Laid-off Fulton County Board of Health worker fears cuts to HIV prevention services

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Health workers held an emergency town hall meeting Wednesday to plan ways to better provide services for those living with HIV and aids after layoffs at the Fulton County Board of Health.

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Damaris Henderson said she never saw it coming.

“I received a random call,” Henderson told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington. “This is a community that I’ve been serving for over 20 years.”

This month, Henderson, along with 16 other health workers, was laid off from the Fulton County Board of Health.

Henderson worked in sex education for the board of health.

She said she is now concerned about how a reduction in sexual health staff might impact HIV prevention services.

“People need to be educated on why we test, how often you test,” Henderson said.

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According to AIDSvu.org, Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton Counties were among 15 counties in the nation with the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses in 2022.

“Of our new HIV diagnosis, we are third in the nation,” public health activist Daniel Driffin said.

In a statement to Channel 2 Action News, a Department of Health spokesperson wrote:

The actions taken by the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) on Monday, May 19, 2025, were done without the prior knowledge or approval of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH).

DPH is reviewing the actions taken by FCBOH and has placed two executive leaders on unpaid administrative leave.

The FCBOH’s actions included a reduction in force of 17 staff members. FCBOH emphasizes there is no disruption in HIV, STI, and TB clinical services because of these actions.

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Wednesday health advocates held an emergency town hall meeting in southwest Atlanta to discuss the best strategies to ensure access to services like testing and drugs that can prevent infection.

“Prioritizing what services we need to shore up. That’s testing, that’s linkages, that’s ensure individuals have access to medications,” Driffin said.

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