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Category: Health

  • New dashboard tracks mental health insurance gaps in Georgia

    New dashboard tracks mental health insurance gaps in Georgia

    New dashboard tracks mental health insurance gaps in Georgia

    Georgians for a Healthy Future has launched a new centralized dashboard to help Georgians track issues with insurance coverage for mental health care claims. 

    Under Georgia’s Mental Health Parity Act passed in 2022 and federal parity regulations, Georgia health insurers are required to cover mental health and substance-use conditions at the same rate as physical health conditions. 

    The dashboard can help Georgians monitor how well their insurers comply with parity rules.

    Whitney Griggs with Georgians for a Healthy Future told Georgia Public Broadcasting that several insurers receive “F” grades because they do not provide real-world data on consumer experiences.

    “What they don’t show you is the experience of the consumer trying to get that mental health care,” Griggs said. “How hard is it for them to actually find a provider in their area? And that is measurable, and something that, until we have that information, we’ll never really know how consumers are fairing with the mental health parity law.” 

    Most private insurers in Georgia do not follow standard templates for reporting making it harder to understand how coverage is applied.

    In January, the state fined health insurance companies for nearly $25 million for violating Georgia’s Mental Health Parity laws.

    “I said it before and I’ll say it again: insurance companies will not take advantage of consumers under my watch,” John King, Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, said in a statement. “These companies are not above the law, and I am taking definitive action to hold them accountable for denying Georgians the care they need.”

    Georgians can file parity complaints through Georgia’s Department of Community Health website.

     

  • Northwest Georgia schools receive Narcan kits in statewide opioid effort

    Northwest Georgia schools receive Narcan kits in statewide opioid effort

    Northwest Georgia schools receive Narcan kits in statewide opioid effort

    Schools in Northwest Georgia received opioid overdose reversal kits on Tuesday through a statewide initiative by Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).

    The department partnered with the Northwest Georgia Regional Education Service Agency to distribute kits to 180 schools.

    “Moments like this show what’s possible when urgency meets strong partnership,” said DBHDD Commissioner Kevin Tanner, in a news release.

    The initiative is part of the department’s work with the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust with the goal of equipping every public school in Georgia with Narcan, a life-saving medicine to reverse opioid overdoses.

    “Equipping our schools with Narcan is a critical, life-saving step in protecting our students and school communities,” said state Rep. Katie Dempsey, R-Rome, in the release.

    State leaders, agency officials and volunteers assembled the 180 kits at a “Stuff the Box” event Tuesday before distribution.

    The statewide initiative has provided kits to more than 1,300 schools, and the department plans to equip 2,300 schools total by the end of the school year.

    “As someone who works in the hospital with Narcan, I am excited to have this available in all our schools,” said state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, in the release. “No doubt lives will be saved when seconds matter, and it is available on the premises. Thanks to Commissioner Tanner and his staff for making this happen.”

  • Showing RESOLVE: Danielle Melfi’s “at the kitchen table” to talk family planning rights

    Showing RESOLVE: Danielle Melfi’s “at the kitchen table” to talk family planning rights

    ⁠Danielle Melfi,⁠ new ⁠RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association⁠ CEO, joined Caroline & Debra to discuss the shockwaves Alabama’s IVF ruling sent across the country and what it says about the vulnerability of fertility care rights, and what’s at stake right now, still.

    Melfi is charting a course for that organization’s navigation through a critical period in America’s chapter on family-building rights.

    She has successfully advanced policy changes at both the state and federal levels, including overseeing historic bipartisan increases in family-focused budgets in Wisconsin and national reduction of health care costs. As a skilled fundraiser and leader, Danielle raised tens of millions of dollars as Executive Director of the nonprofit Building Back Together and oversaw large-scale teams in her roles as Chief People Officer at the White House and Chief Program Officer at AmeriCorps. Most recently, Danielle served as a consultant for companies at the forefront of media and health care innovation, including women’s health start-up ⁠Allara Health⁠. Danielle began her career as an organizer with deep experience centering lived experience and personal storytelling in her work, and she is committed to continuing RESOLVE’s community-focused legacy.Danielle joined Caroline and Debra to provide an update on where family planning rights are in the aftermath of the shocking Alabama Supreme Court 2024 decision imperiling in vitro fertilization.

  • Georgia high court weighs long-term health monitoring after BioLab fire

    Georgia high court weighs long-term health monitoring after BioLab fire

    Georgia high court weighs long-term health monitoring after BioLab fire

    The Georgia Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday related to the 2024 BioLab fire in Conyers.

    Residents are seeking long-term medical monitoring regardless of whether they currently show symptoms.

