Commission Should Take Homelessness Study Seriously
I was disheartened to read about some of our commissioners’ reactions to the recommendations of the homelessness and housing studies (City Dope, Sept. 27), as well as the tone of their response to the problem of homelessness in our county, generally.
As Flagpole reported in September of last year, Athens-Clarke County has one of the lowest home affordability ratings in the country, according to the Federal Reserve Bank. Between hundreds of entire dwellings being used as short-term rentals and new construction skewing towards student housing, we owe it to the unhoused people in our community to take recommendations for fixing the problem seriously.
There are lots of reasons someone could find themselves in a position of homelessness, and life in Athens is becoming more difficult to afford by the month. I’m sorry that the commissioners were disappointed with the results of the studies, but this is a difficult issue for any community to tackle, and ignoring the problem or creating barriers for people in need of housing services isn’t going to help.
The commissioners have the opportunity to help everyone in our county meet their basic need for shelter, and the moratorium on new short-term rentals is a good start. I’d like to see them tackle homelessness with as much conviction.
Jessilyn Shields
Athens
Jim Crow Is Over; Racism Is Not
It is incredibly important to celebrate the accomplishments of Bonnie Hampton Neely Travis, Agnes Green, Wilucia Green, Marjorie Green and Scott Michael Killian, and the courage it took to integrate Clarke County Schools in the 1960s. Without these acts of bravery, society would never have progressed to the point it is at now. We can only imagine the determination it took to continue to excel in a society that was determined to take you down, so reading about the celebration of this fearless group is a wonderful experience.
While acknowledgement of the sacrifices made by those who integrated the CCSD in the 1960s is crucial, it is just as vital to acknowledge how even now, 60 years later, we as a collective are still contributing to the discrimination and oppression of Black people. At the very end of the news story “Desegregation at 60: Students Who Integrated Clarke County Schools Honored” (Sept. 27), Michael Thurmond made a great point, and its appearance in the news story is so important. He makes the point that the 400 years of what Black people have endured is not going to be changed in 60 years. Even though this is only a small piece of the news story, it is the most important part.
As a graduate student at the University of Georgia, I have learned a great deal about oppression and discrimination in my classes through the School of Social Work, and it is abundantly clear that we still exist in a society that discriminates against Black people, even in a county as progressive as Clarke County. We cannot simply pat ourselves on the back for acknowledging accomplishments made by members of the Black community, we must strive every day to exist in a society that treats everyone fairly and equally. While someone may not think that this is still an issue because we no longer have systems that existed in the Jim Crow era, if we took the time to ask someone in our community that is also a member of the Black community, we would be made aware of how far we must go, and how much work we still must do.
In order to be able to call ourselves allies and to do our part in the movement, we must take the time to significantly acknowledge oppression and discrimination when we are discussing the Black community in our news stories. While one news story may not change the world, we will be spreading awareness, which is critical in a society that often chooses to ignore what is being done wrong.
To reiterate, it is great and necessary to celebrate those who have taken such great strides for the progression of our society, we also must acknowledge that as a society we are still contributing to oppression and discrimination.
Katherine Moreno
Winder
Piedmont and St. Mary’s Should Cooperate
Paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw, Piedmont Athens Regional and St. Mary’s are two health care organizations separated by a common medical record. Both organizations have medical record software from Epic Systems. However, differences in how they utilize that software can result in errors and omissions in the medical record for patients who use both organizations.
When a patient presents for care, the receiving hospital/medical practice has an opportunity to reconcile such things as the patient’s current medications, allergies, immunizations and medical problems/issues. Based upon my personal experience, this medical record equilibration is inconsistently performed. Readily apparent through the MyChart Patient Portal, this has resulted in errors regarding prescribed medications, medical problems and immunization history. Additionally, I have found that both health care organizations have different processes for the intake and storage of a patient’s advance directive, a critical document that needs to be easily and immediately available to providers at the point-of-care.
Piedmont Athens Regional and St. Mary’s are well established, high quality and necessary health care organizations in both this community and throughout much of Northeast Georgia, but they do not have a history of collaboration. Everyone can agree that a complete and accurate medical record is essential for proper patient care. If the two organizations would work with each other and communicate regarding medical record issues, patients would benefit directly from their cooperation. I encourage them to do just that.
Tim Penning
Athens
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