A study involving Atlanta and five other U.S. cities shows that young black men who are gay or bisexual have greatly elevated HIV infection rates. Researchers found that the overall rate of new HIV infections among black men having sex with men was 2.3 percent per year, nearly 50 percent higher than the rate for…
A 9-year-old girl in rural Georgia discloses the unthinkable: sexual abuse by her stepfather. The case is referred to police and local child welfare officials, who contact the Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children. A doctor soon conducts a physical examination and speaks with the child. What makes this story different is…
More than a decade ago, the first U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on oral health outlined a “silent epidemic” of dental and oral diseases in the nation. Dental problems affected large numbers of children and adults, and were also linked to major health conditions, said the landmark report, released in 2000. Dr. David Satcher, who was…
Recent events have pushed me to think about shingles, and not the roofing kind. A few months ago, I entered my 60s, the age when the CDC recommends a person get the vaccine for shingles, a painful skin rash often accompanied by blisters. Just recently, a friend who is my age told me that though…
Six metro Atlanta hospitals and an Augusta facility will join a national initiative to improve breastfeeding rates in states, including Georgia, where those figures are low. They will be among 90 U.S. hospitals participating in the Best Fed Beginnings program, which aims to improve maternity care and increase the number of hospitals with a “Baby-Friendly’’ designation. The…
The Department of Public Health’s commissioner said Tuesday that she remains worried about two agency problems: funding and workforce vacancy rates. But in her progress report on Public Health, a year after its launch, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald also listed several accomplishments of the new agency, including initiatives to reduce the state’s high rates of obesity…
Oregon launched a lottery in 2008 that had nothing to do with gambling. Instead of money, the winners got health insurance. The state allowed working-age adults living in poverty to apply for its Medicaid program. Thousands received coverage. A study of those newly insured Oregonians found that they felt healthier and happier and more financially…
Despite technological advances in health care, the United States ranks 130th countries for preterm births and 41st for infant mortality, placing it in the same category as developing countries in Africa and Latin America. Each year, more than 500,000 U.S. babies are born prematurely and about 28,000 die before their first birthday. And Georgia ranks…
Georgia has delayed implementation of its new law requiring drug testing of welfare applicants, citing a pending lawsuit in Florida on a similar program. A spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal confirmed the delay on Tuesday. “We’ve agreed to await guidance from the ruling in the Florida case,’’ said Brian Robinson, the spokesman. Georgia’s Department of…
Last year, Gail Nestor set a personal goal for herself: To finish the AJC Peachtree Road Race in under an hour. The challenge seemed simple enough, and with 18 previous races under her belt, she felt almost certain she would accomplish her goal. But something went wrong. In the second half of the race, Nestor,…