Beginning FY 2011 (October 2010), the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" ("Health Reform" legislation) provides a dedicated increase in spending on Community Health Centers over a five - year period.  Approximately $9.5 billion will be made available for both services and facility construction

renovation.

These funds are limited to designated "Federally Qualified Community Health Centers".  The legislation also creates a separate new grant program for school - based centers at $200 million over four years.

Other provisions of special interest to residents of District 5, effective 2010 are as follows:

Temporary Insurance Access for Uninsured Effective 2010

Within six months of enactment, the legislation will provide temporary insurance access for the uninsured if they have both(1.) a pre - existing condition, e.g. asthma or diabetes and (2.)

are uninsured for at least six months. This coverage available only until alternative state - based "exchanges" are operable in 2014.

Dependent Coverage Expansion

Health Reform legislation extends coverage eligibility under parental insurance policies for children up to age 26, unless the child has an offer of coverage through his or her employer.

Children with Pre - Existing Conditions Coverage

Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children based on pre - existing conditions, such as asthma.

Rescission of Insurance Prohibited

Also, effective 2010, insurance companies can no longer drop coverage of an individual when they became sick.

Other "Consumer Protection"

Health Reform legislation eliminates insurance plan lifetime "caps" on benefits and requires coverage of preventive services (e.g., vaccinations) with no co - pays or deductibles under new private plans.

Considered one of the most important pieces of legislation since Social Security, the legislation expands the coverage of at least 30 million Americans and provides (critical) support to the Medicare Program.

In a recent national state-specific ranking of counties, Fulton County ranked 24th out of 157 Georgia counties in "Overall Health". Measures used in the "Health Outcome Index"

included healthy behaviors e.g., smoking and binge drinking.  Measures of clinical care access and quality were also "high" (below 39).

However, Fulton was last in the rankings for the State for Physical Environment, primarily because of very unhealthy measures of air quality. Called a "call to action for state and local

health departments", the "County Health Rankings" are a key component of the "Mobility Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) project, developed in a collaboration between

In observance of National "Healthy Counties" Month and in response to citizen concerns, the Departments of Health Services, Environment and Community Development and Human Services have initiated a comprehensive and coordinated health investigation of four (4) potential health hazards in the English Avenue Neighborhood: (1) Barrels in Proctor Creek, Cairo Street and Jett Street (2) Solid Waste and Vegetative Overgrowth, Joseph E. Boone and Elm Street and (3) Solid Waste, Cairo Street and Jett Street.

As a major component of the project, Fulton staff is also working closely with community based organizations and the City of Atlanta Department of Constituent Services to clean up blocked alleyways in the English Avenue neighborhood.

In a Special Report by a national magazine titled, “America’s Most Toxic Cities,” Atlanta has been identified as “the most toxic city in the United States.” “In Atlanta, the article states, you’ll find Southern gentility, a world – class music scene and 21,000 tons of environmental waste.”

“In spite of its charms, the City’s combination of air pollution, contaminated land and atmospheric chemicals makes it the most toxic city in the country.” Other cities (and metro areas) in the top spots are Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

The article cautions the reader “not to blame the city alone.” The Atlanta Metro Area includes Sandy Springs and Marietta the sites of chemical plants, metal coasters and concrete factories… The cities (Sandy Springs and Marietta) have toxic – release levels equal at or higher than those (of) Atlanta, in spite of populations that are 15% and 13% the size of Atlanta’s, respectively.”

In addition to Fulton County Airport and the R.M. Clayton (Sewage Treatment Plant) on Bolton Road, it has been determined that District 5 has the highest concentration of environmental stressors, land –fills, interstate highways and (coal– burning) electricity plants – in Fulton County.

Information on the "West Nile Virus" and prevention tips.

The Department also reported a reduction of $431,000 in the State of Georgia’s appropriation to Fulton County for health services and administration for fiscal year July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The total amount of additional budget reductions by the Georgia Department of Human Resources is not known.  Fulton’s Public Health Program includes Cancer Screening, Child Health, Health Check, Immunizations, Maternal Health, Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention and Treatment, Bioterrorism/ Emergency Preparedness, HIV Prevention, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Tuberculosis Control and Environmental Health Services.