    The fire at the BioLab facility in September 2024 caused more than 17,000 people to evacuate and another 90,000 people to shelter in place.

    Larry Cox, a vice president of Dan-Kel Concrete Cutting, told CBS News that his company used to be located near the BioLab facility but the company has since moved because their employees did not feel safe.

    “It’s still impacting my business since September of 2024; we have been somewhat displaced because of the BioLab incident,” he said.

    Scott Smith, an independent testing expert, told CBS News that the exposure concerns are significant.

    “It was a lot of toxic gases, a mixture of very dangerous chemicals,” Smith said.

    Smith conducted independent testing of the area that found elevated levels of dioxin at 22 in soil near the site, which is five times more than the federal screening level.

    Smith also said symptoms of exposure may not appear immediately.

    “It can take years for health symptoms to show up,” he said.

    After the fire, the Georgia Department of Public Health said more than 1,000 people sought medical treatment.

    Advocates for medical monitoring say that it could help identify problems before they become more serious while critics, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, argue that awarding this monitoring to people who are not sick raises legal concerns.

  • Georgia sees major drop in ACA enrollment after subsidy cuts

    Georgia sees major drop in ACA enrollment after subsidy cuts

    Georgia sees major drop in ACA enrollment after subsidy cuts

    More than half a million Georgians have dropped health insurance coverage after Affordable Care Act plans faced substantial price hikes with recent changes.

    An investigation by The Current and The Georgia Recorder shows that 550,000 Georgians have not signed up for Georgia’s healthcare plan. That is a 37% drop in enrollment compared to January 2025.

    Health insurance policies on Georgia’s healthcare marketplace saw an increase in premiums after the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump decided not to extend health insurance subsidies from the coronavirus pandemic. The subsidies ended on Dec. 31, 2025, causing the increase in prices.

    “I don’t know what we’re going to do, honestly” Monty Veazey, president of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, told The Current. “It’s a larger number than I anticipated.”

    The decline in enrollment could cause major issues for Georgia’s rural hospitals that already face challenging financial circumstances and may face more uncertainty as Georgia’s uninsured rate increases after years of progress.

    Emma Wager, a senior policy analyst on the ACA at the health research nonprofit KFF, said a large amount of disenrollment could impact hospitals across the state.

    “A larger uninsured population means that hospitals have to provide more uncompensated care. And we also know that people who are uninsured are more likely to delay or forgo medicare care…they may have severe needs by the time they actually see a doctor.”

  • Trump taps Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead CDC amid agency concerns

    Trump taps Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead CDC amid agency concerns

    Trump taps Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead CDC amid agency concerns

    President Donald Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as the next director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

    Schwartz served as the deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first administration and retired as a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She is a preventative medicine physician and also served as the chief medical officer of the U.S. Coast Guard.

    “When I was a military physician, my job was all about readiness. It was all about public health: prevention, vaccines, early detection. If we get that right, we change lives before illness ever begins,” Schwartz said in a video on Instagram.

    If confirmed, Schwartz will answer directly to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

    Admiral Paul Zukunft, the former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, chose Schwartz as their chief medical officer in 2015. He told NPR that Schwartz was a brilliant doctor and lawyer.

    “She was not in the least bit reticent when it came to talking truth to power,” he said.

    Health professionals and former CDC employees told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they were encouraged by the nomination, but they remain wary about whether Schwartz will be able to stabilize the agency.

    “You’re putting a director in place into an organization that is so deeply dismantled that it’s going to take much longer than a year or six months to get it up and functioning the way that it was just a year and a half ago,” said Abby Tighe, who is now the executive director of the National Public Health Coalition. She was one of the many people fired from the CDC in February of last year.

  • Kemp weighs bill to bring more international doctors to rural Georgia

    Kemp weighs bill to bring more international doctors to rural Georgia

    Kemp weighs bill to bring more international doctors to rural Georgia

    A bill is now on Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk that could increase the number of medical professionals in Georgia, specifically in rural counties.

    Senate Bill 427 passed with bipartisan support and would help bring doctors from outside the country to work in rural counties, hospitals and medical schools.

    Natalie Crawford is the executive director of Georgia First, a nonprofit that advocates for healthcare access. She told GPB News that the bill allows internationally trained physicians to acquire a limited provisional license to be able to practice medicine under supervision.

    “We feel like that’s an important step in attracting more talent, more medical professionals to Georgia, especially in rural areas where oftentimes we don’t have adequate access to care for patients,” she said.

    Crawford highlighted that around 500,000 Georgians are set to lose their healthcare coverage over the next 10 years due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and her organization is advocating for expanding Medicaid in Georgia.

