Atlanta City Council calls for ceasefire, new findings on Latinos' health in Georgia, and school calendars in Gwinnett.
Your 285 South News roundup.
Atlanta City Council weighs in on Gaza - The Council passed a resolution on Monday supporting The Carter Center’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been under bombardment since the Hamas attacks on October 7. Over 12,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed since then. A copy of the resolution was shared with 285 South - read it here. Watch the Council meeting here.
A day off on Eid? - Not for the next two years at least. Gwinnett County Public Schools announced that after putting four calendar options to a vote, the option that got the most votes was similar to previous calendars. That means no days off for Eid al Fitr, but also religious holidays including Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Diwali, despite a growing push for an ‘inclusive calendar.” Read the latest from 285 South.
Nonprofit dental clinic opens in Clarkston: Ethne in Clarkston has opened a dental clinic, in response to the need for better oral health care among uninsured and underinsured folks in the area. A recent study found that 3 out of 10 people for immigrant and refugee communities had not seen a dentist in at least three years. For those who did see a dentist, both costs and language barriers kept them from seeking proper care. Read more in the AJC here.
Georgia Latino Annual Health report: Among the findings of the 2023 report: diabetes and high blood pressure are above state averages, but there’s an under diagnosis because of barriers to healthcare access; increased mental health needs are not being met in part because of a lack of Spanish speaking clinicians; and migrant farmworkers face unique challenges including hazardous work conditions and low rates of health insurance coverage. Check out the report from The Latino Community Fund - Georgia and researchers at Emory University and Morehouse College here.
Rosalyn Carter, a champion of mental health care, passed away this weekend at age 96: One of her many legacies: The Carter Center’s mental health journalism fellowship program, which provided a space for fellows to explore and deepen their reporting on mental health. Among the fellows, Fiza Pirani, who has done eye opening and important reporting on mental health issues in immigrant and refugee communities. Check out her newsletter, Foreign Bodies here, some of her stories here, and learn more about the program here.