Let's build a healthy Georgia together!

On March 11, 2014 I stood on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner student and urged then Governor Nathan Deal to Expand Medicaid in Georgia. 

This Cover Georgia Rally was organized by Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF), a statewide, nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization that leads the fight for healthcare access in Georgia. 

It's hard to believe that seven years later, and more than a year into a worldwide pandemic, Georgia has still failed to expand Medicaid.  This last year made clear how vital healthcare access is, and how devastating healthcare disparities are, particularly in our state. 

Demanding equitable access to quality healthcare in Georgia is more critical than ever.

This is why I joined the GHF Board of Directors in January 2021. I am proud of the work GHF does and am excited to help drive our mission forward in this new role. 

Advocating for Medicaid Expansion is a monumental task in Georgia and GHF does this and more. In addition to fighting for healthcare coverage, GHF also improves healthcare quality and access for those who are insured, enhances value for Georgia consumers, and builds a healthier Georgia by leading public health, prevention, and policy initiatives. GHF has a winning strategy: (1) outreach, education and engagement with consumers and communities, (2) coalition building: leadership, coordination and strategic director, (3) engagement with policy makers and public policy advocacy.

In 2020, GHF stressed the urgency of public policy change during the coronavirus pandemic and mobilized Georgians in response to Governor Kemp's Medicaid Waiver plan. GHF also contributed to the passage of surprise billing legislation, an achievement several years in the making. Additionally, GHF published 19 reports, fact sheets, and blogs to inform Georgia consumers, was featured in 48 media stories, convened over 200 community leaders (*pre-pandemic) at Healthcare Unscrambled, and delivered public comment or testimony to national and state policy makers on 16 consumer health issues. Read more in our 2020 Annual Report. 

This year, GHF is forging ahead on all of this and more, including several key projects and initiatives engaging and supporting rural Georgians. 

As a member of the GHF Board of Directors , I have committed to personally giving $1,000 and fundraising an additional $4,000 in support of the GHF mission this year. Will you join me in fueling the GHF mission to build a healthy Georgia for all Georgians?

Donations can be made on this fundraising page, or directly at the healthyfuturega.org website. If you wish to donate by check, please it make out to "Georgians for a Healthy Future" and mail to Attn: Laura Colbert, Executive Director, Georgians for a Healthy Future, 50 Hurt Plaza SE, Atlanta, GA 30303.

THANK YOU!

Side Note: If you are curious and want to hear the speech I delivered at the State Capitol seven years ago, you can listen here. So many of these remarks still ring true. In the beginning I share a patient story from one of my medical student colleagues, and now it sounds a lot like the stories of patients I see in the clinic and hospital each and every day. As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Endocrinology, I care for children with multiple hormone deficiencies. Many of these kids require daily life-sustaining hormone therapy - children with type 1 diabetes, hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, etc. Many of my patients are covered by Medicaid, and they do in fact lose health coverage when they turn 19. This is a particularly risky time for young people with chronic conditions and they are often lost to follow up and suffer poor health outcomes. It doesn't have to be this way. We can change the system for them, and for all of us. You can help.