Georgia Health Policy Center

Child Health & Well-Being

Academic Presentations

Georgia’s Foster Children and Medicaid: Access, Utilization, and Cost
A study to compare Georgia’s foster children access to and utilization of Medicaid services to the general Medicaid child population.

Public/Private Partnerships in Community Efforts to Improve School Health
The focus of this research is to determine the effectiveness of public/private partnerships in expanding access to care for low income and medically underserved school-aged children, and to identify best practices and lessons learned in 13 Georgia communities.

Charts, Maps, & Graphs

Dental Map for Web
A map demonstrating the percent of Georgia’s dental visits made outside of enrollee’s resident county.

Low Income Population and Dental Resources by District
A documentation of  the dental resources available to the low income population by district throughout Georgia

Fall 2003 Member Results Charts
A visual demonstration prepared by the Georgia Health Policy Center for Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. track responses of members of the PeachCare for Kids insurance program survey.

Fall 2003 Provider Results Charts
A visual demonstration prepared by the Georgia Health Policy Center for Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. track responses of members of the PeachCare for Kids insurance program survey.

Events

Philanthropic Symposium on School Health
A highlight of presentations and discussions during the Philanthropic Symposium on School Health held October 16, 2000 in Atlanta, Ga. The Symposium was designed to provide members with background information about school health. Participants were also introduced to a newly initiated matching grants program.

Big Hand: Child Well-Being
Depiction of a big hand symbolizing the important roles of School Readiness, Strong Families, Health, School Success, and Communities are to the all-encompassing “Child Well – Being”.

The Child Policy Partnership – Child Policy Symposium
On September 30, 2005 More than 40 researchers and practitioners from across Georgia convened at the Child Policy Symposium to illuminate and link current research, best practices, and policies, and identify areas where more or different information is needed.

Issue Briefs

Georgia's Youth: Overweight and Under-Active
A statewide assessmen of the physical fitness and physical activity levels of Georgia's 5th and 7th graders.

Children's Oral Health in Georgia: Progress and Opportunities
An analysis of the oral health of children in Georgia.

PeachCare Issue Brief
"PeachCare for Kids: Consequences of Disenrollment and Alternatives." This brief provides background on PeachCare and its funding problems, and it highlights the consequences of temporary disenrollment from PeachCare coverage and alternatives Georgia might pursue.

Children in Georgia’s Juvenile Justice System
The result of an investigation by the Child Policy Initiative at Georgia State University the case files of 84 children who would have been affected by Senate Bill 76. This bill would have prohibited Georgia courts from committing children under age 13 and detaining children under age 11 to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

Uninsured Children in Georgia
An examination of how the implementation of PeachCare for Kids, established in 1999, led to significant declines in uninsured children in Georgia.

Why Do Young Teachers Leave Teaching?
A critical look at the issue of why new teachers leave public teaching within the first six years and where they go.

Child Care
An examination of the issue of quality child care and its importance to preparing young children for school and work, especially disadvantaged children who are at risk for academic and social problems.

Child Care: Benefits for Low Income Children
A look at the impact of the Legislature-approved Georgia Early Learning Initiative (GELI) upon the outcomes for low-income children

Dental Care
An examination of the inadequate access to dental care that presents a major problem for Georgia’s low-income children and the frustration that ensues.

Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education
An examination of how parental involvement in their children’s pre-kindergarten is associated with improved academic success.

Special Health Care Needs
A focus on children with special health care needs who incur enormous health costs and use services from many state agencies in an environment with minimal coordination or accountability.

Kinship Care
A focus on the phenomenon of “kinship care” which refers to  circumstances in which children are in the primary care of a relative because their own parents are not able or willing to raise them.

Child Care: Needs of Working Mothers
A focus on the need of low-income working mother to secure quality child care for their children.

Child Care: Georgia and the Region
An examination of a recent analysis comparing Georgia to other southeastern states across a range of demographic and child care system indicators.

School Health
A focus on the effort of the “A+ Education Reform Act of 2000” (A+) to augment funding for school health personnel. Prior to implementation of this Act, Georgia lagged behind the rest of the country as one of very few states that did not directly fund school nurses or require health personnel in schools

Why Provide Health Care to Children In Schools?
A focus on the fact that Georgia’s children are less healthy than their counterparts in most other states.

Finding Health Insurance: Coverage After College
An observation from the unique perspective of a Graduate Research Assistant on the issue of uninsured and students who leave school and enter the world of work.

Georgia’s Foster Care Children and the Medicaid System
An examination of the phenomenon of foster children who fare surprisingly well in access to health care when compared to other Medicaid children. Utilization of some services by foster children in Georgia defies national trends.

Preventing Overweight Children – A Brief for Foundations
An examination of evidence-based intervention related to nutrition and physical activity from several perspectives: policymaking, health communications, and behavioral and environmental changes.

Children's Oral Health in Georgia: Progress and Opportunities
This brief summarizes a five-year collaboration between the Georgia Health Policy Center and the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Oral Health Section.

PowerPoint Presentations

Access to Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs in Primary Care Case Management
Presentation that examines change in utilization by Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) in Alabama before and after the introduction of Primary Care Case Management (PCCM).

