By Rachel Crumpler Jessie Thomas is working to become a substance abuse counselor so she can help others who are where she once was. She has completed 74 hours of classes to obtain her peer support certification. Recently, she hit a barrier in her quest for a new career: Thomas is a convicted felon. She […]

Author Archives: Rachel Crumpler
Rachel Crumpler is our Report for America corps member who covers gender health and prison health. She graduated in 2022 from UNC-Chapel Hill with a major in journalism and minors in history and social & economic justice. She has worked at The Triangle Business Journal and her college newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel.
She was named a 2020-21 Hearst investigative reporting award winner for her data-driven story spotlighting funding cuts at local health departments across North Carolina and the impact it had on Covid responses. Her work has appeared in The News & Observer, WRAL, Greensboro News & Record, NC Policy Watch and other publications.
Reach her at rcrumpler at northcarolinahealthnews.org