Mental Health

NC Health News takes home 14 NC Press Association awards

March 1, 2021 by Editor Leave a Comment

NC Health News takes home 14 NC Press Association awards - North Carolina Health News

The awards celebrate advertising and editorial work of more than 160 member publications across the state.

North Carolina Health News won 14 awards last week during the North Carolina Press Association’s annual awards ceremony, five of which were first place honors for online publications. The Press Association honored work done from October 2019 through September 2020. “I’m incredibly proud of our entire team for the work they’ve done this past year,” […]

shows two adults providing applied behavior analysis, otherwise known as ABA therapy, with two young people.

Lawmakers want to make it easier for children with autism to get therapy

February 24, 2021 by Rose Hoban Leave a Comment

Lawmakers want to make it easier for children with autism to get therapy - North Carolina Health News

Two new bills would reduce constraints on the therapists’ practice, but will it produce the desired results?

By Rose Hoban Samuel Robinson, a 9-year-old with autism spoke into the microphone at the legislative building Tuesday morning, calling out greetings, “Hi Tina,” to good-natured laughter from lawmakers and families in the press conference room at the North Carolina General Assembly building. His father Kyle Robinson choked up when he talked about the fact […]

man wearing mask sits behind desk with naloxone kits in a line in front of him

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs

February 5, 2021 by Liora Engel-Smith

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs - North Carolina Health News

We talked to health workers on the front lines of the opioid epidemic across the state to hear how the coronavirus pandemic has affected people who use drugs.

By Taylor Knopf and Liora Engel-Smith Though attention has shifted to combating the coronavirus pandemic, the opioid crisis in North Carolina has not gone away. The stressors caused by COVID-19 — such as homelessness and job loss — have contributed to an increase in drug overdoses in the last year. North Carolina saw a spike […]

a hand holds a glass globe, flipping the reflection of a sunset over the beach

2021: COVID still looms large

January 4, 2021 by Editor

2021: COVID still looms large - North Carolina Health News

Here’s what is on the horizon for the new year as the state continues to battle COVID and environmental issues.

By North Carolina Health News staff Rural broadband infrastructure funding moves forward, with limited impact The pandemic highlighted long-standing weaknesses in the internet infrastructure of rural counties across the state. From telehealth to working to learning from home, residents in rural areas discovered that what was once an inconvenience now became a hurdle which, in […]

A cross stitched pattern of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19,a round shape with spikes coming out of it.

A look back at 2020’s biggest story: The COVID-19 pandemic

December 30, 2020 by Editor

A look back at 2020’s biggest story: The COVID-19 pandemic - North Carolina Health News

NC Health News staffers have published more than 350 stories about COVID in 2020. We take a look at the many ways, large and small, that COVID has affected North Carolina and its population and pull out some of the larger themes we saw emerge.

By North Carolina Health News staff COVID’s ascent in rural areas sheds light on longstanding disparities The pandemic may have begun in cities and population centers, but as the months wore on, it took hold in rural areas across the state in various ways. The first shockwaves of the pandemic in rural North Carolina began […]

A church that's empty because of prohibitions against gatherings because of COVID-19

Coronavirus Today – Dec. 22 – Pastors share virtual Christmas plans; Cocktails to go; Vaccines to nursing homes; More red and orange counties

December 22, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – Dec. 22 – Pastors share virtual Christmas plans; Cocktails to go; Vaccines to nursing homes; More red and orange counties - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths hit new records as North Carolina battles a Thanksgiving case surge with Christmas only days away.

By Anne Blythe With Christmas only three days away, more than 90 percent of North Carolina’s 100 counties have critical or substantial spread of COVID-19. Gov. Roy Cooper and his top public health official, Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, have spent much of the past two months trying […]

photo is a close up of hands cuffed behind someone's back

NC didn’t track the data on mental health commitments, so some advocates did it instead.

December 21, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

NC didn’t track the data on mental health commitments, so some advocates did it instead. - North Carolina Health News

Advocates found the state had a big problem, but because no one was counting, no one was aware of how many psychiatric patients were being treated against their will. This is the second story in a series about how more people in mental health crisis end up involuntarily committed for treatment and why that’s a problem.

By Taylor Knopf Robert Ward has been representing clients with mental health issues when they come before a judge in involuntary commitment hearings for almost a decade. And in recent years, he noticed his caseload increasing in Mecklenburg County. Ward, the assistant public defender, asked his local clerk of court’s office to share the number […]

Sheriff removes leg cuffs from a psychiatric patient after transporting the man from one hospital to another

More NC psych patients are ending up handcuffed in a police car. Why?

December 14, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

More NC psych patients are ending up handcuffed in a police car. Why? - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina’s use of involuntary commitment for mental health patients increased by 91 percent over a decade. This is the first in an occasional series of stories where we’ll explore what factors are contributing to this rise and what it means for patients.

By Taylor Knopf When Sonia Padial’s grieving son swallowed too many Tylenol, she took him to the hospital for help. She says her son, Andrew — whose name has been changed to protect his identity — has autism. He struggles to process emotions, especially around loss. He’s an introvert and forms stronger bonds with animals […]

illustration shows birds emerging from someone's head, as a symbol for mental health issues, COVID

Report: 20 percent of COVID-19 patients develop mental health issues

November 22, 2020 by Daily Yonder

Report: 20 percent of COVID-19 patients develop mental health issues - North Carolina Health News

For rural patients already struggling with access to mental health care, the long term effects of the pandemic could mean even greater barriers in receiving the help they need.

By Liz Carey Daily Yonder As COVID cases rise in rural areas, a new report found that one in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days of recovery. That could spell trouble for rural residents who already have a harder time getting access to mental health services. The report, published this week in […]

shows a video conferencing call with six people who were talking about Cardinal Innovations

Union, Cabarrus, other counties look to cut ties with Cardinal

October 20, 2020 by Rose Hoban

Union, Cabarrus, other counties look to cut ties with Cardinal - North Carolina Health News

Union and Cabarrus counties are exploring changing mental health management organizations ahead of a critical deadline. Others may follow suit.

By Rose Hoban With little debate, members of the Union County board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday afternoon to disengage the county from their relationship with Cardinal Innovations, which has managed mental health services there for years. Several hours later, Cabarrus County commissioners followed suit, initiating the process of severing ties with the organization, which […]

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