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4 weeks ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
Georgia has the highest rate of new HIV infections among all states. Access to affordable testing is a key component of ending the epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that every adult get tested at least once in their lifetime as a part of routine health care, but only about a third of Americans do it, said Patrick Sullivan, a professor at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. There are many convenient, discreet, even free, ways to get tested in Atlanta.
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1 month ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
Atlanta HIV prevention advocates plan to hold a town hall Wednesday, May 28, to discuss the layoff of 17 workers from the Fulton County Board of Health. The town hall is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mayfaire Medical, Suite 410, in the Summit South Building at 777 Cleveland Ave. in Atlanta. It is open to the public. The event is being organized by Daniel Driffin, an independent public health consultant, and William Francis, pastor of The 166 Church.
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1 month ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
A fourth measles case has surfaced in Georgia in an unvaccinated person, the state Department of Public Health said Monday. The person contracted the disease while traveling internationally. The state health department did not disclose the identity or age of the person, who lives in metro Atlanta. State officials are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed to measles through contact with this person between May 10 and May 18.
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1 month ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
Federal funding for a program that used dating apps to connect people with free HIV home tests - identifying nearly 7,000 new cases since its start in 2022 - has been canceled. The Together Take Me Home project, based at Emory University in Atlanta, has delivered almost 750,000 free home testing kits to people across the country through an easy-to-use website and integration with dating apps.
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1 month ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
In an Emory University survey of nearly 1,000 Georgia parents released Tuesday, 86% said they believe childhood vaccines are very or somewhat safe. The purpose of the survey - which its organizers hope will become an annual report that helps track changes over time - was to find out what parents think about the well-being of their children.
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2 months ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
Nurses at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Decatur plan to protest Saturday, April 26, against proposed federal layoffs that they say will impact patient care at the facility that serves more than 125,000 veterans each year. Two VA employee unions are organizing the protest outside the medical center at 1670 Clairmont Rd. National Nurses United represents 1,000 registered nurses at the facility.
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2 months ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
A bill to certify community health workers in Georgia failed to pass after the state Senate abruptly adjourned much earlier than usual on Friday, ending the legislative session for the year. The Senate had planned to take up the proposal along with others for final passage but adjourned about 9:15 p.m. instead.
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2 months ago | 
roughdraftatlanta.com | Rebecca Grapevine |Healthbeat Atlanta
Thousands were laid off Tuesday from the Atlanta-based CDC, dealing a blow to the city's public health workforce, local, national and global research on illness prevention, and likely the city's economy. The CDC's parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, last week announced a sweeping reorganization that would result in about 2,400 "reductions in force" at the CDC.
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2 months ago | 
mdjonline.com | Allen Siegler |Healthbeat Atlanta
Even as one of the most severe Georgia flu seasons in recent years continues to recede, health workers in the metro Atlanta area continue to express caution about respiratory, vaccine-preventable diseases. Throughout March, hospitalizations and health care visits for flu have continued to decline in the state, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Mar 28, 2025 | 
atlanta.capitalbnews.org | Rebekah Sager |Madeline Thigpen |Allen Siegler |Healthbeat Atlanta
When Shanette Williams speaks publicly, she holds the obituary of her 28-year-old daughter, Amber Nicole Thurman, in her hands. She says it gives her comfort and the strength to continue to tell the story of how a Georgia hospital allowed her daughter to die unnecessarily. Williams is a woman who rarely bows her head, unless in prayer. She is striking with the face of a model, high cheekbones, dark chocolate almond-shaped eyes, and a warm smile.
