Georgia's preparedness to prevent and contain public health threats has been questioned in an examination by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The paper examined Georgia's public health system by reviewing documents from the state, federal agencies and nonprofit groups. It says the information depicts a system that lacks sufficient money and, at times, basic competencies.
Georgia recently tied for sixth-worst among 56 states and territories when federal officials evaluated readiness for public health emergencies and it ranks 39th among the states in public
health spending per resident. In another troubling ranking, the state's public health laboratory could identify the sources of fewer than four in 10 foodborne illness outbreaks from 2004 to 2006. That was the 35th-lowest rate in the country.
