Gubernatorial candidate and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms hosted a community roundtable at Life Space Wellness Center on Monday to share her plans for a “healthier Georgia.” Lance Bottoms sat at the center of the room, surrounded by faith leaders, healthcare providers, and community members. Behind her, posters displayed exactly what Lance Bottoms hoped for Georgians: lower costs and access to healthcare. Those impacted by rising healthcare costs gathered as Lance Bottoms encouraged an open discussion on healthcare in Georgia and shared her CARE plan to cut costs, expand access, recruit providers, and improve long-term health through better nutrition.
It builds upon Lance Bottoms’ work as mayor, where she appointed Atlanta’s first-ever Chief Health Officer to tackle chronic disease and improve community health, and initiated the transformation of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) into a Center for Diversion and Services that connects people facing homelessness, mental health needs, and addiction to the services they need.
“There are so many underlying conditions within our communities, whether it’s asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., and it’s the reason that, especially communities of color, were so especially hard hit [during the pandemic],” Lance Bottoms said. “It’s often said that when America catches a cold, Black America catches the flu, and what we know is that epidemic is a daily occurrence in our community.”
The roundtable was a representation of small business owners, farmers, female entrepreneurs, truckers, older adults, and veterans. The community members highlighted issues from substance abuse and care for special needs adults and veterans to the skyrocketing premiums and the shortcomings of Medicaid when it comes to medical events, such as covering heart transplants and providing accessible home care for older adults.
Participants of the roundtable shared anecdotes that highlighted the faults of healthcare in Georgia. Hope Allen, the CEO of Logistically Speaking Online and an advocate for small business owners in trucking and logistics, shared that she is the caregiver for both her husband, who is suffering from glaucoma, and her autistic son. She revealed that both of them were both dropped from Medicaid, hindering their care. Rev. Eric Thomas of St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church discussed his heart transplant journey and how he watched as men younger than him who had Medicaid died because Georgia is one of the few states where the health plan does not pay for heart transplants. He noted that it inordinately affected Black men and those in rural and urban areas.
“What is it that the governor can do and what can be done?” asked Renata Buckner, a coach at addiction treatment center Infinity Plus in West Point, Ga. “We know that just because it’s a smaller area, that doesn’t mean the care is not great. So, the area may be small, but the need and the necessity is very, very large. And one of the things I feel can benefit some smaller communities is bringing in subject-matter experts from the community. Not that the higher-ups don’t know what’s going on, but the people who are in the community that is dealing with these different issues are the ones who kind of know. There are a very limited number of resources within these communities.”
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