Atlanta, GA
Georgia lacks maternity care outside Atlanta, March of Dimes study shows
Report outlines maternal care deserts in Georgia
A new report by the March of Dimes shows there are many counties in Georgia considered to be a maternal care desert. Which means there’s not a single birth center in that county and pregnant women in those counties face more barriers to getting the prenatal care they need.
ATLANTA – A new report by the March of Dimes shows more than 40% of Georgia’s counties are maternal care deserts, which means there’s not a single birth center in that county.
Dr. Padmashree “Champa” Woodham is a maternal fetal medicine specialist in Augusta.
She says there are very few experts, such as her south of Atlanta.
“I have patients that are traveling three or four hours to see me,” Dr. Woodham said.
She says it shows just how lacking Georgia is in maternal specialists and care.
“But a maternal fetal medicine specialist like myself…south of Atlanta, for example, there are no more than maybe 10 to 15 Maternal Fetal Medicine providers in the rest of the state. So, the fact that all of the women outside Atlanta only have access to those few providers is really terrifying,” Dr. Woodham said.
The March of Dimes just published their most recent maternal care deserts report, which seems to confirm what Dr. Woodham is saying.
They publish the report every two years.
“To define a maternity care desert, that means there are no obstetric providers and no obstetric hospitals or birth centers in a particular county,” said Tamara Currin, Director of State Government Affairs with the March of Dimes.
She says pregnant women living in those deserts are having to drive much further for care, which sometimes delays when they start receiving it.
“The trend has gotten worse. We see that from our 2022 report to our 2024 report. There’s been about 2% more hospital closures,” Currin said.
In the report’s map, all the counties in pink are considered maternal care deserts, while the ones in orange are considered to have low access to maternal care.
The report finds that 70% of birthing centers in the U.S. are concentrated in just ten states.
“And that’s staggering. And we are not in one of them. Georgia is not one of those,” Dr. Woodham said.
This situation, according to Dr. Woodham, puts more pregnant women at risk.
“If we don’t stay ahead of this, we’re going to see the preterm birth rate increase more,” she said.
Dr. Woodham says another big part of the problem is the state just doesn’t have enough maternal care providers.
This is why she advocated for state funding of a new maternal-fetal medicine fellowship program to train more providers to work in the state.
She says it’s a good example of the state taking action to address the problem, but she says the state needs many more programs like it.
FOX 5 reached out to state health departments that represent some of the maternal care deserts closer to Atlanta to see how they’re addressing the problem, such as the Northwest Georgia Health district which represents Paulding, Polk and Haralson counties, but haven’t heard back from yet.
The Northeast Health District, which represents Barrow and Walton Counties, say they couldn’t provide any information on addressing maternal care deserts in time for our deadlines on Thursday evening.
The District 4 Health District, which represents Butts, Lamar and Pike Counties sent this statement:
“The Georgia Department of Public Health’s Perinatal Health Partnership program is expanding its reach of home visiting services it offers to expectant mothers from pregnancy until the full first year of their baby’s life. The home-visit program was first introduced in the Gainesville and Waycross areas, and the program is expected to be rolled out in counties in District 4 Public Health’s area next month.
“The Perinatal Health program focuses on assisting pregnant women with high-risk conditions or risk factors that increase the likelihood of poor pregnancy outcomes. Although enrollment can occur after delivery, early intervention is preferred. Perinatal Health Partnership services include additional monitoring to detect potential warning signs, complications, and problems between provider appointments. Early detection increases the likelihood of prompt intervention and referral to healthcare providers for further assessment and treatment.”
Atlanta, GA
Instant Takeaways From Atlanta’s Summer League Victory Against Boston
The Atlanta Hawks are now 3-0 in Las Vegas.
Despite being down some of their most talented players, such as Kingston Flemings,Asa Newell, and Zuby Ejiofor, the Hawks notched another win in Summer League, this time taking down the Boston Celtics. Overall, it was the Hawks 5th straight win in Summer League.
What are the biggest takeaways from today’s game?
1. Kobe Johnson Continues to Impress
Kobe Johnson has been impressive all Summer long and is making his case to be the last two-way contract for the Hawks. Atlanta already has Keshon Gilbert and RayJ Dennis in two of the two-way spots for next season and are looking for a third player who they can continue to develop.
