This story was originally published on March 2, 2023, and has been updated. Bankhead resident Jeff Jackson says accessing fresh groceries in his neighborhood has become more difficult over the years. Jackson recalls multiple grocery stores closing in the past decade. It’s why the Grocery Spot, the free grocery store where he volunteers and gets […]
Kenya Hunter
Kenya Hunter is Capital B Atlanta's health reporter. Twitter @KenyaTheHunter
Posted inReproductive Health
The Biggest Barrier to State-Funded Doulas for Pregnant Women
The discussion around offering state-funded doulas to low-income pregnant people might be headed back to the Georgia legislature, advocates and lawmakers say. Supportive legislators are planning to introduce a bill that would allow the state’s Medicaid dollars to fund doula services in an effort to reduce maternal deaths in Georgia. The state has among the […]
Posted inClimate
As Temperatures Soar, Atlanta’s Black Neighborhoods Are Getting Hit the Worst
On a hot day in July, Ali Muhammed was on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard passing out copies of the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, The Final Call. He was in a full suit, sweat beading on his forehead from the beaming sun. The issue was about extreme heat, which has been plaguing the globe this summer. […]
Posted inHealth
Insulin Injustice: Warnock Tells Us About His Fight for Fair Prices for Diabetic Patients
Diabetes is a big problem in Georgia, sending thousands of people to hospitals and emergency rooms every year. And the price of insulin — the life-saving drug that helps diabetes patients control their blood sugar — continues to soar. Research suggests at least 14% of people spend upward of 40% of their annual income to […]
Posted inReproductive Health
Why Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Rates for Black Women Are Alarming Health Advocates
Chanel Stryker-Boykin knows about the challenges facing Black pregnant women in Georgia. The doula working in metro Atlanta says a new report from the Georgia Department of Public Health that 56% of pregnancy-related deaths in the state from 2018 to 2020 were Black women should alarm local leaders and health care providers. “I’m hoping that […]
Posted inReproductive Health
Atlanta Leaders and Local Activists Say More Is Needed to Support Abortion Fund
The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution seeking more support from metro Atlanta counties for abortion services. On Wednesday, the council, led by District 5 representative Lilliana Bakhtiari, urged Atlanta’s executive branch to collaborate with neighboring counties to invest in abortion care. Last year, the council approved donating $300,000 to support ARC-Southeast, an organization providing […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Is Atlanta Investing Enough Money to Support LGBTQ Residents?
When Mayor Andre Dickens announced the city was giving $55,000 in funding for three organizations to support the local transgender community, it was touted as the “single largest investment” of its kind. Dickens’ administration spearheaded the donation sponsored by Post 2 At-Large City Council member Matt Westmoreland. The funding push is to support the transgender […]
Posted inLGBTQ
How a Black Trans-Led Org Plans to Use City Funding
Despite its claim to being the “LGBTQ Capital of the South,” Octavia Lewis remembers a time when Atlanta was far from being a safe haven for Black transgender people. Access to basic health care needs was more underground. Lewis remembers transgender women going to the black market for hormone therapy. Some were being defrauded, not […]
Posted inExplainers
How to deal with racial trauma, according to Black experts
This story was produced in partnership with Vox as part of the discrimination issue of The Highlight. As Black people, we are bombarded by instances of racism every day: Images of police and self-deputized citizens killing Black people. Hospitals shutting down in our communities. Negative stereotypes in media, microaggressions at work, suspicious treatment by store clerks and neighbors. All based […]
Posted inHealth
What Grady’s Chief Health Equity Officer Said About Challenges Facing Black Patients
Dr. Yolanda Wimberly is fully aware of the health challenges facing Black patients in metro Atlanta. Hospitals have closed across the state, including Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point and AMC’s main campus in Old Fourth Ward last year. Both hospitals served predominantly Black communities. According to Wimberly, Grady Health System’s chief health equity […]