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Facebook groups are becoming a stand-in for community for some people during the pandemic. These networks offer the support many need. But what happens when these groups don't know how to handle heavier issues? #COVID19NC #coronavirusnc #mentalhealth northcarolinahealthnews.org/2…

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Rural Health

long distance landscape photo of mountains receding into the distance.

Can western NC counties escape the worst of the pandemic?

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Can western NC counties escape the worst of the pandemic? - North Carolina Health News

Remote and sparsely populated, counties in western NC have taken some tough measures to keep their coronavirus numbers low.

By Melba Newsome To date, only Avery county in western North Carolina has no reported cases of COVID-19. Health officials in this remote, sparsely populated region say that high rates of poverty, older populations, and epidemics of obesity and diabetes along with scarce healthcare resources led them to begin planning early and be particularly aggressive […]

Editorial cartoon from the early 1900s shows a man with Spanish influenza sneezing, and people in front of him falling down sick.

Historic Outbreak: Spanish Flu on NC Coast

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Historic Outbreak: Spanish Flu on NC Coast - North Carolina Health News

A century ago, North Carolina was ravaged by a different epidemic than the one we are experiencing today. Again, it was a disease that was without treatment, spread easily and killed about 14,000 people in the state.

By Kip Tabb Coastal Review Online In April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key member of the national COVID-19 task force, called out shaking hands as a particularly dangerous custom that should be relegated to the past. “ I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you,” he said in […]

The Smithfield Food's hog-processing plant in Tar Heel appeared to be operating as usual on Tuesday, April 28, 2019. Photo credit Greg Barnes

Smithfield’s largest slaughterhouse struggling to contain virus

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Smithfield’s largest slaughterhouse struggling to contain virus - North Carolina Health News

No one will say how many workers at Smithfield’s Tar Heel plant have the coronavirus, but the plant has reduced employees’ hours in what they say is an effort to better protect them.

By Greg Barnes Early Monday, Lumberton lawyer Dale Godfrey said he got word from workers at Smithfield Foods’ Tar Heel plant that the world’s largest hog slaughterhouse might have to close because of an outbreak of the coronavirus. Godfrey said those reports were bolstered by a plant worker who sent him a picture of a […]

A patient in a wheelchair is cheering, around her medical providers and family members do a thumbs up. The patient recovered from coronavirus at a hospital in eastern North Carolina. Another hospital system in the region, vidant health, is experiencing financial difficulties because of coronavirus

Eastern North Carolina hospitals cope with the financial realities of coronavirus

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Eastern North Carolina hospitals cope with the financial realities of coronavirus - North Carolina Health News

The economic pressure of coronavirus has strained one hospital system in eastern North Carolina, while another hospital in that part of the state recently emerged from bankruptcy.

By Liora Engel-Smith The video shows a scene that has become unusual in the age of coronavirus crowd control measures. It shows a small crowd. Picture a typical hospital hallway, gleaming fluorescent lights and all — lined with masked people. Some of the providers have colorful ribbons, others are clapping and cheering.  Someone wheels a […]

The House of Representatives at his podium during the COVID session

Coronavirus Today – April 30 – Mixed picture on NC metrics, Gaston confusion, legislative relief

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Coronavirus Today – April 30 – Mixed picture on NC metrics, Gaston confusion, legislative relief - North Carolina Health News

Even as the state considers reopening, today saw an uptick in cases and more people with COVID symptoms are showing up in emergency departments.

By North Carolina Health News Staff Uptick in COVID-19 symptoms in ER Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, pulled out her graphs and charts again to highlight the metrics her team is using to monitor when to begin easing social distancing restrictions. “The overall picture is mixed,” Cohen said. […]

A sign in support of healthcare workers amidst coronavirus adorns a hospital building.

Coronavirus Today – April 29 – NCGA spending plans, childcare boost and updated models

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Coronavirus Today – April 29 – NCGA spending plans, childcare boost and updated models - North Carolina Health News

NCDHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen said she would like the NCGA proposals for coronavirus spending to include more funding for food, shelter and other safety items recommended in the governor’s spending proposal.

By North Carolina Health News staff DHHS secretary not happy with Senate spending plan When Gov. Roy Cooper introduced his coronavirus spending proposal last week that he planned to send to the state lawmakers who control the purse strings for the state, he did so, he said, without including his entire wish list in a […]

lawmakers at the House discuss covid-19

House lawmakers move forward COVID-19 response bills

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House lawmakers move forward COVID-19 response bills - North Carolina Health News

The one bill addresses policy issues needed to facilitate health care moving forward during the state of emergency, the other appropriates close to a half billion dollars in assistance.

By Rose Hoban After a month of intense work behind the scenes, rare bipartisan cooperation, six at times emotional meetings, and technical glitches throughout, a House committee moved forward bills on Thursday that will help health care providers in North Carolina address lost revenues and the need to change the ways they deliver care as […]

A photo of thank you banners in front of the Duke Raleigh hospital campus. The signs are to celebrate healthcare workers responding to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Today – April 14 – Medicaid expansion, Raleigh protest, rural hospitals ask for help

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Coronavirus Today – April 14 – Medicaid expansion, Raleigh protest, rural hospitals ask for help - North Carolina Health News

In a sign that political discourse around health care access is once again heating up, NCDHHS Sec. Mandy Cohen called for Medicaid expansion at a press conference on COVID-19.

By North Carolina Health News staff COVID-19 response brings renewed push for Medicaid expansion  N.C. Department of Health and Humans Services Secretary Mandy Cohen used her time during Wednesday’s daily media briefing to make a familiar plug: Expand Medicaid. “Sadly, many in our state do not have access to affordable health care including those who […]

The Appalachian Mountains near the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina may benefit from the ARC's recovery ecosystem model. The area has a quickly growing outbreak of COVID-19

COVID-19 in western NC: Just the tip of the iceberg

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COVID-19 in western NC: Just the tip of the iceberg - North Carolina Health News

The number of COVID-19 cases in WNC is relatively low compared to the more populous areas in the state. But people on the front lines see a worrying trend that indicates it’s only a matter of time.

By Melba Newsome If you ask Bryan Hodge about the number of diagnosed coronavirus cases in western North Carolina, he can rattle off the exact number in each of 16 counties. He readily admits that, in addition to being obsessed with tracking the information, he also gets regular updates from his wife. Hodge is director […]

Providers stand around a bed in a training about opioid use disorder at MAHEC in Asheville last year.

Initiative aims to connect patients to addiction treatment by building better networks

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Initiative aims to connect patients to addiction treatment by building better networks - North Carolina Health News

A UNC-MAHEC partnership will create regional referral networks using a “hub and spoke” model to better care for those with substance use disorders.

By Liora Engel-Smith As coronavirus tears through North Carolina, upending nearly every aspect of life, some experts are focusing on another ongoing crisis that has gotten less attention in recent weeks: opioid overdoses. Overdoses of both prescription and illegal opioids killed an average of five North Carolinians a day in 2018, according to data from […]

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