ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Calvin Jordan’s family is filled with relatives who answered the nation’s call for military service.
Jordan himself served in the U.S. Army and fought in 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War.
“We dropped Agent Orange,” the 73-year-old recalled. The now-banned chemical was dropped during the war, killing vegetation and crops, and has since been linked to cancers among American veterans.
This past March, Jordan went to the emergency room at the Atlanta VA Medical Center to have a lump on his neck checked out. Jordan eventually got a scan of his neck while at the hospital, but said after his discharge, he never heard anything back.
In July, Jordan scheduled another appointment, but the VA doctor said the hospital did not have a copy of his original scans. The images were later found, according to Jordan, but new scans were required.
In August, Jordan received a second scan and biopsy. In September – seven months after his original visit to the VA – a doctor diagnosed him with cancer.
Jordan said he learned the VA is so backlogged the facility can’t do the surgery or perform the required radiation treatments. He will undergo surgery to remove the mass at Emory Hospital on Nov. 18 and then receive further radiation treatments through his VA coverage.
Delays in diagnosis and even longer waits for treatments are examples of the dilemmas local veterans allege against the Atlanta VA. They consider access to healthcare in Atlanta as their greatest battle.
Atlanta News First Investigates found veterans could be waiting nearly half a year for appointments. And when their lives depend on early detection, some cancer patients fear untimely care could be life-threatening.
“You [treat] cancer when its young; you don’t let it spread,” Jordan said. “This wasn’t even noticeable when I had my first CT scan. Now it’s like I’m growing a second head out the side of my neck.”
These scans show the growth of the cancerous lump in Calvin Jordan’s neck.(WANF)
Scans of the veteran’s neck show the cancerous mass is now nearly the size of a fist. The latest images were taken in August, but according to his March scans, he said the mass “was no bigger than maybe a thumbnail.”
“This is the U.S., and veterans should be taken care of. I’m not doing this for me. I’m doing it for the young guys, the young girls that served. And they don’t deserve it. Atlanta VA just cannot handle the load,” he said.
After Atlanta News First Investigates told Atlanta VA officials about Jordan’s case, the hospital reached out to him.
When asked about backlogs and delays, a VA spokesperson said the facility offers same day walk-in care for mental health and primary care treatment. “One of VA’s top priorities right now is recruiting, hiring, and retaining clinical staff,” the spokesperson said.
As of Oct. 23, according to data obtained by Atlanta News First Investigates, the average wait time to see an Atlanta VA specialist was 60 days. The longest was 162 days.
Veterans are facing potentially deadly delays at the Atlanta VA.(WANF)
The location also faced a paperwork backlog last year. The Office of the Inspector General confirmed in an April 27, 2022, report, more than 17,000 mailed documents related to veteran care and claims went unopened last year.
Veterans are facing potentially deadly delays at the Atlanta VA.(WANF)
Advocates say veterans deserve more but they end up with the least access to timely healthcare.
“For them to come back and all they hear is, ‘thank you for your service,’ they don’t want to hear that from us,” said Scott Johnson, CEO of The Warrior Alliance, an organization helping serve metro Atlanta’s nearly 250,000 vets. With more than triple that number across the state, Johnson said, “collaboration is the only way.”
Johnson advocates more private-public partnerships and funding will strengthen medical care options. Groups like his are acting as veteran liaisons, navigating healthcare, housing, education, and legal aid post-service in the army.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Any parent of an athlete knows how competitive high school sports can be and how upsetting it can be when your child doesn’t get playing time.
But parents at one metro Atlanta high school said their football program is recruiting and playing athletes who don’t even live in the district.
Some Douglasville parents are alleging that Olten Downs, head football coach at Alexander High School, is recruiting teens who don’t live in the district. One parent even admitted she is allowing a recruit to use her address, even though he does not live with her.
The Douglas County School System has confirmed an internal investigation was conducted. As a result, the district determined some conversations with prospective athletic parents had been “inappropriate” and said “appropriate corrective action” would be taken.
Recruiting allegations
Kimberly Churchill’s son has been playing football in Douglasville since he was old enough to walk.
“He started off on the peewee football team, playing rec and then when he got to high school, he started playing on the JV level and varsity level,” Churchill said.
As he entered junior year at Alexander High School, Churchill’s son had dreams of being a starter. But as the season unfolded, his mom said he was replaced by kids he had never seen in school before.
“One kid is driving an hour to school and an hour from school each day,” Churchill said.
