How flu vaccine can help the fight against COVID

By William Newlin Tara Graham recently emerged from the side entrance of the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse ready to face one of two major public health threats looming this fall. Graham, a clerk in the county magistrate court, had just received her flu shot from a joint clinic run by the University of Georgia Health Center…

Gun sales up sharply in a time of uncertainty

Gun sales are soaring in Georgia this year, with background checks for buyers already far exceeding the total for all of last year. The issuance of licenses for carrying a gun is rising in the state as well, according to probate court judges. Many of the purchases are by people who have never bought firearms…

Honoring generosity, new pediatric hospital to be named for Blank

Thanks to a $200 million donation, the new hospital being built by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will be named the Arthur M. Blank Hospital. The naming gift for the $1.5 billion Brookhaven project came from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Blank, a co-founder of Home Depot, is the owner of the Atlanta Falcons. It’s…

Reaching for fitness among middle school girls

In the fifth grade, 51 percent of girls in Georgia have healthy aerobic ability. By the 12th grade, the number plummets to 31 percent. What’s causing this drop? And what can be done about it? A group of nonprofits, led by the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, have decided to focus on the issue — and on…

More kids treated for trauma injuries from ATVs, bikes in pandemic

Since the pandemic began, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has handled about the same number of trauma cases involving kids as it did previously. But that doesn’t mean it has seen no change. The mix of injuries that required treatment shifted in the spring as schools closed due to the spread of COVID-19. The pediatric system…

Food banks see increasing demand as pandemic continues

Food banks across Georgia say they’re seeing a spike in demand from families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re also reporting an increase in child hunger. Food bank officials spoke Tuesday in a virtual news conference about how the economic devastation and job loss caused by the pandemic have raised the demand for food. The conference…

Fear factor: Parents’ concern on COVID may stall vital vaccinations

By Ann Hardie Some parents like Jil Hinds still just aren’t comfortable taking their children to the doctor. Given that Georgia is a COVID-19 hot spot and now has more than 260,000 confirmed cases, Hinds feels even less comfortable taking her 9-year-old now than when the pandemic began. “I just don’t trust that it’s safe,”…

1-year-old Cobb Co. boy becomes Georgia’s youngest COVID fatality

A 1-year-old Cobb County boy has died from COVID-19, becoming the youngest person in Georgia to die of the disease. The Georgia Department of Public Health data said the boy had an existing health condition, a situation that can contribute to the severity of the illness. The boy was also described as African-American, but no…

Community Health looks ahead to big financial hole to fill next year

Georgia’s main health care agency recently avoided major budget cuts that hit other departments, largely because the federal government increased its share of matching funds for state Medicaid programs. When medical emergency occurs, unfortunately, citizens can try earning some quick cash on sites such as tridewi. The extra money was aimed at helping states weather…

Secretary of Education visits Forsyth Co., praises school reopenings

Editor’s Note: This article comes courtesy of the Georgia Recorder By Ross Williams United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Forsyth Central High School Tuesday to take part in a roundtable discussion with educators about the district’s reopening plans. Despite several high-profile COVID-19 outbreaks in early-opening Georgia school districts, DeVos painted a rosy picture of the…