    “We think the best next step for Georgia is to expand Medicaid, and that would unlock a new option for hundreds of thousands of Georgians, getting us extra federal funding to help cover them,” Crawford said. “Expanding Medicaid in Georgia would help to keep more people in the workforce, boost our economy, and protect our rural hospitals.”

    Kemp has until May 12 to sign or veto the legislation before it automatically becomes a law.

  • South Georgia food banks strained as demand rises and supplies shrink

    South Georgia food banks strained as demand rises and supplies shrink

    South Georgia food banks strained as demand rises and supplies shrink

    Georgia counties below the gnat line face higher levels of food insecurity than the national average, and food banks that serve the area have seen an increase in demand and a decrease in supply streams.

    Frank Sheppard, president of Feeding the Valley food bank in West Georgia, told GPB News that most food pantries in his service area have had to reduce the amount of food they give out.

    “This food shortage is no surprise to anyone,” he said. “But this crisis has really surged in the first quarter of the calendar year, making it just that much more difficult.”

    He said they have seen less donations from retailers, manufacturers and farmers as well as a decrease in federal commodities.

    Eliza McCall,with Second Harvest of South Georgia, told GPB that they had a food pantry in Turner County that no longer could afford weekly meal distributions. The food pantry is seeking donations for $15,000 to keep their weekly distribution, but they have only raised $875 so far.

    “We are seeing people who have never needed help before in the last few years have needed that,” McCall said. “We are hearing them talk about food prices, we are hearing the talk about gas prices, it’s a lot of different factors.”

  • Georgia nonprofit trains young leaders to tackle health equity gaps

    Georgia nonprofit trains young leaders to tackle health equity gaps

    Georgia nonprofit trains young leaders to tackle health equity gaps

    A Georgia-based nonprofit is helping young adults step into leadership roles as health advocates within their own communities.

    While traditional public health programs emphasize research and data, they don’t always prepare students for the realities of policymaking or grassroots advocacy. That’s where organizations like BLKHLTH aim to fill the gap.

    Johnathan Carey, a Master of Public Health student at the Morehouse School of Medicine, says his experience as a fellow in the group’s CARES program gave him hands-on exposure to the policy process. During his fellowship, Carey addressed South Fulton County commissioners in support of building a new hospital in Union City.

    “Being someone who is more so in the policy space, I was actually able to learn, real time, what it’s like to pass bills and what advocacy actually looks like on the ground when we’re advocating for equality across all care, whether it’s health care or public health,” Carey said.

    Carey also credits the program with expanding his professional network and strengthening his ability to advocate effectively.

    BLKHLTH is part of a broader movement of culturally focused health initiatives across Georgia, working to make care more accessible and relevant to the communities they serve.

    Matthew McCurdy, the organization’s executive director, says BLKHLTH focuses on meeting people where they are.

    “The organization BLKHLTH really provides health resources, information and access to health care in ways that feel culturally relevant, culturally resonant – that are in community and community-based rather than folks having to travel far – and in ways that feel really affirming,” McCurdy said.

    The need for that work is especially clear in rural parts of the state. A recent study found that rural coalitions often struggle to address the underlying causes of health disparities. BLKHLTH has been working to bridge those gaps through free health screenings and open community discussions.

    For current fellows like Lauren Wall, a sophomore at Spelman College, the program offers a chance to connect academic interests with real-world action. She says she joined to better understand how policy and community organizing can improve access to mental health care.

    “How policy and community organizing can improve mental health access,” Wall pointed out. “I’m really interested in gaining tools to build stronger partnerships and create impactful initiatives to help other people as well.”

    This year, BLKHLTH is marking a decade of that work, celebrating its 10th anniversary.

  • Beauty product & plastics exposure: a Tuskegee-born doctor’s dire warnings for women

    Beauty product & plastics exposure: a Tuskegee-born doctor’s dire warnings for women

    Dr. Jasmine A. McDonald is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where she also serves as Associate Co-Director of the Cancer Research office at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Trained in epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, she also PhD is in Biological Sciences in Public Health with a concentration in Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

    Her research examines how environmental and biological factors — including endocrine-disrupting chemicals in personal care products — shape breast cancer risk, with a particular focus on Black women, young women, and those with genetic predispositions.

    Her recent appearance on “The Plastic Detox,” a new Netflix documentary exploring how chemical exposure from everyday plastics may be affecting fertility and health, caught our eye, too.

    Dr. McDonald joined Caroline and Debra for an in-depth conversation on what women can do – right now – in their homes to reduce health risks and what gives her hope for progress and programs she’s currently working on that excite for a better, healthier future for women.