I generally consider myself a fan of irony but admit that I was more disturbed than amused when reading through last Thursday's headlines.

The first, "Atlanta Picked for National Health Museum," (Page One) sounded like good news, for sure. Following directly behind was the headline, "Georgia Scores Low on Health Insurance," referring to our state receiving a failing grade in its efforts to protect consumers in the health insurance market. In reading the one story after the other, I found it very hard to reconcile the facts set forth in both articles.

I was pleased to hear that Atlanta had been selected as the site of the national health museum. In many ways, this decision makes sense. I very much support the local governmental and nonprofit organizations working to advance the health and well-being of individuals within our state, country and worldwide. We could proudly claim the museum along with our other national health institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CARE, American Cancer Society, Arthritis Foundation and Carter Center.

I have no doubt that the national health museum can teach Georgia residents and visitors alike about the importance of healthy living. At the same time, though, I think it only right to consider investment in the new national health museum in Georgia in the same vein as investment in the health of Georgians.

I confess my own bias in this issue as I work in the field of health policy for children. But outside of the focus of my day job, I'm worried about the health of our state. Beyond our failure to protect consumers in the health insurance market, I'm concerned about our state's uninsured and underinsured. More specifically, I'm concerned about the more than 300,000 children in Georgia who lack health insurance coverage, the rising number of babies born at a low birthweight, the alarming growth in the number of obese children and adults, and our collective failure to identify and properly treat adolescents with mental health issues.

A national health museum may prove to be a significant accomplishment for our city and for our state. But I can't help but find it hypocritical for Georgia to be educating the rest of our nation on health while at the same time we continue to overlook the health needs of so many in our state.

A simple truth is that kids in Georgia don't fare as well as those across the country, but it is not as though we don't know what works. In the past few years, there were at least three bills introduced in the state Legislature that would have resulted in high-quality, accessible health coverage for all children in Georgia. Unfortunately, none of those efforts succeeded.

As I consider the incoming museum, I realize that investing in this worthy project could mean much for Atlanta and Georgia. Working to create this institution should inspire us to likewise invest in the health of Georgia's children, an investment that could produce even greater rewards.

> Joann Yoon is a child health specialist with the advocacy group Voices for Georgia's Children.