By Ashley Fredde The cracks in North Carolina’s safety nets are widening under the compounding pressure of a months-long budget stalemate, and that’s putting the state’s most vulnerable residents at risk of falling through. That was the message delivered to Democratic members of the North Carolina state Senate last Wednesday. The public hearing at the […]
Posted inFeatured
Calls grow for Mecklenburg County to enforce Atrium’s housing promises
By Michelle Crouch Co-published with The Charlotte Ledger A chorus of speakers on Tuesday urged Mecklenburg County commissioners to use their limited leverage to ensure Atrium Health delivers on the affordable housing it promised when it won $75M in taxpayer funding for its medical innovation district, The Pearl. “I want to talk to you about the broken promises at […]
Posted inEnvironmental Health
‘Toxic Soup’: PFAS and other contaminants surged in French Broad River after Helene, study finds
By Will Atwater Fifteen days after Tropical Storm Helene sent debris, runoff and a cocktail of toxins — including raw sewage and pharmaceuticals — pouring into the French Broad River in the fall of 2024, Shea Tuberty set out to investigate the damage. The storm had carved an improbable path from the Florida Gulf Coast […]
Posted inHealthcare Workers
Many fear federal loan caps will deter aspiring doctors and worsen MD shortage
By Bernard J. Wolfson KFF Health News Medical educators and health professionals warn that new federal student loan caps in President Donald Trump’s tax cut law could make it more expensive for many people to become doctors and could exacerbate physician shortages nationwide. And, they warn, the economic burden will steer many medical students to lucrative specialties […]
Posted inHealth Insurance
AI vs. AI: Patients deploy bots to battle health insurers that deny care
By Anna Claire Vollers Stateline As states strive to curb health insurers’ use of artificial intelligence, patients and doctors are arming themselves with AI tools to fight claims denials, prior authorizations and soaring medical bills. Several businesses and nonprofits have launched AI-powered tools to help patients get their insurance claims paid and navigate byzantine medical […]
Posted inChildren's Health
NC stagnates on maternal and infant health, gets D+ from March of Dimes
By Jennifer Fernandez Since its opening in September 2020, 850 children have been born at UNC Health Chatham’s Maternity Care Center. The center’s staff is made up mostly of family physicians instead of OB-GYNs. The care model aims to address the lack of maternal and infant care in rural areas, where obstetric units have shut […]