Leah Asmelash

a little boy walks away from the camera with an enormous backpack on his back

Eliminating Pre-K Waiting Lists Proves a Knotty Problem

July 18, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Eliminating Pre-K Waiting Lists Proves a Knotty Problem - North Carolina Health News

Lawmakers promise to eliminate the waiting lists for North Carolina's state funded preschool program, but it's tougher than at first glimpse.

By Leah Asmelash In each version of the North Carolina budget presented this year, from Gov. Roy Cooper to leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, lawmakers crowed about how they were chipping away at waiting lists for the state’s subsidized NC Pre-K program. “Over the next two years, we’re adding $27 million […]

A folding chair has an addres taped to the back and on the seat is a card labeled "eviction"

Dental Students Get A Lesson in Empathy

July 6, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Dental Students Get A Lesson in Empathy - North Carolina Health News

A simulation helps dental students - mostly well-to-do and educated - to understand the lives and struggles of their less fortunate patients.

By Leah Asmelash Since 1970, third-year dental students at UNC Chapel Hill have spent eight weeks in the summer going out into communities around the state and treating patients, many from low-income families, as part of the Dentistry in Service to Communities program. Forty-five years into this practice, the School of Dentistry’s Lewis Lampiris realized […]

Music and Barbecue To Fete Kids at the NCGA

June 30, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Music and Barbecue To Fete Kids at the NCGA - North Carolina Health News

Lawmakers joined with foster kids and child welfare advocates to celebrate passage of a landmark bill.

By Leah Asmelash For Titianna Goings, foster care has been one of the most permanent things in her life. Her mom was in foster care and she was born into the system in New York City, but came to North Carolina when she was adopted by her aunt. When her aunt died, she and her […]

Pet Therapy Program Needs Help to Sit… Stay

June 20, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Pet Therapy Program Needs Help to Sit… Stay - North Carolina Health News

PAWS, a program to help people with mental health issues connect with dogs is on the chopping block.

By Leah Asmelash When Ann Tolliver started going to UNC PAWS, she was depressed, had symptoms of paranoia, and was having trouble getting out of bed. But each trip she made to Chatham County was a little victory against her mental illness. “Doing something that day made me feel as if I didn’t just spend […]

three children with a laptop computer, their expressions show enthusiasm and excitement.

Council Explores How to Meet New Guidelines for Helping Special Ed Kids

June 15, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Council Explores How to Meet New Guidelines for Helping Special Ed Kids - North Carolina Health News

The Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children gets up to speed on the rules, which went into effect in late 2016.

By Leah Asmelash Leanna George never planned to advise the state on the needs of children with disabilities – she just wanted to help her two children, both on the autism spectrum. Their school system didn’t seem to have the right methods of handling children with disabilities, which George experienced first-hand with her eldest daughter, […]

shows children looking frightened as they tumble down a slide

Education Bright Spot in Annual Ranking of Child Well-being

June 14, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Education Bright Spot in Annual Ranking of Child Well-being - North Carolina Health News

In the annual KIDS COUNT survey, North Carolina children fared better in the classroom, even as they experienced more poverty at home.

By Leah Asmelash North Carolina kids continue to struggle with financial and economic well-being, but saw improvements in overall health, while making leaps in education, according to a recent report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The annual report examines four parts of children’s lives – health, education, economic well-being, and family and community – […]

People With Aphasia Get Voices Heard at NCGA

June 8, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

People With Aphasia Get Voices Heard at NCGA - North Carolina Health News

Advocate and therapist Maura Silverman helps lawmakers understand that losing voice does not mean losing the ability to speak up.

By Leah Asmelash Fifteen years ago, Maura Silverman was a frustrated speech therapist watching patients with aphasia get discharged from services before they were ready. Insurance companies made the call, leaving her with little say in the matter. So Silverman took matters into her own hands and founded the Triangle Aphasia Project, an organization dedicated […]

Budget Holds Dollars for Aging Services Steady

June 1, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Budget Holds Dollars for Aging Services Steady - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina's aging population is growing rapidly, the statehouse budget might not be keeping pace.

By Leah Asmelash By 2018, the majority of North Carolina counties will have more people over the age of 60 than school-age kids. But according to Alan Winstead, who heads Meals on Wheels Wake County, public funding and the state budget are not keeping pace with that reality. Both chambers of the North Carolina General […]

Faith Leaders Put Their Support Behind Raising the Age

May 30, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Faith Leaders Put Their Support Behind Raising the Age - North Carolina Health News

The economic and public safety benefits of raising the age at which kids are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. But this week, some ministers made a moral argument for the change.

By Leah Asmelash For 17-year-old M.B., stealing and fighting landed him in juvenile detention. His ticket out was the Methodist Home for Children’s transitional program in New Bern. For M.B., whose name is being withheld because of his age, life began to change. Counselors at the Methodist Home program select troubled boys for their program […]

New Awareness Day Aims to Help North Carolinians Learn about High Blood Pressure

May 18, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

New Awareness Day Aims to Help North Carolinians Learn about High Blood Pressure - North Carolina Health News

Even after having a stroke, many people don't fully appreciate the importance of controlling their blood pressure.

By Leah Asmelash “Today, the message is check, check, check your blood pressure,” said Rep. Becky Carney, an eight-term legislator who had suffered sudden cardiac death in her legislative office in 2009. Carney, who has since been a champion for heart health, was making introductory comments to open a high blood pressure awareness day at […]

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