health

Today Georgia Democrats in the Senate defeated a Republican move to send a message to the Obama administration against healthcare. Georgia is one of 38 states where Republicans are pushing a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to opt out of any federal health care mandate. Republican Senator Judson Hill says Republicans in the Georgia Senate want freedom of choice. "We stand united at least within the Republican Caucus to say your health care and your health care freedoms of choice are critically important. " But the amendment was defeated because Democrats voted against it and prevented the needed two-thirds majority. Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown says the amendment was only meant to poke the eye of the federal government and would end up in court. He says Democrats stuck together. "It was a very clear message. Let's focus on the things that are important to the people of Georgia...and let's not get distracted by this frivolous kind of legislation. " But Republicans aren't giving up. They're pushing a bill with similar implications. And that bill would only need a simple majority.

The resignation of Georgia’s top health official comes as Governor Sonny Perdue is putting a more direct focus on healthcare budget cuts. Dr. Rhonda Meadows leaves her post as Department of Community Health commissioner the end of this month. In a memo to department staff, she called her decision to leave hard, but the correct one personally. In her 4-and-a-half years on the job, Meadows has managed all aspects of state public health. Overriding everything has been trying to navigate a projected health department budget shortfall in the hundreds of millions of dollars. With Governor’s Perdue call this week for deeper cuts to the state’s Medicaid system, there would appear to be more of a challenge for the Meadows successor. But Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley says state health officials have done well in such a tough budget climate: "Dr. Meadows really did a fantastic job, and so I don’t think you’ll see a major shift in the way they do their business over there." Department of Community Health chief-of-staff Dr. Carla Denise Edwards will take-over as acting commissioner in April.

Health clinic officials say the swine flu vaccine will be available statewide as soon as this week. State officials are reporting the fewest amount of deaths and hospitalizations in three months and the vaccine is now more widely available, but the virus could re-emerge as the flu season continues. County clinics were limiting availability to "high priority groups" including children and pregnant women. The vaccine is free at county health clinics and about $20 at pharmacies and private health providers. The federal government has allocated about 2.2 million doses to Georgia.

After months of speculation about his health, Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia says he suffers from hepatitis C. Over the past few months, the Democrat has lost 30 pounds and appeared thin and frail. On Monday he announced he has been battling the liver disease hepatitis C since he was diagnosed in 1998. He said his current treatment is going well and that he has been free of the virus for almost a year. On his website, Johnson wrote Monday, "Since discussing earlier today my ongoing and successful treatment for hepatitis C, my office has received dozens of calls from supporters and well-wishers. I can only hope to convey the sincerity with which I appreciate your kindness. The virus is no longer detectable in my body, I am on the mend, and I am thankful every day for the privilege of serving our community in Congress.” Johnson represents Georgia's Fourth Congressional District, which includes portions of DeKalb, Rockdale, and Gwinnett counties in metro Atlanta. Johnson said he doesn't know how he contracted the virus, which is spread through contact with infected blood. About 4 million Americans have been infected with hepatitis C. By late Monday, Johnson’s website had several fact sheets about the disease.

A new University of Georgia study says that indoor smoking bans may be pushing health hazards outside. UGA researchers did the study outside Athens restaurants and bars which have had an indoor smoking ban since 2005. The scientists had non-smokers sit outside for a six hour period. They found levels of the nicotine by-product cotinine increased 162 percent in those volunteers. Since that much exposure could signal a potential public health problem, the research team next plans to study the levels of known carcinogens in people exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors.

A first-of-its-lind county-by-county look at national obesity rates finds a wide swath of Georgia with obesity rates exceeding 30%. The study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first to give county-level snapshots of obesity across the country. It finds, the Southeast, Appalachia and tribal lands in the West have the nation's highest obesity rates. In Georgia, huge sections of East, Central and Southwest Georgia have obesity rates exceeding 30%. The mostly rural areas correspond with areas of high rates of diagnosed diabetes and high rates of poverty. The state's worst obesity rate is Terrell County's 34.9% percent. Metro Atlanta and the coast fare better. The lowest rate is Fulton County's 22.8% percent. The study suggests focusing diabetes prevention efforts on areas that need them most. To look up and compare your county's obesity rate to the rest of Georgia and the nation, click this link: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ddtstrs/ To see how obesity relates to poverty, click this link: http://www.poverty.uga.edu/maps/

