Charlotte

COVID-19 vaccine misinformation could threaten success, herd immunity

August 28, 2020 by Melba Newsome

COVID-19 vaccine misinformation could threaten success, herd immunity - North Carolina Health News

The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine. But what if a lot of people opt out?

By Melba Newsome There is cautious optimism among public health officials that a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus that has turned the world upside down might be available by the end of the year. A vaccine to combat COVID-19 is the best chance we have to end the pandemic and return to something resembling […]

There's sign with red letters that says "Emergency Trauma Center." That sign is near the entrance to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center ER

The first COVID surge weakened NC’s cash-strapped rural hospitals. A second wave may devastate them.

August 24, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

The first COVID surge weakened NC’s cash-strapped rural hospitals. A second wave may devastate them. - North Carolina Health News

Elective surgery cancelations in March and April were a blow that the state’s rural medical centers have yet to recover from. Regaining financial footing could take months, even if a second COVID wave never comes, hospital industry executives and advocates say.

By Liora Engel-Smith The cancelation of elective surgeries in early spring left rural hospitals across the state nearly empty and without a major source of revenue. The implications of that financial blow are becoming clearer as health systems release financial disclosure documents from that period. The state and federal government has funneled hundreds and thousands […]

Lifeline or life risk: Working in an Amazon warehouse

July 27, 2020 by Melba Newsome

Lifeline or life risk: Working in an Amazon warehouse - North Carolina Health News

While hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians were losing their jobs, Amazon was on a hiring spree. But at what price?

By Melba Newsome When the California state college system shut down its campuses and moved classes online due to the coronavirus in March, rising junior Chad Ellis returned home to Charlotte, where he expected to finish his classes and hang out with friends and family. Then, mega e-tailer Amazon announced plans to fill 100,000 positions […]

shows health care workers in full protective gear testing someone sitting in their car for COVID

Coronavirus Today – July 7 – Streamlining COVID testing access; Tough being a contact tracer; NC gets F for inmate care

July 7, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – July 7 – Streamlining COVID testing access; Tough being a contact tracer; NC gets F for inmate care - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina tries to knock down barriers to COVID-19 testing as coronavirus metrics and trends continue in the wrong direction.

By North Carolina Health News staff Won’t need a doc’s note to get tested Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, the state health director, just issued a statewide order which means you no longer need a doctor’s referral to get tested for COVID-19. Essentially, she has provided a sweeping referral that has often been the barrier to testing […]

image shows a family of three, all dressed in black and wearing red and white masks

Waiting for a kidney during a pandemic

July 6, 2020 by Melba Newsome

Waiting for a kidney during a pandemic - North Carolina Health News

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on both routine kidney care and the number of transplants. At the same time, the estimated 37 million American adults with chronic kidney disease are at greater risk of contracting the virus.

By Melba Newsome This story is co-published by NC Health News, the Charlotte Post and the Charlotte Observer. This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Traci Evans Simmons’ job as an assistant in a pediatric medical practice normally brings her into contact with many people every day, a fact that unnerved her when the […]

shows an artists rendering of a corporate campus with buildings, a pond and walking trails. Centene is one of the U.S' largest Medicaid managed care companies

Centene CEO outlines plans for massive Charlotte campus; commits to 3,200 jobs in initial phase

July 5, 2020 by Tony Mecia

Centene CEO outlines plans for massive Charlotte campus; commits to 3,200 jobs in initial phase - North Carolina Health News

The insurance giant is one of the nation's largest Medicaid managed care providers and will be one of the companies providing managed care services once North Carolina's system converts to managed care in 2021.

By Tony Mecia Charlotte Ledger Get ready to start hearing the name “Centene” a lot more around Charlotte. In the biggest economic-development deal in state history, the CEO of health-insurance giant Centene said Wednesday that it will build an East Coast regional headquarters and technology hub on an 80-acre site in the University City area — a […]

Blue mask with state of North Carolina patch

Mask Wars: PPE is the new political fault line

July 1, 2020 by Melba Newsome

Mask Wars: PPE is the new political fault line - North Carolina Health News

As evidence of their effectiveness mounts, the debate over wearing masks becomes more acrimonious.

By Melba Newsome Around Charlotte, sports columnist and broadcaster Ryan “Bowser” McGee is a bit of a celebrity, best known as a NASCAR and college football reporter and host of the weekly Marty & McGee podcast on ESPN Radio and the SEC Network. His link to these two high testosterone sports hasn’t protected him from […]

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. […]

A man is being swabbed inside his nose by a gloved hand.

Amidst COVID-19, some NC hospitals may soon run out of room

June 18, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

Amidst COVID-19, some NC hospitals may soon run out of room - North Carolina Health News

Hospitals in Greenville, the Triangle and Charlotte may run out of beds by late summer or early fall, a new analysis shows.

By Liora Engel-Smith A COVID-19 fueled hospital surge may be in the cards for several of North Carolina’s most populated regions by late summer or early fall, according to a recent report. Daily COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state have nearly doubled since April, reaching a seven-day average of roughly 800 over the recent week. At […]

There's a sign for the emergency room and also a sign for New Hanover Regional Medical Center. In the background is the entrance to the Emergency Room.

Affiliation, lease, sale: New Hanover Regional committee hears visions for system’s future

June 12, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

Affiliation, lease, sale: New Hanover Regional committee hears visions for system’s future - North Carolina Health News

Three hospital systems vying to partner with New Hanover Regional presented their proposals this week.

By Liora Engel-Smith A New Hanover Regional Medical Center committee weighed options for the future of the Wilmington-based hospital system this week as the county seeks a partner to back the hospital, one of the largest in the southeastern region. In a series of meetings this week, three contenders for partnership — Duke Health, Atrium […]

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