The State of the Health of Georgia

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The State of the Health of Georgia

• The biennial State of the Health of Georgia
  Reports provide updated population-based
  information where data is available for selected
  clinical conditions. It highlights areas of need
  and provides a mechanism to monitor improvements
  in the health of Georgia.

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FOCUS 2004
Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Cance
r Leading Causes of Death Maternal and Child
Health Mental Health Notifiable Health
Conditions and Vaccine Preventable Illnesses
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Why these areas?

• These areas are amenable to screening, early
  treatment, preventive services, and the promotion
  of healthy lifestyles
• Each of these areas present significant
  opportunities for improving health and ultimately
  decreasing the utilization of costly emergency
  and inpatient services.

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Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions

• ACS conditions are chronic conditions such as
  asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and congestive
  heart failure (CHF).
• Screening and care management helps reduce risk
  of hospitalization for these conditions and is
  key to reducing acute care costs.

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Cancer

• Cancer is the second leading cause of death in
  the United States and Georgia.
• Approximately two-thirds of cancer deaths could
  be prevented by smoking cessation, healthy eating
  habits, and increased levels of regular physical
  activities.
• Unfortunately, access to valuable screening tools
  like mammography will only decline as units close
  due to the lack of trained personnel.

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Leading Causes of Death

• Smoking is the most preventable cause of death
  and is responsible for more deaths than AIDS,
  alcohol, motor vehicles, homicide, drugs, and
  suicide combined.
• Smoking increases the risk of heart attacks
  threefold.
• The obesity rate among Georgia adults increased
  by 118 in the last 12 years with 59 of Georgia
  adults now being overweight or obese.

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Maternal Infant Health

• Infant mortality continues to be an issue as
  Georgia remains consistently higher than the
  national rate, ranking 7th highest in the nation.
  Low birth rate and prematurity are factors
  impacting the mortality rate.
• Teen pregnancy remains an issue as Georgia again
  ranks 8th highest in the nation.

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Mental Health

• Georgia ranks 3rd highest in the nation with
  individuals who suffer from a serious mental
  disorder.
• About one in every 5 adults in Georgia suffers
  from a mental disorder such as alcohol and
  substance abuse, depression, behavior problems,
  as well as stress and anxiety disorders.
• Georgia ranks 3rd highest in the nation with
  individuals who suffer from a serious mental
  disorder.
• These disorders also come with a devastating
  financial cost of nearly 1.7 billion in
  productivity loss.

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Notifiable Health Conditions and Vaccine
Preventable Illnesses

• Vaccine preventable diseases have a costly impact
  on communities resulting in potentially avoidable
  physician visits, hospitalizations, lost
  work/school days, and premature deaths.
• In 2003 Georgia ranks
• 7th highest in the number of cases of gonorrhea,
• 5th highest in primary syphilis, and
• 6th highest in AIDS in 2003.

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Health Policy Issues
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Issues Impacting the Health of Georgians

• Access to Health Care
• Georgias Economy
• Lifestyles and Changing Demographics

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Access to Health Care

• When individuals lack access, their condition may
  worsen, resulting in more costly emergency and
  inpatient hospital care. Access to good health
  care is limited due to
• a shortage of health care professionals in the
  workforce - The Department of Labor projects a
  need for over 161,500 Health Care Professionals
  by 2010.
• the closing of local hospitals with limited
  travel access to others.

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Health Professional Shortage Areas
40 of Georgias counties (shown in red) are
considered a Health Professional Shortage Area in
the area of primary care. (HRSA). 119 whole
counties have been designated medically
underserved areas. 28 more partial counties have
been so designated.
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Medically Underserved Areas
28 Georgia hospitals have closed in the past 12
years due to financial difficulties. 2/3rds of
the states hospitals are operating in the red.
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Georgias Economy

• In Georgia, the average family income is below
  the national rate.
• Ninety-one of Georgias counties reside in the
  black belt of poverty - areas where persistent
  poverty, poor employment, low incomes, low
  education, poor health, high infant mortality and
  dependence on social services exist.
• 1.4 million residents in Georgia do not have
  health insurance.
• The vast majority (77.7) of uninsured Georgians
  in 2003-2004 were workers and members of working
  families.
• The States proposed health care budget cuts
  could cost an estimated 300 million dollars in
  matching Federal Medicaid money.

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Economic Benefit attributable to Medicaid

• The economic benefit (additional state business
  activity attributed to Medicaid spending measured
  in dollar value of goods and services produced)
  relating to Medicaids return on state investment
  for Georgia is
• 2,777 State Medicaid Spending (in Millions of
  Dollars)
• 3.44 Business Activity Multiplier for every
  1 change in State Medicaid spending
• 9,540 New Business Activity (rounded in
  Millions of Dollars) generated by Medicaid
  spending.

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New jobs wages attributed to State Medicaid
Spending

• 86,023 Total New Jobs Created
• 3,470 Total Wages from New Jobs Created
• (in Millions of Dollars)

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Economic Gains for Each 1 Million Invested in
State Medicaid Spending

• 3,436,000 Business Activity Gained for Each
  1million
• 30.98 Jobs Gained per 1 Million
  Investment
• 1,250,000 Employee Wages Gained per 1
  Million Investment

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Demographics Lifestyle Behaviors

• Georgia is the sixth fastest growing state in the
  U.S. The population of Georgia has grown 137
  since 1950 and 26 since 1990.
• The number of senior citizens will increase from
  less than 10 in 2000 to almost 17 by 2025.
• Latinos compose 5.3 of the states population
  and are expected to be one of the fastest growing
  segments in the future.

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Demographics Lifestyle Behaviors

• 27 of the men and 20 of the women in Georgia
  smoke. Smoking is the number one preventable
  cause of death in America.
• Georgia is obese according to the CDC, 59 of
  Georgia adults are obese and the obesity rate has
  increased 118 from 1990 to 2002. Many people
  consider obesity to be the leading cause of death
  in America.
• Nearly one in every 4 Georgia adults may be
  illiterate.
• Only 53.6 of incoming 9th graders graduate from
  high school.
• Georgia is LAST in the nation in the percent of
  students who graduate from high school.

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Health Policy Actions

• Maintain Access
• Maintain fiscally viable hospitals by providing
  adequate payments using the latest cost reports
  and inflationary updates.
• Encourage health insurance plans to provide
  coverage for tobacco dependence and treatment.
• Provide incentives and increase ease for
  facilities to report and collect data such as use
  of the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry and
  the Georgia Registry of Immunization Transactions
  and Services (GRITS).
• Replace state funds with temporary Assistance for
  Needy Families (TANF) funds.

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Appropriation of Funds

• Fund programs proven to work
• Cancer Coalition,
• Teen Centers,
• Trauma Centers,
• Universal availability of 911 emergency services,
• Disaster and Bioterrorism Preparedness Programs,
  and
• Comprehensive screening and vaccine programs.

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Appropriation of Funds

• Support Disease Care Management Programs as a
  cost of doing business in Georgia for insurance
  companies and health plans.
• Find alternative funding sources for adequate
  health care such as increasing the state
  cigarette excise taxes and directing a portion of
  the revenue for comprehensive tobacco control.
• Encourage uniform and valid surveillance data
  collection and reporting systems.

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Prevention/Life Style

• Support State and National Initiatives
• Steps to a Healthier U.S.
• Physical Activity at all ages
• Nutrition
• Promote Healthy Choices
• Clean Air Act
• Immunization vaccination programs
• Reinstate health and fitness activities into
  school
• curriculum.

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Conclusion