The FDHA Blog

We’ll be sharing insights and resources to help you stay informed and proactive about your health. We believe that knowledge is power, and by staying informed and engaged, you can take charge of your health and well-being.

Awareness Month

Breastfeeding Awareness Month

Breastfeeding Awareness Month is an effort to bring about awareness of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for most infants. It can also reduce the risk for certain health conditions for both infants and mothers. According to the CDC, most mothers want to breastfeed but stop early due

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Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month is the annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of getting vaccinated for people of all ages. The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority encourages you to ensure that your loved ones are up to date on recommended vaccines. Vaccines are not just for kids! Adults may

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Awareness Month

World Hepatitis Day

Hepatitis Day takes place each year on July 28th. Someone dies every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness. World Globally, 290 million people are unaware that they have viral hepatitis. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The most common types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis

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Awareness Month

National HIV Testing Day

June is National HIV Testing Day and The FDHA encourages you to get tested! HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It weakens the immune system by destroying the important cells that fight both disease and infection. There is currently no cure for HIV but with proper medical care, it can

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Awareness Month

Men’s Health Awareness Month

The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority encourages you to take charge of your health by making better lifestyle choices. Men tend to pay less attention to their health than women. Compared to women, men are more likely to drink alcohol and use tobacco and less likely to see a doctor for regular

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Awareness Month

National Nurses Week

Nurses Week takes place from May 6th to May 12th each year. Please join The FDHA in shining a spotlight on the incredible nurses everywhere for their hard work and dedication to saving lives. As you would agree, 2021 has been a challenge as we fight a global pandemic. It

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Awareness Month

National Hospital Week

Please join The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority as we highlight our own Grady Memorial Hospital for National Hospital Week. Annually, it takes place between May 9th through May 15th. Grady first opened its doors in 1892 and have continually reinvented themselves to meet the region’s evolving medical needs. Grady has approximately

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Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

For 2021’s Mental Health Awareness Month NAMI continues to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone”. Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental illness every year. 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness, where 17% of youth (6-17 years) experience a mental health

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Awareness Month

American Stroke Awareness

The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority encourages you to take charge and know the risk factors for stroke. According to the American Heart Association, strokes are deadly and dangerous, it is the #5 killer and a leading cause of disability in the US. A few of the stroke risk factors that you

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Awareness Month

National Minority Health Month

This April the FDHA Celebrates National Minority Health Awareness Month by raising awareness about health disparities affecting minorities in the US. According to the 2010-2019 US Census estimates, minorities made up less than 30% of the US population. Most minorities experience a higher rate of death, preventable disease and disabilities

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Asset Management

The Lease Transfer Agreement clearly states The FDHA’s responsibility for ensuring that all facilities currently operated by Grady are properly maintained and operated. This mandate goes beyond functioning as a landlord, but rather speaks to an expected standard of care for all. The FDHA and Grady must work collaboratively to ensure that all Grady facilities go beyond the minimum standard of “fit for use” so that the quality of Grady facilities is consistent with that of any other high-functioning hospitals.

Innovative Strategies and Initiatives

The most recent pandemic brought gaping healthcare disparities to light. As Georgia’s larg- est safety net hospital (and only safety net hospital in Metro Atlanta due to the closure of Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center), Grady continues to see increased service demands. Often, the medically indigent and underserved use the emergency room for primary care services. Issues like housing insecurity and poverty place additional strain on the Grady Health System, particularly when other factors (outside of the hospital walls) inform one’s overall wellbeing. As Grady continues to seek ways to improve health outcomes in the community, The FDHA is tasked with identifying innovative ways to support Grady’s efforts and broaden its reach into targeted sectors of the community. This pillar also speaks to The FDHA’s efforts to work collaboratively through grantmaking with organizations whose mission, vision, and work align with The FDHA’s priorities and goals. Through structured strategic partnerships, focused and aligned grant making, and ongoing community engagement, The FDHA will assume a leadership role in the health ecosystem.

Stakeholder Engagement

There are many stakeholders within the Fulton/DeKalb health ecosystem. Stakeholders can be characterizedas individuals, groups, or organizations whose efforts either inform healthcare outcomes or are impacted by healthcare outcomes. Grady remains The FDHA’s most important partner in this effort and a key stakeholder in the health ecosystem. As the daily operators of all of Grady’s health facilities, hundreds of thousands of patients per year (more than 700,000) are impacted. Maintaining consistent communication and collaboration with Grady’s Executive Leadership Team and staff is central to the success of The FDHA.

 

Similarly, The FDHA’s alignment and support of Grady’s population health and community engagement efforts are invaluable. As a grantor, The FDHA has an extensive network of community-based partners that work daily to provide direct services and/or support various health priorities. Many of these organizations provide services directly related to social determinants of health (i.e., housing, education, transportation, etc.) thereby adding value to the continuum of care. As The FDHA seeks to embrace a more prominent role as a convener, organizer, and facilitator in the health ecosystem, engaging stakeholders with purpose and intentionality becomes increasingly important.

Organizational Capacity & Accountability

The FDHA’s obligations, relative to its role as owners of the facilities operated by Grady and stewards of county resources entrusted to Grady, require the requisite skills of staff to execute key administrative and regulatory functions. Establishing and maintaining a staffing model that adequately responds to the needs of the agency is vital. Of equal importance is the establishment and maintenance of high-functioning financial management systems and general operations controls. Critical front and back-office functions should be insulated from staff turnover or shifts in organizational priorities. The provision of ongoing staff development opportunities will ensure that team members stay abreast of industry standards, best practices, and leading-edge opportunities. In addition, the curation and maintenance of financial management best practices ensure organizational accountability and responsiveness.

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