As a long-time resident, I am proud to call Georgia home. Serving as a representative for Georgia’s 93rd district has exposed me to the immense importance of healthcare in our community.
State Rep. Doreen Carter
Georgia is fortunate to have some of the largest and best hospitals in the nation. Georgians all over the state rely on our hospitals to provide them with high-quality immediate care, no matter the circumstance. In 2022, 3 of Georgia’s hospitals were ranked in the top 50 busiest hospitals in the entire nation based on yearly emergency visits — coming in at 9th, 21st and 49th. These three Georgia hospitals see an average of 240 to 370 emergency visits every single day. It is evident our residents rely on these hospitals greatly. From NICUs to trauma units, hospitals are some of the only sites that our residents can turn to when they are in need of intricate, complex and high-quality care. Healthcare facilities are some of the only locations that can provide this care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to our residents.
Not only do these hospitals take care of our citizens, but they serve as research and innovation hubs constantly engineering new treatments and upgrading patient safety. Georgia is home to one of the nation’s most highly-regarded research hospitals, Emory University Hospital. Our hospitals are essential to pioneering medical progress and serve as training grounds for every new generation of caregivers, doctors, and all hospital heroes.
These hospitals and healthcare facilities are the backbone of our community, and it is imperative that we do everything in our power to protect and support them. Georgia is currently ranked third in the United States for most hospital closures. This is unacceptable. Hospitals everywhere are facing a looming financial crisis — from workforce shortages to medical sector cyberattacks to rising prices of medical supplies to insufficient reimbursements from Medicare. Worst yet, some policymakers are introducing new legislation that would enact significant funding and service cuts on top of these threats. This would almost certainly lead to more service cuts and hospital closures — hitting hardest in our rural communities. With 39% of the Georgia population being rural, we must make it our mission to protect these hospitals so every resident has a hospital they can turn to in close proximity.
Hospitals care for every individual, no matter our race, gender, religion, or background. In 2023, Georgia reached 11 million citizens and we continue to grow daily. With our growing population, it is vital that we continue to do all we can to support our hospitals — for today and for tomorrow.
Every resident in Georgia deserves healthcare they can rely on and access with ease.
It is vital that we unite to push back on this harmful legislation and support the strengthening of our hospitals. Our citizens deserve 24/7 high-quality healthcare. I urge you to continue to unite with the Georgia community and uplift healthcare facilities.
Representative Doreen Carter (D-93) is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and sits on the Small Business Development and Education committees.
