Prison Health and The Health of the Public: The Ties that Bind Publication Date: 01/2007 Untreated or overlooked illnesses in a prison population can expose whole communities to the risk of infection from a contagious disease. With nearly 2.2 million men and women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States, many suffer with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, diabetes, as well as chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. In order to address the health care concerns of the general population, it is first necessary to realize that there is a direct tie between prison health and the health of the public.
Felony Convictions and Access to Health Care: Equal Opportunity for Life and Liberty? Publication Date: 03/2007 The deliberate disenfranchisement of felons and ex-felons is America’s dirty little secret. Disenfranchisement is an express, direct attack on the democratic process, one that is traditionally motivated by racism and which currently disproportionately impacts African Americans. The number of citizens deliberately disenfranchised is huge and rapidly expanding – 4.7 million Americans were ineligible to vote in 2000; by 2004 that number had risen to 5.3 million and is still rising.
Oral Health Who Cares? Who Should Care? Publication Date: 03/2007 In the United States, health systems, practices, policies and payment mechanisms continue to differentiate between physical health and oral health. But within the human body, no such distinction exists. An infected tooth is no different than strep throat or any other threat to physical well-being. Yet far too many people –across the nation and in our own State of Georgia – the crying need for oral health care, both to prevent illness and treat disease, goes unanswered.
Using a Medicaid Expansion to Target Georgia’s Uninsured Publication Date: 6/2007 In 2005, approximately 1.4 million adults in Georgia were uninsured, and nearly half of these individuals had incomes below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 1 The uninsured rate for adults below 200 percent of poverty was roughly 44 percent. 2 This lack of health coverage among so many adults in Georgia is one of the most important health policy issues facing the state. A large uninsured population reduces efficiency within the healthcare system and leads to cost-shifting onto those with health insurance in order for healthcare providers to serve those without coverage. The lack of access to primary and preventive care also can lead to lower health outcomes, further driving up healthcare costs for all Georgians. The concentration of the uninsured among lower-income adults further exacerbates these problems and has added significance as the state examines potential policies to increase coverage.
Failing Health: The Crisis of Health Care for Indigent Offenders Publication Date: 6/2007 In 2004, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS), issued a letter “encouraging states to “suspend” and not “terminate” Medicaid benefits while a person is in a public institution or Institute for Mental Disease (IMD)”citing that “persons released from institutions are at risk of homelessness; thus, access to mainstream services upon release is important in establishing a continuum of care and ongoing support that may reduce the demand for costly and inappropriate services later.
2008 Community Voices Freedom’s Voice Conference Proceedings Publication Date: 2008 The 2008 conferences focused on addressing health disparities and inequities as a social justice issue for men, women, and their families.
2009 Community Voices Freedom’s Voice Conference Proceedings Publication Date: 2009 The 2009 Community Voices Freedom’s Voice conference focused on “Strengthening Families During Incarceration and Homecoming,” and brought together many of the local, state, and national level experts and advocates working to reform failed policies and improve services and outcomes for all those impacted by the criminal justice system.
The Affordable Care Act: Helping to Eliminate Health Disparities in Communities of Color Publication Date: 10/2011 Starting this year, companies can no longer deny or cancel coverage when minor details are mistakenly omitted from an insurance application. The Act cracks down on excessive insurance overhead starting in 2011 by applying standards to how much insurance companies can spend on non-medical costs, and provides consumers a rebate if non-medical costs are too high. Prior to the passage of health reform, individuals with cancer or chronic disease were limited from receiving care because insurance companies placed a cap or lifetime limit on their coverage. Now, insurance companies can no longer put a lifetime limit on the coverage they provide.
The Atlanta Neighborhoods Project: 2011 Community Resource Guide Publication Date: 10/2011 This comprehensive resource guide was developed to serve as a listing of supporting community health, housing, education and critical needs services available in our community. These agencies, programs, material resources, hospitals, call centers and websites have a common goal of helping you in a variety of ways.