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Bladen County

A sign for Grays' Creek Elementary, in an area that

Local governments, residents having to foot bill for industrial contamination

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Local governments, residents having to foot bill for industrial contamination - North Carolina Health News

Cumberland County is the latest to approve spending millions to provide public drinking water to two schools and an area with well contamination caused by the Chemours chemical company.

By Greg Barnes More and more, local governments and North Carolina residents are being forced to spend millions of dollars to protect public health by fixing contamination problems caused by industry. In the Wilmington area, the Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority is spending $46 million to filter GenX and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known […]

shows white fireworks against a dark sky. 2019, 2020

NC health trends and policies to watch for in 2020

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NC health trends and policies to watch for in 2020 - North Carolina Health News

We asked our reporters to predict the biggest developments in health in the state this coming year. Today, we look ahead on Medicaid transformation, environmental policy, mental health and more.

By North Carolina Health News staff Our reporters explored some of the biggest topics in North Carolina’s health arena from Medicaid managed care to mental health in prisons, to the state’s opioid crisis. Here is a sampling of the topics they’ll be monitoring in the coming year: Medicaid battles continue with a January mini session […]

A doctor and patient in a community health center

Community health centers are again on the brink of federal funding lapse

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Community health centers are again on the brink of federal funding lapse - North Carolina Health News

The federal budget -- and with it funding for community health centers -- is set to lapse on Dec. 21.

By Liora Engel-Smith Across North Carolina, community health centers are contending with what has become an unpleasant tradition: planning for a potential federal funding lapse. The nation’s safety net clinics — 250 of which are in North Carolina — serve thousands of uninsured and underinsured patients and enjoy bipartisan support. But a battle between Congress […]

Shows Hurricane Dorian as it was over the NC Coast in September

Gov. Cooper signs Storm Recovery Act despite concerns

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Gov. Cooper signs Storm Recovery Act despite concerns - North Carolina Health News

Nearly $180 million in help is on the way for North Carolina recovery and resiliency projects related to hurricanes Dorian, Florence, Matthew and Michael.

By Anne Blythe A political storm that brewed last week between Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders over language in the Storm Recovery Act of 2019 calmed this week. The Democratic governor signed the bill into law, approving the release of some $180 million in state funds for recovery and resilience projects related to […]

A bouquet of orange and red wrappers with condoms are visible. Condoms are one way to prevent the transmission of HIV.

In rural Southeastern NC, ‘one stop shop’ keeps HIV-positive patients healthy

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In rural Southeastern NC, ‘one stop shop’ keeps HIV-positive patients healthy - North Carolina Health News

To explore a reader question about successful programs that address social determinants of health, NC Health News visited a program for HIV-positive people that ventures beyond the confines of traditional healthcare to keep patients out of the hospital.

By Liora Engel-Smith When Christopher Jones was thinking of going back to school for his bachelor’s degree, he shot a text to staff at the clinic where he gets his medical care to ask for advice. The Cumberland County resident knew he couldn’t keep his full-time job and go to school at the same time. […]

Shows arial view of construction of a thermal oxidizer to mitigate PFAS, machinery, building, etc at a facility that has dumped PFAS and other fluorochemicals into nearby rivers, the air.

Chemours vows to become ‘best in the world’ at controlling PFAS

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Chemours vows to become ‘best in the world’ at controlling PFAS - North Carolina Health News

That promise doesn’t ring true with people living near the plant, many of whom are drinking bottled water because Chemours polluted their wells and the Cape Fear River. They find no reason to trust the company. 

By Greg Barnes During a tour of Chemours last week, plant manager Brian Long stopped near a maze of pipes to explain new carbon adsorption systems that the company says are reducing airborne emissions of GenX and other potentially harmful fluorochemicals by 92 percent from 2017 levels. A few minutes later, Long stopped again, this […]

shows three people behind a table with microphones, they're each standing and raising their right hands before they testify about PFAS

Chemical company execs come under fire at congressional hearing on PFAS

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Chemical company execs come under fire at congressional hearing on PFAS - North Carolina Health News

For the first time, executives from Chemours, DuPont and 3M were called before a U.S. House environmental oversight committee to discuss their accountability in the PFAS contamination plaguing North Carolina and the country.

By Greg Barnes Near the end of a congressional hearing last week, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz grilled executives of the 3M, DuPont and Chemours chemical companies about their willingness to compensate people harmed by fluorinated compounds. The hearing, before a U.S. House subcommittee on environmental oversight and reform, was the third in a series amid […]

photo shows national guard member leading civilian throughflood waters to a waiting truck

Robeson County residents still reeling from two prior hurricanes

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Robeson County residents still reeling from two prior hurricanes - North Carolina Health News

Nearly three years after Hurricane Matthew, many residents of the state’s second-poorest county are suffering mentally, physically and emotionally while the state grapples to provide relief funding. And now comes Dorian.

By Greg Barnes It’s been three years since Hurricane Matthew crashed into Robeson County, causing water to bubble up through the plumbing of Isa Alvarado’s mobile home and leaving behind a mold-infested mess. Alvarado, 63, didn’t vacate her Fairmont home after Matthew. She said she continued to live there, with her two children and a […]

shows the night view of the east coast with a large cyclone cloud almost parallel to southern North Carolina

Keep up with how Hurricane Dorian is affecting health in NC

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Keep up with how Hurricane Dorian is affecting health in NC - North Carolina Health News

Throughout the day Thursday, we'll be posting news and information to help you navigate your way safely through Hurricane Dorian.

By Greg Barnes, Anne Blythe, Yen Duong, Thomas Goldsmith, Rose Hoban 4:45 p.m.- Follow-up story posted with farmer “I’m not complaining, but maybe it’s time for me to do something else,” said farmer Jody Clemmons in this story, a preliminary look at the effects of Dorian on N.C. farmers: Hurricane Dorian thrashes farmer’s tobacco crop. […]

shows a large format photograph labeled "Carbon Adsorption Unit" sitting on a table

Chemours outlines second phase of PFAS removal

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Chemours outlines second phase of PFAS removal - North Carolina Health News

The chemical company says it has submitted data to the DEQ that will be used to help determine the best approaches to removing PFAS from the Cape Fear River and near the Bladen County plant.

By Greg Barnes The chemical giant Chemours announced Tuesday that it is taking steps to further reduce GenX and other polyfluorinated compounds from reaching the Cape Fear River and drinking water downstream of its Fayetteville Works plant in Bladen County. Chemours said in a news release that it has submitted reports and other information to […]

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