Georgia has recorded a 5 percent drop in its childhood obesity figures, according to state officials, citing new federal statistics. The decrease helped move Georgia’s ranking as having the second most obese child population in the nation, which came from 2007 data, to No. 17 in the new figures, from 2011, Public Health officials say. Still,…
State officials are urging Georgia school superintendents to consider adopting a daily 30-minute period of physical activity for elementary school students. A letter sent this week by state school Superintendent John Barge and by Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, cites the obesity epidemic as the impetus for the voluntary…
Does adding an insurance surcharge for smokers prompt some to kick the habit? State officials say the number of Georgians in the state employee health plan paying $80 more a month in insurance premiums due to smoking has dropped by 44 percent over the past six years. The goals of the surcharge in Georgia are…
Health care providers received good budgetary news Thursday, the final day of this year’s Georgia General Assembly. The agreement between the House and the Senate on fiscal 2014 (July 2013 through June 2014) eliminated cuts in payments for Medicaid services to dentists, nursing homes and other medical providers. Gov. Nathan Deal’s original budget proposed a 0.74 percent…
One of every five children in Baldwin County is obese. Faced with that stark statistic, health organizations, elected officials and schools in the Middle Georgia county have formed Live Healthy Baldwin, a coalition that is fighting the area’s childhood obesity problem. The group’s projects include starting community and school gardens; making roads safer for bicyclists…
The state Department of Public Health said Tuesday that it expects funding reductions from sequestration, but added that it’s unclear so far how much money or what programs will be cut. And the timeline for decisions on federal reductions is also unknown, said Kate Pfirman, chief financial officer of Public Health, at an agency board…
A handful of health-related bills moved forward on Crossover Day at the Georgia General Assembly. A piece of legislation must pass at least one chamber by the close of the 30th legislative day to have a shot at becoming law during the session. Thursday was this year’s deadline. Bills passed by one chamber before the…
Gerald Kogon was born three years ago with bilateral hearing loss. The family’s health insurer didn’t cover the hearing aids he needed, says his mother, Sara Kogon of Sandy Springs. Fortunately, she adds, the family can afford to pay for them out of pocket — which amounts to $5,000 to $6,000 every three to five…
A concussion awareness bill got a strong push on the Georgia House floor Friday from a lawmaker who’s a former UGA linebacker. State Rep. Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge), who also played pro football, told his legislative colleagues that he probably had concussions during his career, though he later told GHN that he has not shown any…
Cole Cook stands out among his peers. At 17, he’s already 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 228 pounds. The high school junior is a tight end on the Carrollton High football team and being aggressively recruited by some of the best college programs in the country. Not surprisingly, Cook has a healthy appetite….