighbors, with more than 42,000 drug arrests in that period, but it’s taking a markedly more compassionate stance than neighboring states when the drug user is a pregnant woman. Four years ago, Georgia lawmakers rejected a bill…
Peyton Hughes, at 4 months old, had trouble breathing. It looked like a cold, but his symptoms grew worse, and he was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville in February. He was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus. commonly known as RSV. Peyton was transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Egleston hospital. He was…
Georgia recently slipped from a grade of “C” to a “D” on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card. A big reason for premature births is poor health of mothers before they become pregnant, experts say. In a new GHN Commentary, Callan Wells of the Georgia Legal Services Program says that if the state…