Georgia Building Strong Families
Presentation offers an evaluation of the Building Strong Families program by focusing on such topics as “Why focus on unwed parents’ relationships?” Building Strong Families is a relatively new program that offers information to unwed couples about successfully raising their child. It also helps them learn skills known to be associated with a healthy marriage for those considering it.

Reports

Services and Support for Georgia Families of Children with Special Needs: Findings from a Community Outreach Effort
This report details the results of a mixed-method community outreach effort conducted by the Georgia Health Policy Center as part of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta’s Champions for Children with Exceptional Needs Initiative (Champions).

Analysis of Access to Dental Care provided through Medicaid and PeachCare: Service Trends and Patterns CY2000/SFY2001 through CY2005/SFY2006
This report examines children's access to publically financed dental services in Georgia from calendar years 2000 through 2005.

CY2004 Analysis of Access to Dental Care
Report produces the latest update available with calendar year 2004 Medicaid claims data analysis of services provided to Medicaid and PeachCare enrolled children under age 19.

CY2003 Update to the Evaluation of the Georgia Oral Health Prevention Program

CY2001, CY2002 Update to the Evaluation of the Georgia Oral Health Prevention Program
An update to the “Evaluation of the Georgia Oral Health Prevention Program” report submitted to the Department of Human Resources.

CY2000 Evaluation of the Georgia Oral Health Prevention Program
A documentation of the oral health prevention activities in place in each dental public health district, and determine what is needed to provide services.

Kids and Dental Providers in Georgia: The Gap Between Supply and Demand
In May 2001, the Georgia Health Policy Center was contracted by the Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Family Health Branch, Oral Health Section to produce this qualitative and quantitative report using updated Medicaid data from calendar year 2001 and 2002.

School Health Initiative Evaluation Outcomes
In 2001, the Philanthropic Collaborative for a Healthy Georgia awarded grants to support 13 school health programs across the state. Six of these grantees received additional funding from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation to continue their programs for another 18 months.This report describes the evaluation methodology and summarizes the findings. It also offers in-depth snapshots of supported school health activities to illustrate the program’s impact.

Comparing the Health Status and Health Care Utilization of Children in Georgia’s Foster Care System to Other Georgia Medicaid Children
An analysis to determine if national findings applied to the health care experiences of Georgia foster children in comparison to other Medicaid children.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids: Customer Service Satisfaction Survey – Members – Fall 2004
Semi-annual survey by Georgia Health Policy Center to assess member satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between October 18 and November 10, 2004 via telephone interviews.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids: Customer Service Satisfaction Survey – Provider – Fall 2004
Semi-annual member survey by Georgia Health Policy Center to assess member satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between October 22 and December 6, 2004

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids Member Survey: Customer Service Satisfaction Survey – Spring 2004
Semi-annual member survey by Georgia Health Policy Center to assess member satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between April and May 2004.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids Provider Survey: Customer Service Satisfaction Survey – Spring 2004
Semi-annual member surveys by Georgia Health Policy Center to assess provider satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between April and May 2004 via mail and the internet, with follow-up phone surveys of providers.

Consumer Assessment of Health Plans: Differences in Utilization and Satisfaction Among Parents of Children Enrolled in Georgia’s PeachCare, PeachCare Plus, and Medicaid Programs
A report to the Department of Community Health on the satisfaction of parents and guardians of children enrolled in the PeachCare for Kids program.

Georgia’s PeachCare for Kids: Results from a Disenrollee Survey
A telephone survey and analysis of the parents or guardians of PeachCare for Kids members who experienced a lapse in coverage due to a late payment.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids Member Survey: Customer Service Satisfaction – Fall 2003
Semi-annual survey to assess member satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between October and November 2003 via telephone.

Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids Provider Survey: Customer Service Satisfaction – Fall 2003
Semi-annual survey to assess provider satisfaction with Affiliated Computer Systems claims administration and customer service. Survey conducted between October and  November, 2003.

Estimates of Eligibility and Enrollment For a Premium Assisted Program for Families of Children Enrolled in PeachCare for Kids
An analysis to provide policymakers in Georgia with information about the feasibility and implications of a Premium Assistance program, under which a portion of PeachCare dollars would be used to pay employee contributions for employer-sponsored health insurance.

The Health Care System for Medicaid Children with Special Health Care Needs
A discussion of how best to serve children with special health care needs.

Improving School Health in Georgia: Results of a Survey of School Superintendents
A survey of school superintendents to measure the impact of A+ (A+ Education Reform Act of 2000) funding and identify additional unmet needs for school health programs.

Summary Report: School Health Matching Grants Conference
This report summarizes the presentations made during the two-day conference with the Georgia Department of Community Health and the Philanthropic Collaborative for a Healthy Georgia.

Philanthropic Symposium on School Health
A highlight of presentations and discussions during the Philanthropic Symposium on School Health held October 16, 2000 in Atlanta, GA.

Working Papers

The Cost of Teen Births in Georgia: Report for the Georgia Health Policy Center
An examination of the cost of teen births in Georgia. While, higher than the national average, the birth rate has fallen. Teen births pose a difficult public policy problem and also costs to local, state and federal governments.

The Link between Teen Childbearing and Employment in Georgia
A focus on public policy issues related to teen pregnancies ranging from concerns for child poverty and health, to the costs of public assistance, and remedial strategies for training and workforce development.