Taylor Knopf

shows an inmate in a orange jail jumpsuit and handcuffs behind a bottle labeled methadone, an opioid use disorder drug that can help reduce cravings.

For some opioid users in NC, jail doesn’t mean detox

February 25, 2020 by Taylor Knopf 3 Comments

For some opioid users in NC, jail doesn’t mean detox - North Carolina Health News

To prevent overdose deaths, some counties are allowing inmates to continue medication-assisted treatment.

Taylor Knopf For most people using substances, time in jail means forced detox. This is also true for those trying to improve their lives with opioid addiction programs, such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT). More and more North Carolinians are entering these MAT programs, where they receive daily doses of drugs, such as methadone or buprenorphine […]

shows a soldier with his head in his hands, used to represent post traumatic stress disorder / PTSD

Latest NC research finds potential new treatment for PTSD

January 14, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

Latest NC research finds potential new treatment for PTSD - North Carolina Health News

Researchers are waiting on two more grants to further study the effects of stellate ganglion block treatment for PTSD patients.

By Taylor Knopf A procedure historically used to treat pain could also be used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a recent clinical study by Research Triangle Park-based RTI International. Researchers found that a treatment called stellate ganglion block (SGB) improved symptoms of PTSD in their study participants. The treatment involves an […]

a fence is in the foreground, with a dozen men in jumpsuits beyond it, they're sitting on benches and seveal are playing basketball. More inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement following the 2017 deaths of prison officers in NC.

After officer deaths, more NC inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement

December 18, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

After officer deaths, more NC inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement - North Carolina Health News

The NC prison system has increased its use of solitary confinement for inmates with mental illness after five officers were killed on the job in one year. Prior to the 2017 deaths, prisons had reduced their use of solitary significantly.

By Taylor Knopf The year after five prison officers were killed by inmates in 2017, the state prison system almost doubled the number of inmates with mental illness held in solitary confinement. Previously, North Carolina’s prison system made significant strides to reduce the number of prisoners with mental illness who are held in isolation for […]

Jail suicides are on the rise in North Carolina

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise

October 31, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise - North Carolina Health News

Advocates want to update old jail rules to help keep inmates safe, but sheriffs’ objections are slowing down the process.

By Taylor Knopf Suicide and drug overdose deaths are on the rise in North Carolina jails, according to a recent report released by Disability Rights NC. There have been 17 suicides so far this year, up from 12 in 2018. And the number of jail overdose deaths more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. About […]

Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED

July 24, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Some NC lawmakers want hemp classified as marijuana, farmers push back — UPDATED - North Carolina Health News

Law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between hemp and marijuana, so they want it banned. Farmers are finally profiting from the legal crop and don’t want the ban. State lawmakers will take up the now-contentious Farm Act on Wednesday.

By Taylor Knopf Some N.C. lawmakers want to classify hemp — a newly legalized crop — as marijuana because law enforcement officers say they can’t tell the difference between the two. Meanwhile, farmers who are suffering from plummeting commodity prices and hurricane losses say they are finally reaping some real profits from growing hemp. The […]

two women who are peer support specialists stand in front of a wall

For mental health support, NC hospital hires those who live with it

July 18, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

For mental health support, NC hospital hires those who live with it - North Carolina Health News

Cherry Hospital is relying more and more on the expertise of people who live in mental health recovery and patient input to shape treatment.

By Taylor Knopf There are two groups of people most familiar with mental illness: psychiatrists and those who live with it. So Cherry Hospital is hiring both. Cherry, a psychiatric inpatient treatment facility in Goldsboro, is the first state-run hospital in North Carolina to add certified mental health peer support specialists to its staff. The […]

Sublingual Suboxone(Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Tablets

N.C. uses new federal money to get people into drug treatment, but most of them are white

July 8, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

N.C. uses new federal money to get people into drug treatment, but most of them are white - North Carolina Health News

Millions in grant money have come to the state in the past two years to reduce the number of people using opioids, but state data show racial disparities in who’s benefiting.

By Taylor Knopf State officials announced last month that more than 12,000 people with substance use disorder entered addiction treatment since North Carolina received $54 million in federal grant funding to address the opioid crisis. Opioid addiction is widespread in North Carolina, and an average of five people die per day from overdose. It affects […]

five people sit on stools with red backdrop behind them discussing hepatitis C prevention

New funds for hepatitis C prevention available until the end of July

July 1, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

New funds for hepatitis C prevention available until the end of July - North Carolina Health News

The Harm Reduction Coalition and Gilead Sciences are giving grants to organizations doing harm reduction work to prevent infectious diseases in North Carolina and four other states.

By Taylor Knopf North Carolina organizations providing harm reduction education and services can now apply for grants ranging from $25,000 to $150,000 with the national Harm Reduction Coalition through the end of July. As infection rates for hepatitis C continue to rise across the nation largely due to injection drug use, the pharmaceutical company Gilead […]

a man at a podium tries to avoid talking about Medicaid expansion

NC health department would face ‘dramatic’ cuts under proposed budget

June 28, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

NC health department would face ‘dramatic’ cuts under proposed budget - North Carolina Health News

Sec. Mandy Cohen spent big portions of her week walking the halls of the legislature, to push back against cuts to DHHS.

By Taylor Knopf and Rose Hoban As the state budget moves toward what looks to be an inevitable veto from Gov. Roy Cooper, state health leaders are raising alarm about some of the budget provisions drafted by Republican state lawmakers. Health and Human Services Sec. Mandy Cohen argues that some of the deep cuts could […]

shows a building entrance to Randolph Health facility. The general assembly threw a lifeline to the financially strugglig Randolph hospital this week.

Legislators offer lifeline to rural hospitals drowning in debt

June 27, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Legislators offer lifeline to rural hospitals drowning in debt - North Carolina Health News

Randolph County hospital in Asheboro would likely be the first beneficiary of a new rural health care loan program.

By Taylor Knopf and Rose Hoban There’s a hospital in the middle of the state that’s about to go under, and it has a lot of people concerned. Some of them are at the General Assembly, where the Senate leader introduced a bill late in this session to establish a state-funded loan program for struggling […]

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