DeKalb County has become the first county in Georgia to allocate funds specifically for reproductive healthcare, approving $200,000 to support local organizations.
The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved funding on Aug. 26 for the Feminist Women’s Health Center and ARC-Southeast, with allocations of up to $150,000 and $50,000, respectively.
These funds are intended to enhance access to comprehensive reproductive health services, including STI testing, pap smears, family planning and emergency contraception like Plan B.
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“Reproductive healthcare services being reduced in many communities nationwide has a direct impact to our DeKalb County residents seeking essential care,” said Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry. “Healthcare is a human right and far too many women are struggling to access vital reproductive, prenatal, and postnatal care services that are essential to ensuring healthy pregnancies and helping to mitigate Georgia’s alarming maternal mortality rate.”
Georgia has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with non-Hispanic Black women experiencing significantly higher mortality rates. This funding aims to address these disparities by providing essential reproductive health services to DeKalb County residents.
Kwajelyn Jackson, executive director of Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation, emphasized the importance of local action.
“As our federal reproductive health infrastructure continues to crumble, let this be a shining example of what people power can accomplish on the local level,” she said.
Alexia Rice-Henry, co-executive director of ARC-Southeast, pointed out the regional need for support, stating, “Of the Southern states we serve, a vast majority of over 43 percent came from Georgia last year, with DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties needing the most support.”
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