House committee urged to update public‑health funding formula; rural leaders cite 50‑year gap

Members of the House Study Committee on Evaluating Funding for Public Health were told Friday that Georgia’s method for allocating county public‑health dollars needs overhaul if the state is to equitably serve rural communities.

"Our funding formulary really needs some work and attention," said Dr. Chris Scoggins, board member of the Georgia Rural Health Association, adding that the county contribution formula "has not been updated since the '70s" and that the current system is "crude" because it relies mainly on population and poverty measures. Scoggins urged a new formula that would draw on more nuanced measures such as the Social Vulnerability Index and state epidemiologic data.

Why it matters: Committee members from largely rural districts described practical consequences when…