Blue-ribbon panel urges stronger mental health services for Georgia kids

The landmark 2010 settlement agreement between Georgia and the Justice Department to improve mental health services in the state had one glaring gap. It didn’t address services for children. Despite some successful funding and programs since then, the need for more and better funded mental health care has presented problems for communities and families across…

Parents, advocates sue state, claim inequities in GNETS schools

Parents of children with disabilities and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday alleging the state of Georgia has discriminated against students placed in “unequal and separate’’ schools for kids with behavioral disorders and problems. The Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) schools are “segregated programs,’’ housed in separate buildings or…

Single mom ‘fighting so hard’ for medically fragile child

Sarah Allen, a single mom, spends her days and nights caring for her son, Aidan. Born premature with a malformed brain, Aidan, now 3, has multiple health conditions. They include cerebral palsy, epilepsy, obstructive sleep apnea and cortical visual impairment. He also has enlarged ventricles, scarring on his brain, and a mild form of microcephaly….

Ga. schools would be vulnerable to Medicaid cuts, survey says

A new survey finds that many Georgia school systems fear that the proposed Medicaid cuts in Congress would hurt their special education programs – and the children they serve. Most school districts responding to the survey say they receive thousands of dollars in Medicaid funding to help offset the costs of their special education programs….

Medicaid recipients with disabilities face funding cuts under GOP bills

The potential cuts in the Medicaid program, as outlined in the GOP health care bills, have a deeply felt meaning for Mitzi Proffitt and her family. She’s employed by a nonprofit that provides services to Georgia families impacted by disabilities or special health care needs. And at home, Mitzi arranges for help at her east…

Years after hospital closed, some former patients struggle for safe housing

This is the first in a series of articles reported in Northwest Georgia, an area rich in stories about unmet health needs and about people and programs making a difference. Georgia Health News and the health and medical journalism graduate program at UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication collaborated to produce this series, made possible…

Georgians with disabilities don’t get required help to renew benefits, suit says

Three Georgians with disabilities have filed a lawsuit alleging that state agencies have failed to provide accommodations to help them maintain their eligibility for food stamps and Medicaid. Thousands of Georgians with disabilities face a similar risk of a benefits cutoff, the lawsuit contends. The lawsuit, filed last week in federal district court in Atlanta,…

Succeeding while overcoming obstacles

Born in Macon, one of four girls raised by a single mother, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice has met every challenge with dedication, service and success. Montgomery Rice is now president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta — the first woman to hold that prestigious position. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Montgomery…

Behavioral Health chief picked to run Georgia’s Medicaid agency

Frank Berry, head of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, will replace Clyde Reese as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health. Gov. Nathan Deal, who made the Berry announcement Wednesday, also nominated Judy Fitzgerald, DBHDD’s current chief of staff, as its new commissioner. Pending approval by the board, Fitzgerald will…

Life with a spinal injury: What it’s like, and how it’s changing

Just a few seconds . . . That’s all it took for Nancy Edwards to go from working nurse to spinal cord injury patient. It happened on an otherwise routine day in 2002. Edwards was on her way to work at Emory University Hospital. She was riding in an elevator, and when the doors opened, she didn’t…