Patients in the state’s mental hospitals have until the first week of January to drop the smoking habit. The ban on smoking goes into effect January 5th at Georgia’s seven mental hospitals. The ban also applies to staff. Tom Wilson, spokesman for Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, says some of the hospitals have already been in varying stages of smoking bans. But he says officials decided a uniform smoking ban should be adopted for the system as a whole. Wilson cites studies by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, or NASMHPD, showing people with serious mental illness die 25 years younger than the general public. He says it's due in part, to smoking. With national statistics that show 75 percent of people suffering from mental illness smoke, Wilson admits easing the patient population off of a typical coping mechanism like tobacco "will be a challenge" initially. But he says the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term challenge. "There are other coping mechanisms, and our job is to help people with mental illness and substance abuse learn coping mechanisms that are healthy for them. That's what treatment is all about." Jose Delgado, a psychiatrist with the Center Point Adult Mental Health Clinic in Milledgeville, concurs. He says the smoking ban "will be (a challenge) but it's necessary" for patients' overall health down the road. State health officials say programs will be in-place to help patients make the transition under the no-smoking ban. They include evaluations of individual patients as to their need for tobacco, counseling services, and smoking cessation aids.

The first injectable doses of H1N1 vaccine have been rolling-out across the state the last several days. State health officials say so far, nearly 500,000 doses have been distributed to public health districts and private providers. And orders are being placed for another 60,000 doses in this initial allotment. The number of doses going to each of the state’s health districts is less than originally anticipated from October predictions. Brenda Greene says her 14-county Southwest Public Health District has 2,500 injectable doses in-hand right now, ready for the public Wednesday morning. Unknown right now she says, is the timetable to get more in this current wave: "There are some providers in the community that have not received any yet, so the strategy is to try to get some to all the providers that have requested it. So public health may or may not get any more...it may go to private providers”. State health officials say at this point, it's impossible to predict how many more doses of H1N1 vaccine might be needed to get through the winter season. But officials will order more when new allocations become available. The injectable is available to a wider group of people than the nasal spray--ages 6 and older falling within CDC-identified priority groups. Those include pregnant women, caregivers for young children, and adults 25-64 with underlying health concerns. Officials expect the response for the injectable to be greater than that of the nasal spray, which has been in circulation for several weeks. People can still get the nasal form of the vaccine from public clinics and private providers. Another 34,000 doses of the spray are being ordered.

While about 300 Georgia physicians are gathing in Savannah this weekend, their attention will be on the national health care debate in Washington. The Medical Association of Georgia represents about 4,000 doctors and is one of the most vocal state medical associations that have come out against Democratic plans for health reform. M.A.G. President Todd Williamson says, the group opposes the public option and any individual or business mandate to buy health insurance. "The main way to control costs is to make sure that the patients is involved in their medical care decisions at every point and empowering the patient to direct their medical dollars," Williamson says. M.A.G. supports Republican ideas for health care reform. At least four Georgia Republican Congressmen are expected to attend, including U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. Liberal groups protested an Isakson appearance in Atlanta on Wednesday because of his opposition to the public option. The doctor's meeting lasts through Saturday.

A study by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services says the death rate for certain diseases at 14 hospitals in Georgia is higher than the national average. Three hospitals had a higher death rate for heart attacks while another three had a higher rate for heart failure, according to Hospital Compare, a Medicare website that allows people to compare the quality of up to three hospitals at a time. Nine hospitals had a higher death rate for pneumonia. The number includes a death rate higher than the national average for both heart attacks and pneumonia at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics in Augusta. The survey only accounted for patients on Medicare, in their 60s or older. Kevin Bloye, a spokesman for the Georgia Hospital Association, says Georgia's rate of poverty and lack of education mean sicker patients. "That plays a major role when you talk about about patient care outcomes," says Bloye. "Those are sometimes factors that are outside the control of the hospital, and then of course there are some areas in hospitals that we need to do a better job." Bloye says hospitals across the state are working aggressively to improve patient care. While the hospitals are ranked low, that doesn't necessarily mean patient care is bad or dangerous. For instance at MCG, the death rates were higher, in part, because the health system accepts sicker patients, says Dr. David Snyder, a surgeon and vice president of patient care, quality and safety at MCG Health. Only about a third of the patients are on Medicaid as well. The hospital had 16,000 admissions last year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has rated hospitals and ambulatory care in Georgia as "weak," based on statistics from 2008. The report, meanwhile, ranked home health care as very strong. (Hear Dr. David Snyder discuss the Medicare study by clicking the audio link below.)