After Churchill’s son quit the team, she sent a complaint to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), which oversees extracurricular activities for nearly 500 public and private schools in Georgia, alleging Downs was “recruiting out-of-district players for his football team.”
After Churchill’s son quit the team, she sent a complaint to the Georgia High School Association or GHSA, alleging that Coach Olten Downs was “recruiting out of district players for his football team.”(Rachel Polansky)
Churchill is not the only Douglasville parent making these claims.
Another mother who, fearing backlash, did not want to be identified because her son still plays for Alexander, admitted she is allowing Downs to use her address for one of his recruits, even though the recruit does not live with her.
Downs, the mother said, “called me on the phone. He said, ‘I have a student that lives in Atlanta, and he wants to come out here to have a better life for himself and to play football and I was wondering if you would be okay allowing this kid to use your address?’
“I said, that’s fine,” the mother recounted. She said shedidn’t know at the time GHSA’s bylaws prohibited such an arrangement. “Even now, I don’t know if I’m gonna get in trouble,” she said. “I don’t know the ramifications.”
Downs did not respond to Atlanta News First Investigates’ emails. When asked directly about the allegations during halftime at Alexander High football game, Downs did not respond and ran off the field.
When Atlanta News First Investigates tried to get Coach Downs’ side of the allegations, he ran away.(WANF)
While Downs did not speak, another parent recorded a call between her and one of Downs’ assistant coaches. That call was shared with Atlanta News First Investigates.
During the call, the assistant coach asked if she’d provide her address for an incoming recruit to use.
“He needs to have the address; he can live with me. I have no problem with that but, if he has an address, he’ll be able to go to that school; he’ll be able to go to Alexander,” the coach said.
When the parent appeared to hesitate, the assistant coach added this: “I’m the type of person like you scratch my back, I scratch your back.” The mother who recorded the call took that to mean her son would be given more playing time.
“I don’t want any of the kids to get in trouble,” the mother said. “I just want it [recruiting] to stop happening.”
Recruiting or undue influence
The GHSA defines recruiting or undue influence as “the use of influence by any person connected directly or indirectly with a GHSA school to induce a student of any age to transfer from one school to another … for athletic or literary competition purposes.”
GHSA also has the ability to impose penalties including fines, probations, suspensions or forfeiture of games. That’s what happened in 2020 when south Georgia’s longtime football powerhouse, Valdosta High School, was hit with $7500 in fines for recruiting violations. Five of their players were deemed ineligible, they were made to forfeit season wins, and banned from playoffs.
Atlanta News First Investigates uncovered GHSA investigated 93 claims of recruiting or undue influence over the last three years. Only 23 of them resulted in disciplinary action.
Atlanta News First Investigates uncovered that GHSA investigated 93 claims of recruiting or undue influence over the last three years. Only 23 of them resulted in disciplinary action.
This handwritten list was provided by GHSA. (Rachel Polansky)
While accusations are common, GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines said his staff rarely has enough evidence to punish programs.
“You can’t really move forward if it’s not going to pass legal muster,” Hines said. “It’s a shame you have to look through that lens but if you can’t support it in court, then you probably don’t need to be moving forward.”
Atlanta News First Investigates also learned 13 employees make up GHSA’s office. Only one of them is responsible for investigating misconduct.
Nonetheless, Hines said his office is properly staffed. “Ninety-nine out of 100 times, it’s [complaints or allegations] usually by disgruntled members of the community that send those things. Some of them may turn out to be true but that’s few and far between.”
Hines also said when allegations are deemed credible, GHSA will send a “letter of inquiry” to the district and ask the school to conduct its own internal investigation.
When Atlanta News First Investigates asked if such an inquiry had been sent to Alexander High School, GHSA said it does “not comment on on going investigations.”
“I’ve complained,” Churchill said. “Other moms have complained. Again, nothing has been done.”
With one month left in the season, Churchill believes tactics like recruiting have taken the game out of athletes’ hands.
“It’s just a mess and it needs to stop,” Churchill said.
Local school system responds
Atlanta News First Investigates has requested additional complaints regarding Downs since February 2021 from the Douglas County School System. The system said the public records would cost $3,360. We reduced the scope, and the price tag still remains more than $3,000. Atlanta News First is continuing to follow up on that public records request.
Meanwhile, Atlanta News First Investigates also requested an interview with Trent North, the Douglas County School System superintendent. System spokesperson Portia Lake sent this statement:
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