Georgia Today: Sherrif's deputy killed; Pregnancy related deaths; Mental health care shortage

Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Jan. 4. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, a sheriff's deputy in metro Atlanta's Coweta County was killed in the line of duty this morning. Georgia lawmakers met today to discuss pregnancy related deaths, and a new study shows only six Georgia counties have enough mental health care professionals. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.

Story 1:

Peter Biello: A sheriff's deputy in metro Atlanta's Coweta County has died after being struck by another law enforcement vehicle during a police chase. The county sheriff says Deputy Eric Minix was killed early this morning in the crash on Interstate 85. Police were chasing a stolen vehicle and the chase continued into Chambers County, Ala., where the fatal crash occurred. Meanwhile, a funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow for a sheriff's deputy in metro Atlanta's Spaulding County, who was killed in the line of duty last week. Sgt. Marc McIntyre was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call.

Story 2:

Peter Biello: House Democrats in Georgia held a hearing today to discuss maternal mortality in the state. GPB's Sarah Karlis has more.

Sarah Kallis: Doctors, midwives and doulas spoke to lawmakers about the holes in the health care system that exacerbate Georgia's maternal mortality crisis. Safira Zayas, a doula and EMT, had a near-death experience when she gave birth. She also lost her cousin from C-section complications.

Safira Zayas: Behind these numbers lie tragic stories of lives lost, families shattered and futures altered. Each statistic represents a mother whose journey through childbirth ended in tragedy. It's a plea to prioritize the lives of mothers and the future generations they bring into this world.

Sarah Kallis: According to the Georgia Department of Health, for every 100,000 live births, there are more than 30 pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia. For GPB news, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state capitol.

Story 3:

Peter Biello: Piedmont Health has announced the launch of a new cancer research center. The Atlanta-based health care system says the Piedmont Breakthrough Treatment Center will focus on groundbreaking advances in early phase clinical trials. The center is a partnership with Medical Advancement Group Origin Commercial Ventures.

Caption

A person walks into a mental health clinic.

Credit: File photo

Story 4:

Peter Biello: Only six of Georgia's 159 counties have enough mental health care professionals. That's according to a new study published in the journal Nature Mental Health. The report shows people with limited access to mental health care resources also have less access to mental telehealth. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports.

Ellen Eldridge: It also finds rural areas are three times as likely to lack physicians, outpatient facilities or high-speed Internet. Shriya Garg is a freshman at the University of Georgia who collaborated on the study. She says her high school education in Rome was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shriya Garg: There was students in my grade that didn't have internet. They couldn't get on Google Classroom at home, they couldn't access Khan Academy or educational resources. And, you know, this impedes them in a future sense, if they can't get the basic high school education that every student is guaranteed.

Ellen Eldridge: Over the past two years, Gov. Brian Kemp applied $642 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to fund Internet expansion projects. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

Story 5:

Peter Biello: Families who say their children suffered from being institutionalized for prolonged periods are suing three Georgia agencies that provide mental health services. A lawsuit filed in an Atlanta federal court yesterday accuses the agencies of worsening their children's mental health disorders by failing to provide adequate at-home services. The lawsuit was filed under the Medicaid And Americans with Disabilities Act. The agencies did not have any comment on the litigation.

Story 6:

Peter Biello: Gov. Brian Kemp named a new executive council today, part of a series of staffing changes in the governor's office. Kristyn Long will become the Kemp administration's lawyer at the end of this month, succeeding David Dove, who is leaving state government to join the prestigious Atlanta law firm Troutman Pepper as a partner. Long has been serving as the state's chief operating officer. Before taking on her current role, Long previously served as deputy chief operating officer and deputy executive counsel. Filling Long's role as chief operating officer will be Russell Crutchfield, who has been serving as chief of staff and associate vice president at the University of West Georgia since 2016.

Story 7:

Peter Biello: State transportation officials have chosen a general contractor to oversee a massive project to raise the towering suspension bridge over the Savannah River near the port of Savannah. The Georgia Department of Transportation said yesterday that national contractor Kiewitt will manage the $189 million bridge raising. The plan is to replace and shorten the bridge's cables to raise the bridge's center span by up to an additional 20 feet so larger cargo ships can pass underneath and reach one of the nation's busiest seaports. Construction is expected to begin early next year.

Credit: File photo

Story 8:

Peter Biello: In sports, new Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale says he's excited to join the team. The Braves signed sale today to a two-year, $38 million contract with a club option for the 2026 season for $18 million. In a press conference today, Sale told reporters leaving Boston was not easy, given how well he and his family had been treated there. Sale was repeatedly sidelined with injuries, but he says he's feeling better and has been throwing in practice sessions since November. He says he's heard nothing but good things about the Braves organization.

Chris Sale: You know, I'm from the South, so Atlanta had a big part of being a fan growing up. And, you know, I still get to be close to home with spring training and Atlanta's not too far, so this worked out really well for me.

Peter Biello: The Florida native pitched seven seasons for the White Sox before moving to the Red Sox, where he helped Boston win the World Series in 2018.

Peter Biello: And that's all we've got for this edition of Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Remember to subscribe to this podcast. We will be back in your podcast feed automatically tomorrow afternoon. And if you want to learn more about any of the stories you heard today, check out our website, GPB.org/news. Our email box is always open to your feedback or story ideas. Send us a note. The email address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.

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For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news