State officials say they are able to respond immediately to reports of abuse or neglect in Georgia nursing homes, despite facing a large backlog of complaints. The backlog of nursing home complaints coming from residents, families and others is roughly 140, the Department of Community Health says. That’s at or near a historic high, as…
Monday is the day when the nation pauses to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the world-renowned civil rights leader from Georgia. In a new GHN Commentary, Dr. Harry Heiman of Morehouse School of Medicine notes that King took an expansive view of human rights. Heiman points out that 50 years ago, MLK spoke eloquently…
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” These were the words spoken by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on March 25, 1966, in a speech before the Second National Convention of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. In the 50 years since this speech,…
The lawmaker who created Georgia’s new tax credit program for rural hospitals wants to boost the incentives for donors. State Rep. Geoff Duncan, a Cumming Republican, has introduced a House bill that would raise the tax credit from 70 percent to 90 percent for individuals and corporations who donate money to rural hospitals. Duncan’s original…
Gov. Nathan Deal, in his annual State of the State address Wednesday, outlined several health care initiatives to boost mental health services, DFCS, Medicaid and autism coverage. Deal said his fiscal 2018 budget proposal includes, on average, a 19 percent pay raise for DFCS caseworkers to help ensure “a competitive salary,’’ so the state can…
Close to a half-million Georgians have been enrolled for coverage for the 2017 health insurance exchange through Dec. 31. The 482,445 enrollment number, though, falls short of last year’s pace, when 511,826 Georgians had been signed up for coverage by Dec. 26. Until Wednesday’s figures were announced, Georgia’s enrollment for this year’s exchange had been…
A South Georgia elementary school has three dental chairs set up for kids who don’t have a regular dentist. But those chairs at Turner County Elementary School in Ashburn have sat vacant for the past three years, even though many kids there need dental care, says Brenda Lee of Family Connection of Turner County. That’s…
A consulting firm criticized over its contracting with rural hospitals on a new state program said Monday it will donate any net income from that work to charitable groups supporting rural health care. The firm, Portage Charity Advisors, created the Georgia HEART program to help struggling rural hospitals gain donations from individuals and companies under…
Fulton County’s rate of opioid overdose deaths was more than double the national average in 2014, newly released figures show. And the county — which contains most of the city of Atlanta as well as some of Georgia’s most affluent suburbs — had a higher rate of HIV diagnoses than all but one of 28…
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…