By Noam N. Levy, Kaiser Health News Lucille Brooks was stunned when she picked up the phone before Christmas two years ago and learned a nursing home was suing her. “I thought this was crazy,” recalled Brooks, 74, a retiree who lives with her husband in a modest home in the Rochester suburbs. Brooks’ brother […]
Posted inPublic Health
Trusted community messengers, data key in North Carolina’s journey to vaccine equity
By Rachel Crumpler On Dec. 14, 2020, Katie Passaretti, medical director of infection prevention at Atrium Health, became the first person in North Carolina to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Now, one and a half years later, more than 16.9 million COVID shots have been administered in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Health […]
Posted inRural Health
Large health system partnerships can’t always save a struggling rural hospital
By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven When an independently owned rural hospital is in financial crisis, hospital leaders often say they’d be able to survive if only a big hospital system would come in and buy them. It would give them an infusion of capital, help with technological upgrades, and increase their patient population and ability to negotiate […]
Posted inPublic Health
Charlotte promotes transportation safety for bicyclists and pedestrians
By Jamille Whitlow For the past five years, there has been an increase in the total bicyclist and pedestrian deaths in North Carolina, a trend that has caused organizations such as BikeWalkNC to provide free training to promote better transportation safety. In 2015, the North Carolina Department of Transportation reported 3,053 pedestrian accidents. By 2019, […]
Posted inEnvironmental Health
People living with elevated PFAS exposure should receive expanded testing, a new study finds
By Will Atwater Against the backdrop of mounting evidence that links per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to negative impacts on human health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released a study that calls for testing the blood of people with extended exposure to the man-made chemicals. The report focuses on people who […]
Posted inInfectious Disease
Messaging a challenge for getting the word out on monkeypox
By Rose Hoban Now that North Carolina has 46 confirmed cases of monkeypox, public health leaders are moving to inform affected communities about how to reduce their risk. On Thursday evening, North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley held a virtual town hall meeting to address the growing outbreak in the state. Kinsley’s […]