HIV/AIDS in Georgia – How we have failed and will continue to fail

This is a not something new. We have know for years that HIV/AIDS was becoming a real threat for rural, female, African-American and poor people.

This is not all the fault of the state (but plenty of blame does reside there). The CDC has never really EVER had a HIV prevention plan in place. When the [...]

National Minority AIDS Council Call to Action- New HIV rates

There website is here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Circe J. Gray Le Compte, Director of Communications
National Minority AIDS Council, 1931 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: (202) 234-5120 ext. 309; (202) 352-7240
E-mail: communications@nmac.org
“And all the centuries passed and they survived and became a kind of people that the world had never known. [...]

It took countless deaths, but Georgia finally gets a Mental Health Ombudsman

While on the face of it it is a good sign that Georgia is finally doing something to address this horrible issue, it is outrageous that it takes people dying, a federal investigation and a investigative piece from the AJC to make this happen.
Having an ombudsmen and advocates for the most helpless of our residents [...]

Georgia’s continuing dysfunctional leadership

From the AJC. This sums it up for me…..

Laughingstock Legislature
Published on: 04/10/08
Members of the Georgia General Assembly, especially those from suburban Atlanta, like to make fun of Grady Memorial Hospital and its myriad problems. No doubt that has made it easier for the Legislature to justify repeatedly turning its back on the state’s largest [...]

1000 Georgians died last year due to lack of health care

There are a couple of issues here.
Issue one- The Georgia Legislature should be ashamed of themselves for their actions on this issue. In the face of Georgians not having access to health care they pushed a bill that gives tax breaks which really will benefit insurance companies who offer worthless high deductible policies that do [...]

State Health Director Stuart Brown to “retire”

Well, they used up another one. You don’t retire that fast…..he was pushed out I bet.
Why is it that DHR continues to switch out major management every 2-3 years in this state? Because changing out Directors fools most of the people of this state into thinking that something is happening. All that B.J. Walker [...]

While Georgia burns our politicians play the fiddle

I have not blogged much about the General Assembly or the Guv’nor this year mainly because they have not done ANYTHING worth a damn except play power games within the Republican party. This editorial captures perfectly the issues.
God, it is just great to live in a Red State.
OUR OPINION: STOP pandering on tax cuts and [...]

Unnatural Causes – it not just your genes or lack of access

Started March 27 but they are repeating the first episode this coming Wednesday and GPB will air it every Thursday for 6 more weeks.  Website for the film is here.
Healthy behaviors, molecular research, and of course, universal health care are all important. But evidence suggests they [...]

The “lock them up and throw away the key” arguement….now for the other side

Even more signs that “tough on crime” does not work.

Aging inmates clogging nation’s prisons
HARDWICK, Ga.
It’s about noon in middle Georgia and the sun is beating down on the yard at Men’s State Prison.
Huddled under a metal canopy that provides a bit of relief are inmates slumped in wheelchairs. Some lean on walkers or canes. Razor [...]

Health Care Cost in Georgia Prisons

Watch out for how our “leaders” try to solve this. Instead of addressing the fact that we are locking up too many people in this state and not providing health care to people before they get to prison, we are going to charge the prisoners co-pays and talk about their complaints are not valid.
Prison officials [...]

Denying HIV and dying. How belief and politics overwhelm science.

As someone who on a daily basis runs into the “where did AIDS come from” or “they have a cure” or “it was created in a lab” or “HIV does not cause AIDS” arguments and also someone who has my own sense of distrust of the government and the science being slanted, I can understand [...]

Georgia continues to fail to protect its most vulnerable citizens

This is just tragic and all of us in Georgia are implicated as we have not forced our leaders to address this long occurring problem.
We are ok with this kind of “justice” because the folks being mistreated, dehumanized and dying are minorities, poor, mentally ill, gay or other classifications of people we either never have [...]

Georgia’s Meth problem fuels overcrowding in Prisons.

We are locking up 250-300 meth addicts a month?
Prison chief: Meth fuels overcrowding
By STEPHEN GURR

James Donald

Georgia’s skyrocketing inmate population can at least partially be blamed on the rise of methamphetamine use, the state’s prison chief said during a Tuesday legislative brunch in Dahlonega.
“Today we are taking between 250 and 300 meth-addicted offenders per month,” Georgia [...]

Meth issues in Georgia

Good article from the Macon paper. Not sure how “accurate” that comment is by the DHR guy. In rural south Georgia there is nothing but a handful of private options. This is a growing issue driving HIV rates across the country.

Addicts quitting meth face severe withdrawals, few treatment options
By Tim Sturrock
For months, the guilt, shame [...]

Mental Health and Social Programs again get cut in Florida

From our neighbors to the south but similar to what is going on in Georgia. The breaking point maybe a reality soon as politicians attempt to give more money and tax breaks to the rich and while more and more people do not want to provide services with tax money to poor folks.

Judge: Don’t cut [...]