Jackson Healthcare launches expansion, plans 1,400 new jobs

The demand for health care services is growing. So is the need for physicians and other professionals to deliver these services, especially with the aging of the Baby Boom generation. Jackson Healthcare, a health care staffing company, is expanding its Alpharetta headquarters to meet this surge. The company announced Thursday that its expansion will bring…

Why so many nurses get hurt on the job

“I think in every job there are hidden risks,” said Paige Cummings, director of the Athens Nurses Clinic. These are perils “that people in that area are very aware of and people on the outside may not be.” That’s certainly true of nursing. In 2015, about five of every 1,000 registered nurses missed work due…

State sees pay incentives attracting more nursing home inspectors

The Legislature’s recent injection of funding for nursing home surveyors will help the state address the increasing backlog of patients’ complaints, officials said Thursday. Nurses who respond to nursing home complaints will get higher starting pay, and veteran RNs will get a salary increase, under new funding inserted into state budgets. The nursing home complaint…

Ga. secretary of state defends policy toward nurses, board

Despite a wave of criticism from nurses, Brian Kemp remains unapologetic on his decision to replace the head of the state’s nursing board. The Georgia secretary of state told GHN last week in an interview that he’s not going to reverse his move to replace Jim Cleghorn with the head of the state’s cosmetology board….

Nursing board chief’s removal delayed for year

The Georgia secretary of state says he is postponing his removal of the state nursing board’s executive director until August of next year. Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s decision in June to remove Jim Cleghorn, and replace him with the head of the state’s cosmetology board, has proved controversial. Many nurses across the state have…

Football star thrilled as his own heroes arrive

Football star thrilled as his own heroes arrive

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, a Georgia native, had an emotional day Thursday. Part of that came from some unexpected visitors who arrived prior to the Chiefs’ game against the Denver Broncos. Berry was surprised at the Chiefs’ hotel by oncology nurse Stephanie Jones and other staff members of the Winship Cancer Institute at…

Voices from the front lines: How nurses feel about Ebola

When the first Ebola patient to be treated in the United States was headed for Emory University Hospital this past summer, two of the hospital’s nurses canceled their vacations to be there. That’s how registered nurse Barbara Ribner described the dedication of the Emory nurses who deal with Ebola. Her husband, Dr. Bruce Ribner, is the…

Commentary: Fill the gap in primary care

Commentary: Fill the gap in primary care

Georgia faces major hurdles in addressing its shortage of primary care physicians. Among them is a low cap on Medicare-funded graduate medical education residency slots in the state. In a new GHN Commentary, two health care officials suggest several actions that the Georgia Legislature can take to help erase the primary care deficit. Denise Kornegay…

Nurses say state shortchanges licensing board

Nurses say state shortchanges licensing board

Georgia nurses are concerned that lack of funding for their state licensing board will create problems in protecting patients from an impaired, unlicensed or dangerous nurse. A new law that goes into effect Monday will require nurses to report suspected professional violations to the Georgia Board of Nursing. But the Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) says…

Nurse practitioners aim to fill care gap (video)

Nurse practitioners aim to fill care gap (video)

Betting on Reno (Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Athens uninsured initiative, produced by graduate students in the Health and Medical Journalism Program at the University of Georgia. Visit the previous articles by clicking on the red button to the left.) More and more Americans, especially in rural…