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…
Several health-related bills are still pending during the final week of the 2013 General Assembly. Senate Bill 85 would allow pharmacists, who can already give flu shots, to administer other adult vaccinations, such as those for whooping cough, shingles and pneumococcus. In a new GHN Commentary, Dr. Daniel S. Blumenthal of Morehouse School of Medicine…
Five years ago, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against the use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in men 75 or older. The advisory group looking at these screenings for prostate cancer concluded that their potential for harm to older men outweighed the benefits. Many doctors and patients took heed. A recent study…
Health literacy is becoming a Georgia priority — though there’s still plenty of room for improvement. The state’s schools of medicine, nursing, public health, dentistry, pharmacy and education, as well as community organizations, are all working on improving people’s ability to understand health information so they can make good decisions about their medical care. An…
The federal budget cuts known as sequestration may deal a major blow to medical research, both in Georgia and nationally. The National Institutes of Health stands to lose about $1.6 billion in funding over the next 10 years, with an estimated $250 million of that reduction absorbed by the National Cancer Institute. And that could…
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…
When Kathy Parker was diagnosed with breast cancer – her second form of cancer in 10 years – she knew she had the strength to pull through. Thanks to a vigorous exercise program after her prior bout with a rare cancer called vulvar sarcoma, Parker felt more prepared than the average person. She was ready…
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…
The state health insurance exchanges coming in January 2014 are expected to offer a good deal for many consumers — better coverage at a better price. That debut of exchanges, part of the Affordable Care Act, provides the rationale behind a House bill that would eliminate temporary “conversion’’ policies for people who have lost group…
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….