adoption

Foster care case numbers continue to climb in NC, as opioid crisis affects families

September 24, 2019 by Sarah Ovaska

Foster care case numbers continue to climb in NC, as opioid crisis affects families - North Carolina Health News

Record numbers of children, almost all of whom have trauma of their own, are entering the foster care system as a result of abuse and neglect.

By Sarah Ovaska-Few North Carolina could use more people like Lisa Link, as the state grapples with record numbers of children entering and staying in the already stretched foster care system. Link, an auto broker and owner of a small used-car lot in Charlotte, opted five years ago to become a foster parent after years […]

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.

Foster care bill could allow for faster termination of parental rights

August 27, 2019 by Rose Hoban

Foster care bill could allow for faster termination of parental rights - North Carolina Health News

Advocates point to new brain science on the importance of early childhood bonding, but those involved in the child welfare system say it could allow for a too-easy severing of important family connections.

By Rose Hoban The way Rachel Lankford puts it, as a girl, she didn’t spend hours playing in the sandbox, hoping to become addicted to opioids, or alcohol, or marijuana. But she did. By the time she was 20, Lankford had lived hard. Her adolescence, in particular, had been hard. First came a divorce between […]

legislative leaders stand at, around a podium. But they're not talking about Medicaid expansion

New General Assembly budget includes many health care features, but no Medicaid expansion

June 26, 2019 by Rose Hoban

New General Assembly budget includes many health care features, but no Medicaid expansion - North Carolina Health News

The $24 billion plan gives teachers and state employees a pay boost, but it leaves out one of Gov. Cooper's primary priorities.

By Rose Hoban After several weeks of negotiations between the North Carolina Senate and the House of Representatives, the two chambers came together Tuesday to present a compromise budget they’ll be sending to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature. But it’s likely Cooper will be vetoing it. For months, the governor has signaled that he […]

Music and Barbecue To Fete Kids at the NCGA

June 30, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

Music and Barbecue To Fete Kids at the NCGA - North Carolina Health News

Lawmakers joined with foster kids and child welfare advocates to celebrate passage of a landmark bill.

By Leah Asmelash For Titianna Goings, foster care has been one of the most permanent things in her life. Her mom was in foster care and she was born into the system in New York City, but came to North Carolina when she was adopted by her aunt. When her aunt died, she and her […]

Lawmakers Look for Ways to Help Foster, Homeless Kids

April 7, 2016 by Editor

Lawmakers Look for Ways to Help Foster, Homeless Kids - North Carolina Health News

Thousands of kids in the foster care system founder as they reach adulthood. But there’s movement in the General Assembly to make their lives better. By Rose Hoban Many kids who enter the foster care system end up having difficult lives: They’re often moved from place to place, others are homeless, many never find permanent […]

Gov. Pat McCrory presented his recommended $21.5 billion budget Thursday morning.

McCrory’s $21.5 Billion Budget Holds Health Care Spending Mostly Steady

March 6, 2015 by Editor

McCrory’s $21.5 Billion Budget Holds Health Care Spending Mostly Steady - North Carolina Health News

Budget season begins with Gov. Pat McCrory’s $21.5 billion proposal. By Rose Hoban In the coming year, Gov. Pat McCrory said he would like to spend about $5.3 billion on state health care needs as part of a budget totaling $21.5 billion. The governor rolled out his budget proposal at the emergency management center on […]

Getting Ready for the Real World

July 10, 2014 by Hyun Namkoong

Getting Ready for the Real World - North Carolina Health News

Events like Real World Down East help prepare foster kids for the responsibilities of adulthood and independence. By Hyun Namkoong Sadie Harmon is a soft-spoken, petite 21-year-old with a shy smile who spent her senior year of high school living in a group home in the Pender County town of Waccamaw. “I remember when I […]

Lawmakers Ask for More Time to Tackle Foster Care Problems

May 6, 2014 by Editor

Lawmakers Ask for More Time to Tackle Foster Care Problems - North Carolina Health News

A legislative study committee spent months hearing from stakeholders on all sides of the foster care system only to decide to make small changes … and continue to study ways to improve the foster care system. By Rose Hoban Too often, a child in the foster care system languishes in legal limbo: social service workers […]

Photo credit: Philo Nordlund, flickr creative commons

Health & Human Services Budget – The Winners

July 25, 2013 by Rose Hoban

Health & Human Services Budget – The Winners - North Carolina Health News

Every budget has programs that get funded well and get what they want. NC Health News takes a look at some of the winners in this year’s Health and Human Services budget. By Rose Hoban and Holly West State lawmakers in both the North Carolina House and Senate voted for final passage of the biennial […]

First Look at the Final State HHS Budget

July 22, 2013 by Rose Hoban

First Look at the Final State HHS Budget - North Carolina Health News

Lawmakers presented a compromise budget plan late Sunday evening. A first look at what’s in the budget for health and human services. By Rose Hoban Lawmakers released their compromise state budget late Sunday night, a document that provides for $20.6 billion in state spending over the upcoming year. The 546-page document not only provides the […]

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