Fulton County’s new health center is more than a building. It’s “kind of a metaphor for positive change,” said Kathleen Toomey, the district health director for the Fulton Board of Health.
The litany of issues that plagued Fulton’s health department are by now familiar: a national tuberculosis outbreak, traced to the county. Bungled HIV grant money. An audit that showed a pattern of mismanagement.
State legislators had enough.
Then, the county department operated outside of the state’s control, with a Board of Health that held only an advisory role. Now, Fulton County has is under the state’s purview, and the county is coordinating more with the state on responses to disease, officials say.
The county’s new board met for the first time Wednesday, but the changes in the way it and the health department operate is already evident, said Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the state department of public health.
To read more about the changes, which you can only find on myAJC.com, click here.
In other Fulton County news:
MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.
The AJC's Arielle Kass keeps you updated on the latest happenings in Fulton County government and politics. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:
Never miss a minute of what's happening in Fulton politics. Subscribe to myAJC.com.
About the Author
