By Jasmin Singh Bobbie Cutrell came back to her home state of North Carolina in 2009 from Massachusetts to have a fresh start, but she didn’t realize that getting that start was going to be a challenge. “I cannot afford health insurance,” Cutrell said. “I went around to doctors to try to pay for an […]
By Jasmin Singh Lexi Ruhle learned about the dangers of smoking through a puppet show. “I knew smoking was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad,” she said. “[The show] was teaching us why we shouldn’t smoke because it makes our lungs look like a cheetah.” Ruhle didn’t go to a theater to […]
By Jasmin Singh Today, in a hotel ballroom on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., the defenses against next year’s flu season are being decided. That’s where the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is meeting to choose the vaccine antigens to be used in next season’s flu shot. Last week, […]
By Jasmin Singh Sandy Scarborough was walking through a health fair last April when she came across a 39-foot white-and-blue Winnebago bus. The bus drew attention as it sat in the middle of the fair in Kitty Hawk, hosted by the Outer Banks Hospital. Beach visitors had puzzled looks on their faces, watching people come […]
By Jasmin Singh, Hyun Namkoong, Rose Hoban As lawmakers worked behind closed doors this week to put the finishing touches on this year’s budget revision, health care advocates and lobbyists were walking the halls, holding conversations with key lawmakers where they could. They were hoping to induce movement on a number of bills that have […]
The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force is pushing for an initiative to have Medicaid cover medical lactation support services. By Jasmin Singh Nothing seems more natural than for a mother to breastfeed her baby. But Anne-Marie Meyer found it’s not always the case. “It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do […]
Members of the Senate presented yet another version of a Medicaid reform plan Wednesday. They are expected to have more public-discussion comment on Thursday morning at 9. By Rose Hoban Dr. Conrad Flick’s primary care office in Raleigh is not the kind of place where you’ll see a lot of ties. Instead, the eight doctors […]
Story, photos and video by Jasmin Singh Tully James will be the coolest kid at his school because his hand glows in the dark. “It will be hard to play hide-and-seek during the night,” said the energetic 9-year-old. Tully, who lives in Cary, was born without an arm below his left elbow, but that hasn’t […]
By Jasmin Singh The North Carolina House of Representatives passed a resolution Wednesday authorizing legislative staff to study ways to prevent suicide among minors and veterans in the state. Lawmakers listened as Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Charlotte), one of the resolution’s sponsors, struggled to contain her emotions as she described her son’s struggle with mental illness […]
A bill to make it possible for the families of children with epilepsy to get an experimental hemp extract is near final passage in the General Assembly. By Jasmin Singh Tears fell from Sherena Ward’s eyes as a Senate committee pushed North Carolina one step closer to the legalization of hemp oil for her daughter […]
