By Jaymie Baxley North Carolina has less than a year to implement a federal rule requiring “able-bodied” Medicaid participants to prove they are working, volunteering or attending school for at least 80 hours a month. A provision of the federal budget — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law last summer by President […]
Posted inChildren's Health
‘Shared decision-making’ for childhood vaccines sounds empowering – but it may mean less access for families already stretched thin
By Y. Tony Yang The Conversation When federal health officials announced on Jan. 5, 2026, that they were taking six out of 17 vaccines off the childhood immunization schedule, they argued that the move would give parents and caregivers more choice. Instead of all U.S. children routinely receiving them, these six vaccines are now optional […]
Posted inPrison Health
Amid shortage of juvenile detention beds, a facility in Mecklenburg sits empty
By Rachel Crumpler Mecklenburg County sent the second-highest number of young people into North Carolina’s detention system last year — yet it has no juvenile detention center. In 2025, 2,186 people were admitted to juvenile detention centers statewide, according to data provided to NC Health News by the state Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency […]
Posted inEnvironmental Health
New year, new definition: Feds set to limit water protections
By Jennifer Allen Coastal Review The two agencies that enforce the Clean Water Act have proposed changes to the waterbodies considered jurisdictional, or under federal protection, and the deadline for the public to comment is here. The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers published on Nov. 20 in the Federal Register the “Updated […]
Posted inChildren's Health
NC health officials urge vaccinations after CDC reduces the number of recommended shots
By Jennifer Fernandez Raleigh photographer Abigail Chopel gave birth to her daughter in January 2020, just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a scary time, she recalled. She couldn’t get her daughter vaccinated until she was 2 years old. Chopel also worried about the health of her grandmother, who was living with […]
Posted inMental Health
Built by peers, backed by the state: Inside North Carolina’s expanding peer support network
By Taylor Knopf Thanos first stepped into the peer cafe across from the bus station in downtown Raleigh looking for his friend — and the promise of a free coffee. What keeps him coming back months later is a community of people and group sessions that have supported his substance use recovery. “Everybody in this […]