State Health Policy

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 […]

shows a crowded hallway filled with kids with backpacks.

Coronavirus Today – July 1 – Governor seeks more teacher buy-in on school plans

July 1, 2020 by Anne Blythe

Coronavirus Today – July 1 – Governor seeks more teacher buy-in on school plans - North Carolina Health News

As North Carolina sees troubling increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, decision on K-12 schools postponed.

By Anne Blythe Public school teachers and parents of the more than 1.5 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade will have to wait a bit longer to learn whether there will be a return to classrooms in August, and if so, how that will be done. Acknowledging that he had been hearing from teachers […]

An older black man holds a black sign with a pink triangle and the words, "Silence = Death," below it at The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, 25th anniversary march in New York City in 2012.

“It’s kind of terrifying how little has changed:” Reflecting on two pandemics faced by the Black & LGBTQ communities

June 30, 2020 by Hannah Critchfield

“It’s kind of terrifying how little has changed:” Reflecting on two pandemics faced by the Black & LGBTQ communities - North Carolina Health News

This June marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride parade, which arose in protest against police brutality and for the rights of LGBTQ people. Health equity has always been an indispensable part of that struggle.

By Hannah Critchfield Brad Batch was at a party in Garner when he first heard about the virus. The 30-year-old had recently moved back home after a few years in New Orleans. A friend approached him and asked a strange question about his old college boyfriend, who was now living in New York. “Did you […]

Shows man at a podium, there's another man standing next to him who is wearing a facemask against COVID-19

In late night vote, legislators wrap work on Medicaid bill

June 26, 2020 by Rose Hoban

In late night vote, legislators wrap work on Medicaid bill - North Carolina Health News

Bill that pushes state to restart the delayed conversion to managed care is on its way to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk.

By Rose Hoban Lawmakers made it clear this week, they want Medicaid to move to managed care, no more delays. Medicaid, a program that consumed $3.7 billion in state expenditures, was scheduled last year to transform from a system where the state pays for every test, treatment and hospitalization to one where independent insurance companies […]

shows several empty rocking chairs on a porch

Health facility visitation becomes a legislative flashpoint

June 25, 2020 by Rose Hoban

Health facility visitation becomes a legislative flashpoint - North Carolina Health News

Even as lawmakers pass bills to require hospitals to allow visitors, they got an earful on how senior living centers would prefer to keep those facilities closed to visitors.

By Rose Hoban On Wednesday, lawmakers gave impassioned speeches on the floor of the legislature about patients who have endured hospitalizations and even deaths alone, without someone at their side. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals, in an effort to reduce the number of people infected with the deadly virus, have restricted visitation for their patients. […]

Masked male dentist and masked female hygienist drill inside a patients mouth

With a backlog of routine cleaning appointments, should NC dentists be able to oversee more hygienists?

June 25, 2020 by Anne Blythe

With a backlog of routine cleaning appointments, should NC dentists be able to oversee more hygienists? - North Carolina Health News

With COVID-19 so prevalent, the N.C. dental board weighs a timeworn question: Will NC allow dentists to oversee more than two hygienists?

By Anne Blythe After closing for nearly two months for routine cleanings, North Carolina dentists are now opening up to a backlog of appointments. At a recent meeting of the North Carolina Dental Board of Examiners, the eight members engaged in a spirited debate over whether to allow dentists across the state to oversee three […]

Three women gather around a laptop computer. They're wearing business attire and masks to prevent transmission of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

Coronavirus Today – June 24 – Face mask requirements; gyms, playgrounds, museums, bars still closed; struggling child care centers

June 24, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – June 24 – Face mask requirements; gyms, playgrounds, museums, bars still closed; struggling child care centers - North Carolina Health News

Face masks will be required as North Carolina remains in the Safer-At-Home Phase 2 for several more weeks.

By North Carolina Health News staff Face coverings required in North Carolina It took Gov. Roy Cooper a week to figure out how to snap his fingers. When asked last week, why not mandate face masks, the tool that scientists and physicians tout as one of the best available to slow the spread of the […]

All NC inmates to be tested for COVID-19, hospitalization rate largely unknown

June 23, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

All NC inmates to be tested for COVID-19, hospitalization rate largely unknown - North Carolina Health News

The NC prison system had been reluctant to test prison inmates for COVID-19 before a judge got involved. Meanwhile, prison officials have refused to release the number of inmates who have been hospitalized with the virus.

By Taylor Knopf UPDATE: On June 24, DPS reached out to NC Health News to say that currently, their outside hospitalization rate for offenders is zero and that the greatest number hospitalized was 11 inmates, in mid-to-late-April. Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull also said the department was working to provide more information on […]

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

Emails reveal chaos as meatpacking companies fought health agencies over COVID-19 outbreaks in their plants

June 20, 2020 by ProPublica

Emails reveal chaos as meatpacking companies fought health agencies over COVID-19 outbreaks in their plants - North Carolina Health News

Thousands of pages of documents obtained by ProPublica show how quickly public health agencies were overwhelmed by meatpacking cases. One CEO described social distancing as “a nicety that makes sense only for people with laptops.”

Michael Grabell, Claire Perlman and Bernice Yeung, ProPublica This story was originally published by ProPublica. ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. For weeks, Rachel Willard, the county health director in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, had watched with alarm as COVID-19 […]

From behind, shows a man holding the hand of a little boy. Whether this is a parent or a foster parent is unknown, but the child appears calm and cared for.

COVID makes complicated foster care system more so

June 19, 2020 by Rose Hoban

COVID makes complicated foster care system more so - North Carolina Health News

The state’s foster care system has staggered under the weight of thousands of children needing care as a result of the opioid epidemic. Now COVID has complicated the lives of everyone in the system.

By Rose Hoban The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the lives of families into turmoil. School’s been canceled and parents are now teachers, even as they may have lost jobs or are trying to work from home. There’s no child care, no playdates, even playgrounds are closed and grandparents inaccessible. Now imagine all that, and that […]

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