Health Care Access in Ga., Citizens Actions

Sunday Reads – July 18, 2021

This week we’ll catch you up on a few notes from the week and take you outside for a look at nature, as long as you promise to stay a good distance from the wildlife.

Neighbors fight back

Minority neighborhoods across the U.S. are often homes to industrial sites. Over the years, many citizens didn’t have the political power to mount campaigns to push manufacturers to go elsewhere and found plants in their backyards. In Brunswick, home to four toxic Superfund sites, communities are fighting back through the system by mounting enough complaints about air quality to spark new investigations and a new neighborhood movement.

Candidates and governing

The Glynn County Manager saga continued as the person the commissioners handpicked for the job withdrew from consideration. The commissioners ignored picks from the firm taxpayers paid to find qualified candidates and now they have to figure out what to do. At a meeting this week, the panel was excoriated by citizens who demanded more transparency as the county awaits new candidates.

Democrats in Georgia’s First Congressional District got a high-profile candidate to take on incumbent Rep. Buddy Carter in 2022 — assuming, of course, Carter doesn’t plan to run for U.S. Senate. Savannah lawyer Wade Herring is the second Democrat to file for the House seat. Joseph Palimeno of Camden County also is running as a Democrat. Herring grabbed attention following Carter’s late-night Electoral College challenge in January by writing an open letter demanding Carter’s resignation. The Current sat down with Herring following his announcement for a conversation. We’ll be doing that with all candidates who take us up on the request. After all, it’s the only seat representing all of Coastal Georgia that’s decided by only voters who live here.

Georgia still struggles with health care

Two stories this week unrelated to the local COVID spikes and the continuing vaccine hesitancy remind us that health care and access to it are not strong suits for the State of Georgia. In 2018, we learned that maternal mortality rates for the state were abysmal and fall somewhere in the world around those in Uzbekistan. The state has a severe shortage of ob-gyn doctors, high uninsurance rates and child care challenges. Ellen Eldridge at Georgia Public Broadcasting pulled together the current state of the problem, and it’s not getting better — especially for Black women.

The second story reminds us that the opioid crisis remains a serious threat in every Georgia neighborhood. Overdose stats have jumped statewide, and it’s not limited to any specific group. Andy Miller at Georgia Health News breaks down the challenges of what doctors are calling “a perfect storm” as we continue to navigate the pandemic.

For your second cup

Many of you hit the road this summer in the family Truckster to get out of the house and go. Granted some of that was to escape the pandemic lockdown, but many of us just wanted to vacation with nature. But in crowded national parks and other spaces, nature thinks we’re getting just a little too close. Researchers found that the presence of humans can alter wild animal and bird behavior from greater distances than we realize. We know it’s not smart to get up close and personal with a buffalo, but we may not know that it may also destabilize their habitat. So let’s be careful out there.

Enjoy.

---

Support non-partisan, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.