Mental Health

map shows distribution of rural people with disabilities

Rural people with disabilities fight to retain independence during pandemic

September 7, 2020 by Daily Yonder

Rural people with disabilities fight to retain independence during pandemic - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 has pushed independent living centers to adapt to serve their clients with disabilities, who face a wide range of health risks and service disruptions from the coronavirus.

By Jan Pytalski Daily Yonder From mental health strain caused by social isolation to life threatening circumstances, people with disabilities living in rural America are exposed to higher-than-average risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re a population of higher risk individuals,” said Sierra Royster, the youth coordinator for the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living, […]

Two glass vials that say "Naloxone HCL" and two wrapped syringes rest on a metal shelf at a needle exchange facility. In the background is a paper instructions on using the medication to reverse an opioid overdose

NC organizations fighting the rural opioid crisis receive a $4M federal boost

August 14, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

NC organizations fighting the rural opioid crisis receive a $4M federal boost - North Carolina Health News

Four agencies will tackle the opioid crisis in rural North Carolina with $1 million grants from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

By Liora Engel-Smith Amid signs that the state is losing ground in its battle against the opioid crisis, four North Carolina agencies on the front lines of addiction and recovery have received $1 million apiece to address the issue in rural areas. Two recipients of the recent federal Department of Health and Human Services grants […]

shows a legislative committee room at the General Assembly with a woman's face on the screen to talk about COVID spending

The COVID-19 price tags: Here’s how NC DHHS is spending $345 million

August 13, 2020 by Rose Hoban

The COVID-19 price tags: Here’s how NC DHHS is spending $345 million - North Carolina Health News

And it will cost more before it’s all done, DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen tells lawmakers at the General Assembly this week.

By Rose Hoban Throughout this coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina’s public health leaders have announced many new initiatives to help fight COVID-19, prongs in an attack plan that come with varied price tags. The General Assembly appropriated $345 million this spring to the state Department of Health and Human Services to help mitigate the damage the […]

Two seated brunette women lean over a table with a stethoscope and two computers in front of them.

Caring for the most stigmatized population

August 11, 2020 by Melba Newsome

Caring for the most stigmatized population - North Carolina Health News

Women who are using illegal substances often avoid getting care when they get pregnant. Project CARA is changing that.

By Melba Newsome Despite having lived in Asheville for several years, Ashley had no idea what the Mountain Area Health and Education Center did before she got pregnant in 2019. The 37-year-old who asked we not use her name had been in recovery, using medication-assisted treatment to manage her 14-year-long heroin addiction. Her first thought […]

Kevin Mahoney is a peer support specialist at MAHEC

Free phones, masks in parks: Rural providers get creative with mental health outreach post-COVID

August 7, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

Free phones, masks in parks: Rural providers get creative with mental health outreach post-COVID - North Carolina Health News

The pandemic has isolated rural residents with mental health needs. But these North Carolina providers are finding creative ways to connect.

By Liora Engel-Smith When coronavirus transformed North Carolina’s telehealth billing in early spring, Kevin Mahoney began checking in with most of his 200 clients via video and phone. But the Asheville-based peer support specialist soon discovered that telehealth left some of his clients behind. Mahoney, who works at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, supports […]

When mental health moves to Facebook

August 3, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

When mental health moves to Facebook - North Carolina Health News

Facebook mental health communities satisfy the need for connection in an increasingly isolated world. But that virtual connection sometimes comes at a price.

By Liora Engel-Smith When Tessah O’Neill felt sad about her miscarriage, she turned to Facebook for comfort. It was her first Mother’s Day after the loss, the 22-year-old Jacksonville resident recalled. “I ended up losing my eventual kid early in my pregnancy and I don’t feel like a mother … ,” O’Neill wrote in the […]

shows a group of students, many in Carolina blue, walking on the brick pathways of UNC Chapel Hill

Coronavirus Today – July 30 – The SCOOP on coping with pandemic stress; Tropical storm and NC pathway; Return of NC college students

July 30, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – July 30 – The SCOOP on coping with pandemic stress; Tropical storm and NC pathway; Return of NC college students - North Carolina Health News

The pandemic is taking a mental health toll with increased reports of anxiety, depression, binge drinking and substance-abuse overdoses.

By Anne Blythe This coronavirus pandemic swooped into North Carolina as an unwelcome visitor might and has lingered for months now with no signs of going away any time soon. The weight of that reality has bred higher rates of anxiety and depression, particularly among younger people, as well as more binge drinking and emergency […]

Health care professionals grab disposable takeout containers outside. Providers have been responding to the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

UNC helps launch COVID-19 mental health app for health workers

July 22, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

UNC helps launch COVID-19 mental health app for health workers - North Carolina Health News

The free Health Heroes app assess symptoms of stress and depression and helps connect those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic connect to care.

By Taylor Knopf When COVID-19 descended on North Carolina, Rebecca Tallman, a nurse at UNC Medical Center and single mother, decided to isolate from her two children as she cared for patients sick with the contagious virus. During her 12-hour shifts, Tallman cares for patients’ physical needs while also providing emotional support. Since hospitals have […]

beyond a fence two fences, one topped with razor wire, about a dozen men play on a bleak basketball court. Many people with mental illness end up in the prison system

COVID-19 puts pressure on already fractured prison health system

July 2, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

COVID-19 puts pressure on already fractured prison health system - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 has hit North Carolina’s prisons hard. But the system was already struggling under the weight of staffing issues, budget cuts, management changes and a surge of mental health patients for more than a decade.

By Taylor Knopf The North Carolina prison system has been under heightened scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic after outbreaks of the virus occurred in several facilities across the state. Five inmates and one prison nurse have died from the virus. Hundreds have been infected. Inmates were being moved freely between facilities with outbreaks and those […]

four girls on a swing suspended by chains, they all smile at the camera

Are the kids really alright?

June 22, 2020 by Melba Newsome

Are the kids really alright? - North Carolina Health News

There is no playbook for what happens when children are separated from friends and peers for months on end, as they have been during the coronavirus pandemic. How are they really doing?

By Melba Newsome Since school closed statewide in late March, 11-year-old Evyn Lumsden has tried to keep to a regular routine. Each morning at around 9:30, the 6th grader logs on to Zoom and spends an hour in a virtual classroom with her teacher and her classmates from Charlotte’s Irwin Academy. If she wants to […]

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