By Natasha Taylor, Senior Director of Policy and Access, Georgia Watch

We are thrilled to announce that we have been awarded $100,000 in renewed funding from leading health advocacy organization, Community Catalyst to support our work around medical debt and hospital accountability. This funding will allow us to:

• Activate our broad state-wide coalition of Community Health Workers, especially those serving Asian and Hispanic immigrant communities along the Buford Highway corridor and in Clarkston to address racial disparities in barriers to healthcare.
• Continue our work to hold hospitals accountable to prevent destabilizing closures such as the untimely closing of the Atlanta Medical Center by Wellstar.
• Address the lack of transparency in medical procedure pricing by supporting the roll out of the All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) in Georgia.
• Maintain our federal advocacy campaigns to advance strong consumer medical debt protections, working in conjunction with local partners to receive and share patient stories that advance both state and federal efforts. 

Community Catalyst also awarded us with an additional $27,500 to continue our efforts with the Community Benefit Economic Stability Project (CBES). The CBES project, (led by SOWEGA Rising, Georgia Watch, and Georgians for a Healthy Future) seeks to work with community groups and local healthcare providers to address local needs around medical billing and debt in Southwest Georgia. Furthermore, this grant allows us to intensify our Medical Debt Project efforts to hold hospitals and health systems accountable to their communities.

We thank Community Catalyst for their ongoing recognition and support of organizations committed to uplifting communities in need. Their partnership and investment will have a profound impact on our mission to ensure that all Georgians prosper, and communities thrive.