Gainesville — The recent battle over federal funding for Planned Parenthood is still echoing here. The attempt by congressional Republicans to stop all $327 million of federal Title X money — while targeting Planned Parenthood as an abortion provider — endangered funding for women’s health services at clinics in Hall County, public health workers say….
Barely a month before becoming an independent agency, the state Division of Public Health has been told it must shed 186 positions. Public Health has hundreds of unfilled positions as a result of budget cuts over recent years, so it’s possible that all the jobs that will disappear are currently vacant. The Governor’s Office of…
Elberton, Ga. — The public square here boasts an unlikely display: tombstones. Above them, a billboard proclaims Elberton as ”The Granite Capital of the World.” But the industry that put this small town on the map has been linked to illnesses, and premature deaths, of many workers. About 1,800 people, nearly one-third of Elberton’s workforce, are…
Thirty years ago next month, the CDC released the first report on a mysterious disease among gay men in Los Angeles. The AIDS epidemic had begun. It has since claimed the lives of an estimated 600,000 Americans and is currently ravaging Africa, which is home to about two-thirds of the more than 33 million people…
The helpline is out of service, the website shut down. The state’s sole nonprofit organization focused entirely on preventing child abuse has closed its doors. The closure of Prevent Child Abuse Georgia came in mid-March — two weeks before the start of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Automated messages now direct callers to the United…
Motor vehicle crash-related deaths in Georgia resulted in an estimated $1.55 billion in medical and work loss costs in a year, the fourth-highest total in the nation, according to a CDC report released Wednesday. The cost findings are based on 2005 data, the most recent year for which comprehensive data on costs associated with crash…
As demand for health care grows, pharmacists are providing services that stretch the historical boundaries of their profession. The era of pharmacists simply dispensing pills into child-safe bottles is over. Now they’re just as likely to be found administering preventive vaccines against everything from influenza to shingles, or having detailed discussions with customers about how…
See the above photo? Remind you of anyone? Let’s face it: Many of us have used a cell phone while driving. In fact, an estimated 11 percent of drivers at any one time are using a cell. But such “distracted driving’’ is dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says nearly 6,000 people died in…
Campfires, canoeing, camaraderie. Summer camps offer plenty of exercise, adventure and old-fashioned fun. And camp season is almost here for millions of children. But as you sign up your child for camp, consider advice from health professionals and camp officials on how to make good decisions on choosing a camp. Even if the selection has…
Gov. Nathan Deal told public health officials Wednesday that the state must respond aggressively to the problem of childhood obesity in Georgia. Deal, addressing more than 400 public health officials at a Georgia Public Health Association conference, said that lifestyle and dietary habits are contributing to obesity. He said that schools may have to change…