Sofi Gratas covers rural health and health care for GPB. She joined GPB in June 2022 as a Report for America Corps member. Based in Macon, her coverage area includes Middle and South Georgia. Her focus is on the crisis facing rural communities that consistently rank near the bottom nationwide in health and health care. Sofi is a 2020 graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady School of Journalism. Prior to joining GPB, she worked at the Red and Black and WUGA.
Drowning deaths had been going down for years before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted safety protocols such as swim lessons and lifeguarding, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Harm reduction, aimed at keeping people safe and alive, is one piece on the spectrum of addiction care that the state is ready to fund through settlements with major drug manufacturers.
Recent publications point to differing estimates of how many hospitals are at risk, but consider ownership, profitability and debt as contributing factors.
