The seniors at Cosby Spear Memorial Towers had a smooth runoff election experience on Tuesday. It was a welcome sigh of relief after residents in Building B at the apartment complex in Old Fourth Ward had issues voting last month during the general election. On Nov. 8, poll workers incorrectly redirected several of the mostly […]
Kenya Hunter
Kenya Hunter is Capital B Atlanta's health reporter. Twitter @KenyaTheHunter
Posted inVoting
Why These Black Seniors Are Worried About Voting in the Senate Runoff
Voting rights advocate James Davenport is worried about his community’s ability to vote in the upcoming Senate runoff. On Election Day, poll workers incorrectly redirected several of his mostly Black neighbors in an Old Fourth Ward senior apartment building to a voting precinct in Hapeville, 12 miles southwest of Atlanta, he said. The commotion started […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
Despite Temporary ‘Sigh of Relief,’ State Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Law
The state’s highest court just ruled to keep Georgia’s six-week abortion ban in place, ending a short-lived victory for abortion rights advocates. Last Tuesday, a Fulton County Superior Judge ruled the law, HB481, passed in 2019 unconstitutional since it was passed while Roe v. Wade was still in effect. Robert McBurney, the judge in the […]
Posted inVoting
Despite New Restrictions, Black Voters Remain Energized on Election Day
Ahead of Election Day, voters, advocates, and political pundits have debated over whether Georgia’s updated voting laws would suppress the Black electorate. The new law, SB 202, has provisions barring volunteers from giving food and water to voters standing in line outside polling stations — within 150 feet of a precinct. The measure also adds […]
Posted inHealth
More Wellstar Closures Bring Dwindling Health Care Options
Jackie Anderson sat in the waiting room at Wellstar Family Practice on Cleveland Avenue, frustrated that her primary care office would be closing. Just next door was the old hospital, Atlanta Medical Center South, where she worked for more than 30 years. When Wellstar Health System closed AMC South’s emergency department in May, Anderson lost […]
Posted inHealth
AMC’s Emergency Room Closes, Leaving a Health Care Void
The waiting area at Atlanta Medical Center’s emergency room was desolate at 6 a.m. Friday. The “Level 1 Trauma Center” sign had been peeled from the hospital’s walkway the day before. Now, security guards walked down the driveway to post a new set of signs: “Emergency Department Closed — Authorized Personnel Only.” On a normal […]
Posted inHealth
Could Medicaid Expansion Have Saved AMC From Closing?
In a letter sent Tuesday to Georgia’s Democratic congressional delegation, Gov. Brian Kemp said that Medicaid expansion would not have stopped Wellstar’s decision to close Atlanta Medical Center. Kemp maintains Medicaid expansion instead may have been detrimental to AMC’s longevity. “It would hurt both patients and providers because, as you know, healthcare providers actually lose […]
Posted inHealth
Black Residents Worry Grady’s Not Ready to Handle Fallout from AMC Closure
Kevin Marshall remembers being rushed by ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center after a horrendous car accident in August. The accident, which left his car totaled, was in North Druid Hills, and Marshall needed stitches on his legs. He thought it would have made the most sense to go to nearby DeKalb Medical Center, but the […]
Posted inHealth
Another Hospital Closure Means Another Maternity Ward Closes, Too
When Aleah Walker had her baby in late January 2014, she wanted to give birth at Atlanta Medical Center. Walker, a Powder Springs resident at the time, wanted a water birth and was willing to drive over 20 miles to Atlanta Medical Center because it’s one of the few hospitals in the metro area where […]
Posted inHealth
State Gives Out 4,000 Monkeypox Vaccines at Black Pride, Expands Eligibility
The Georgia Department of Public Health says it was able to distribute more than 4,000 monkeypox vaccine doses to people during Atlanta Black Pride weekend. Nearly half of those — 48% — went to Black people. The state’s public health department participated in President Joe Biden’s initiative to get extra monkeypox vaccines to certain states […]