With the Hawks being very shorthanded today against the Celtics, Johnson stepped up and played very well. In 13 first half minutes, Johnson scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 3-4 from three-point range, which is the most encouraging part of his performance. He continued that into the second half and was arguably the best player on the floor today for the Hawks.
Johnson finished today’s game with 30 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Johnson has high-level defensive skills, but he has shown offensive growth over the course of the past week and he is making a real case to be a part of the roster as a two-way player.
2. Henri Veesaar takes advantage of his opportunity
With so many bigs out today, it was going to be the Henri Veesaar show for Atlanta.
He did not disappoint. Veesaar was able to score 20 points on 7-12 shooting (4-6 from three), as well as pulling in four rebounds, and three assists.
As a scorer, Veesaar was at his best today, stretching the floor and scoring the ball off the pick and roll. He showed why the Hawks moved up to take him in the second round of the draft and if he can continue this development into the season, perhaps he can be closer to playing than initially thought.
3. Hawks win short-handed
Atlanta has one of the most talented rosters in Vegas this summer and despite missing their two first round picks from this year’s draft (Flemings and Ejiofor) and their first round pick from last year’s draft (Newell), Atlanta did not have much of a problem today with Boston.
The Celtics were missing a couple of important players today as well, but the Hawks had no trouble in this game, nearly leading by 30 points in the second half. The three-point shooting was strong, the defense forced turnovers, and they kept the Celtics cool from three.
It was an impressive all-around victory for the Hawks and one of their better victories from start to finish.
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Atlanta, GA
Apple sues OpenAI, Instagram backlash
Apple is accusing ChatGPT’s maker of a “coordinated pattern of theft” to steal trade secrets for its new AI hardware. And, Meta hits the pause button on its newest AI tool “Muse Image” after a tremendous amount of backlash.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta officials ‘throw out homeless tents and medicine’ near World Cup spot
Officials in Atlanta, a World Cup host city, threw away tents, medication, identification, and other items belonging to homeless people without any warning, according to a report.
The items were collected from a public park not far from where many soccer fans have been gathering to watch the soccer tournament, The Guardian reports.
Some of the items taken by city workers reportedly include blood pressure pills, an insulin kit, and hormones.
In response to the accusations, the city’s senior advisor on homelessness, Chatiqua Ellison, told the paper that the area that the affected area of Freedom Park was “not an encampment” and that the item removals were part of “routine park maintenance.”
She reportedly said that because the site was not an encampment and the action was not considered a “sweep,” the city was not obligated to give a warning before officials moved in to seize the items.
One person who lost belongings, named Kai, told The Guardian that she lost a bag filled with her possessions, including a flash light.
“Our whole lives was thrown away,” she said.
Kai said the site was effectively an encampment as it was used for that purpose, regardless of the city’s official definition.
Kelsea Bond, an Atlanta city council member whose district includes the park, told the newspaper that she was disappointed with the city’s handling of the situation.
“It’s disappointing that the city is more concerned about the strict, and perhaps arbitrary, definition of ‘encampment’ here rather than the impact these kinds of clearings have on the houseless community,” she said, adding that the city should be more focused on “the impact of a policy, not the intention on paper.”
Bond shared an email with the outlet from Major Peter Ries of the Atlanta Police Department in which he stated that the area in question was not an encampment, and the seized “property was considered abandoned, [and] park maintenance disposed of … unclaimed items.”
The Independent has requested comment from the city of Atlanta.
People from around the world have descended on Atlanta this summer to watch the eight planned soccer matches at Mercedez Benz stadium. But homeless advocates have argued that the city’s efforts to present a good face to visitors has been at the expense of some of the community’s most vulnerable members.

In the months leading up to the World Cup, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens made clear in a statement that he did not want the city’s homeless population anywhere near places where they might run into visitors.
“We want to make sure those unsheltered individuals don’t come anywhere downtown, and throughout the city of Atlanta, not just during the World Cup, but now,” he said.
Advocates told The Guardian that at least two of Atlanta’s downtown parks — often used by the homeless as gathering places — were fenced off in the weeks prior to the World Cup, forcing them to disperse into other parts of the city.
They said that disruption breaks up homeless individuals’ routines, access to healthcare services, and disrupts their social connections.
Allen Hall, who was homeless for decades and who now is active in street outreach for the American Friends Service Committee, told the paper that the city’s actions have forced homeless individuals to sleep on the streets and sidewalks because they have limited options outside of shelters.
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