In this Health Care Half Hour, NCHN rural health reporter Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven talks with Joonu-Noel Andrews Coste, Attorney with Disability Rights North Carolina, and Delia Bailey, a parent advocate. They discuss the challenges NC children with both behavioral health needs and developmental disabilities face when trying to access care, and how this challenge looks different […]
Posted inMedicaid
With Medicaid and mental health in the mix, juvenile court gets tricky
By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven This is part 2 in an occasional series on the different types of care families and children with complex behavioral needs receive on Medicaid versus private insurance. On Feb. 21, 2022, CJ and his mom Jane arrived at the Buncombe County Courthouse. CJ, who’s 13 years old, said he was feeling stressed. […]
Posted inState Health Policy
What is the state of medical marijuana legalization in North Carolina?
By Elizabeth Thompson As Americans across the country observe 4/20, a day that recognizes cannabis, North Carolina remains one of just 13 states that have not legalized medical marijuana. That may not be the case for long. A bill in the North Carolina Senate, the NC Compassionate Care Act, would make medical marijuana legal for […]
Posted inMedicaid
For kids with complex behavioral needs, Medicaid often provides better coverage
By Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven This is the first story in an occasional series on the different types of care families and children with complex behavioral needs receive on Medicaid versus private insurance. When 13-year-old CJ gets mad, he gets really mad, really, really mad. “Have you ever heard the term blind rage?” He asks on a […]
Posted inPublic Health
Refurbished walkers and wheelchairs fill gaps created by supply chain problems
By Kate Ruder Kaiser Health News DENVER — Michele Lujan needed a wheelchair for her 52-year-old husband who had been hospitalized with covid-19. But she had lost her job, and money was tight. Insurance wouldn’t cover the cost, and she didn’t see the use in buying something to meet a temporary need. So she turned […]
Posted inPrison Health
Decreasing sex crimes with therapy, friendship
By Elizabeth Thompson Most of society shuns registered sex offenders, but Drew Doll has a different solution — befriending people convicted of high-risk sex crimes. “By forming friendships … we get to know people really well,” said Doll, who is the reentry and reconciliation coordinator at the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham. “We hold […]