By Jill Nolin Bipartisan momentum for action on mental health in the wake of the pandemic appears to be building ahead of next year’s legislative session. A group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and both chambers gathered this week at the state Capitol for a press conference, with several declaring 2022 to…
By Katja Ridderbusch Every couple of weeks, police in Americus, a small city in southwest Georgia, respond to trouble at the home of the same young man. The man goes through psychotic episodes, sometimes violent ones. He’s on the autism spectrum and has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The man got a lucky break…
Many patients dealing with mental health crises are having to wait several days in an ER until a bed becomes available at one of Georgia’s five state psychiatric hospitals, as public facilities nationwide feel the pinch of the pandemic.“We’re in crisis mode,’’ said Dr. John Sy, an emergency medicine physician in Savannah. “Two weeks ago,…
By Katja Ridderbusch Sometimes, Pamela Winn isn’t sure how to connect with people, even those she loves, like her 9-month-old granddaughter. When the baby is in her arms, “I sit there quietly, and I don’t know what to say. What to do,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “My socializing skills are just not…
The current covid onslaught may be the worst of the four virus surges in one crucial way: The effect on hospital employee morale. Leaders of Georgia hospital systems say the latest covid-19 wave has been very difficult for nurses and other clinical staff partly because it emerged at a time of wide availability of vaccines…
By Ray Suarez You might assume that states wrestling with premature death from suicide and substance abuse were places of failure and decline, where the human toll of disappointment illustrates bigger problems about life. But America is more complicated than that. Understanding the evolving human condition can require both flying overhead at 30,000 feet and…
There’s no real profile for the victims. They don’t appear to fit into any particular economic, racial or ethnic grouping. The rising numbers of opioid overdoses “seem to hit everyone,’’ says Dr. Dan McCollum, an emergency medicine physician at Augusta University Medical Center. “It hits all economic strata.’’ Even age is no longer the factor it…
By Katja Ridderbusch Every once in a while, after working long and sometimes grueling shifts, after getting yelled at and spat on and occasionally having plastic cups thrown at him, Officer Brian Vaughan feels so worn down that he wonders if being a cop is still worth it. “I guess the answer, for now, is…
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to higher rates of anxiety and depression among adults, according to a recent study. But for children and older adults in Georgia, there were fewer mental health diagnoses last year, perhaps because of less in-person contact with schools and medical providers. In a new GHN Commentary, Dr. Timothy Kennedy, a…
By Dr. Timothy Kennedy “How are you?” is taking on a new meaning in this lingering pandemic state. We know many people aren’t doing well — beyond the physical impact of COVID-19 — because they’ve shared that. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that during the pandemic, one in four adults reported symptoms of anxiety or…