Peach Pulse Archive 2021

HEALTH CARE UNSCRAMBLED AVAILABLE ON-DEMAND! Thank you for (virtually) joining us! Thanks to you, GHF’s 11th annual Health Care Unscrambled was a huge success! We were thrilled to have so many advocates, policy makers, health care providers, and public health professionals join us for this year’s virtual event! HCU 2021 sessions available on-demand! Not a morning person? Had another meeting during one of this year’s Health Care Unscrambled sessions? No worries! Recordings of each session are available in our digital program now. Our digital program also features photos, slides, and materials from each session for your convenience. Don’t forget! GHF has you covered for the 2021 Georgia legislative session. Review GHF’s 2021-2022 policy priorities, track health-related legislation, and contact your elected officials on our website and in your inbox each week. TAKE ACTION FOR YOUR COMMUNITY! Ask your local public health officials to prioritize equity when giving out the COVID-19 vaccine Communities of color, low-income families & individuals, immigrant communities, and rural areas in Georgia have been hardest hit by COVID-19. In order for Georgia to successfully and effectively recover from COVID-19, our state needs a vaccine distribution plan that prioritizes equity and puts the communities hit hardest at the front of the line.   Your local public health (PH) officials are making a lot of specific decisions about how vaccines are distributed in your community. You have the chance to influence those decisions now! Ask your local PH district leaders to present their plans to the community, including how racial equity is built into the plan, and get public input. Contact your public health officials today! Ask your legislator to commit to Medicaid expansion! Over 560,000 Georgians are still waiting for Georgia leaders to make the right choice and expand Medicaid. State leaders can expand Medicaid at any time and we are asking them to publicly commit to doing just that in 2021! By expanding the Medicaid health insurance program, thousands more Georgians would gain health coverage and access to care if they become sick without the worry of unaffordable medical bills afterward. Georgia is one of only 12 states that have not yet done the right thing by expanding Medicaid. Our legislators can make 2021 a brighter, healthier year for all Georgians! Ask state leaders to make a New Year’s resolution for Medicaid expansion today. THE GHF TEAM IS GROWING! GHF welcomes three new board members Chastity Walker, Jenny Besse, and Abbie Fuksman have all joined the GHF Board of Directors! These three board members bring a breadth of experience and knowledge that will help to inform and guide GHF’s work over their terms of service. Join us in welcoming our new board members and learn more about GHF’s Board of Directors and Staff on our website. GHF is hiring a full-time Organizing Manager! You can join the GHF team by applying to be our new Organizing Manager! The Organizing Manager will be responsible for directing collaborative coalition strategies and leading outreach, education, & organizing initiatives directly with Georgia consumers. The Organizing Manager will work closely with the rest of the GHF team to advance policies that foster a healthy, equitable Georgia. Please visit GHF’s Employment Opportunities page for more information about this position and how to apply.

GHF IN THE NEWS Annual Legislative Suppers, Breakfasts Go Digital As The Legislative Session Gets Underway GPB | January 11, 2021 Advocates hope lawmakers step-up to fill mental health need amplified by pandemic Union Recorder | January 13, 2021 Providers Sue Trump Administration Over Approval Of Georgia Plans To Nix Healthcare.gov WABE | January 15, 2021 Georgia’s slow COVID vaccine rollout exposes broad public health shortfall Georgia Recorder | January 20, 2021