Chatham County

a woman in rubber boots collects water from a muddy river, looking for PFAS. She's wearing a sweater, winter clothes

Pittsboro task force recommends “deep discounts” so poor residents can afford clean drinking water

November 23, 2020 by Greg Barnes Leave a Comment

Pittsboro task force recommends “deep discounts” so poor residents can afford clean drinking water - North Carolina Health News

Pittsboro’s drinking water has been found to contain high levels of PFAS and other potentially carcinogenic compounds. A task force has spent the last year studying long- and short-term remedies to the problem. It recommends the town buy in-home filtration systems in bulk and sell them to residents at a reduced price.

By Greg Barnes The Pittsboro Drinking Water Task Force wants the town to provide deeply discounted reverse osmosis filtration systems to low-income residents while it continues to explore permanent solutions for a community rocked by contaminated drinking water. The task force, which formed in November 2019, issued its final report in October on the avenues […]

A Graham polling center in Alamance County. Photo credit: Hannah Critchfield

In an election with unprecedented turnout, health care issues loom large, but can’t overcome economic concerns

November 4, 2020 by Editor

In an election with unprecedented turnout, health care issues loom large, but can’t overcome economic concerns - North Carolina Health News

Voters split their tickets on Tuesday, retaining Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, while the presidential contest remains too close to call, with more than 100,000 absentee ballots still outstanding.

By Anne Blythe, Hannah Critchfield and Rose Hoban Ballots in North Carolina did not list Medicaid expansion, the Affordable Care Act, the coronavirus pandemic response or the economy as something registered voters could mark as for or against. In the outcome of the 2020 elections, it appears that North Carolina voters were willing to have […]

A photo of a room at the Chatham Hospital maternity unit. There's a hospital bed and some medical equipment and a sunny window

NC’s maternal care system gets a boost

September 15, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

NC’s maternal care system gets a boost - North Carolina Health News

A newly reopened maternity ward in Chatham County and a satellite clinic in eastern North Carolina will care for pregnant women in communities where access to maternal health care was limited.

By Liora Engel-Smith North Carolina’s rural maternal health crisis is an almost identical story of unit closures from the mountains to the coastal plain. It often goes something like this: A cash-strapped rural hospital does away with the maternity care unit because it’s too expensive to run in an area with relatively few deliveries. The […]

The city of Cary's wastewater treatment plant, where officials are monitoring raw sewage for the coronavirus: Photo credit: City of Cary

If the coronavirus rebounds, Cary could be the first to know

June 9, 2020 by Greg Barnes

If the coronavirus rebounds, Cary could be the first to know - North Carolina Health News

Cary, Raleigh and other areas of the Triangle are working with N.C. State on a research project that aims to detect the virus in human feces, potentially alerting health officials to new outbreaks.

By Greg Barnes If a new surge of the coronavirus occurs, Cary could be among the first cities to detect the rebound and establish a quick response. Cary has teamed with the Massachusetts company Biobot Analytics, in collaboration with researchers at Harvard, MIT, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to sample the city’s untreated sewage for […]

Shows a large indoor arena fulled with people. If the RNC comes to Charlotte, this venue could be filled with about 19,000 Republicans, possibly putting them at risk for COVID.

Coronavirus Today – June 2 – GOP convention and NC demands; Cooper shares Bible story for Trump; COVID graph day

June 2, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – June 2 – GOP convention and NC demands; Cooper shares Bible story for Trump; COVID graph day - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper and President Donald Trump have different ideas for staging a GOP National Convention in Charlotte.

By North Carolina Health News staff Cooper, Trump and the RNC Convention Gov. Roy Cooper was on the phone with President Donald Trump on Friday evening, having a back and forth about the president’s demands for a no-holds-barred Republican National Convention in Charlotte this summer, despite COVID-19. North Carolina public health officials report they’ve been […]

A small storefront has become a Latino grocery store called Tienda Centro reads the sign. Siler City has one of the highest rates of COVID infection in North Carolina

Latinos, the coronavirus and a single ZIP code

May 29, 2020 by Greg Barnes

Latinos, the coronavirus and a single ZIP code - North Carolina Health News

The 27344 ZIP code, which includes Siler City and Mountaire Farms, has become a hotspot for the coronavirus in North Carolina. Latinos who live in the ZIP code are suffering greatly, but nonprofit organizations can only do so much.

By Greg Barnes and Victoria Bouloubasis This story is being co-published with Enlace Latino NC. Read it here in Spanish. Maricela Martinez still remembers getting her first paycheck from a chicken processing plant in Siler City — $280 for a week’s worth of work back in 1999. “It made me cry,” Martinez said. “This was […]

we look through a chain link fence into an industrial complex / poultry plantwhere multiple workers have tested positive for COVID-19

As COVID races through Mountaire Farms poultry plant, workers deemed vital feel dispensable

May 28, 2020 by Victoria Bouloubasis

As COVID races through Mountaire Farms poultry plant, workers deemed vital feel dispensable - North Carolina Health News

Mountaire criticized for moving too slowly to protect workers who weren’t aware of coronavirus cases in workplace.

By Victoria Bouloubasis and Greg Barnes This story is being co-published with Enlace Latino NC. Read it here in Spanish. On a rapidly moving production line at Mountaire Farms in Siler City, Ana uses a sharp knife to slice the wings off a chicken in less than two seconds, making sure they land into a […]

shows a facemask used to prevent COVID 19 transmission. It's blue with an outline of the state of North Carolina with the flag colors inside the outline

Coronavirus Today – May 19 – Heated Lincoln County debate; nod to older North Carolinians; Avery County gets first COVID case

May 19, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – May 19 – Heated Lincoln County debate; nod to older North Carolinians; Avery County gets first COVID case - North Carolina Health News

Pressures mount to reopen restaurants, salons and churches as governor contemplates moving to the next phase.

By North Carolina Health News staff Defiance in Lincoln County A Lincoln County restaurant owner who also is a member of the county board of commissioners opened his restaurant in Vale on Monday in defiance of the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order. Carrol Dean Mitchem was cited by Sheriff Bill Beam for violating Gov. Roy Cooper’s […]

A group of Camp Hope campers prepare to set sail for the first time.

Coronavirus Today – May 15 – COVID testing guidance; too few Dare County test sites; camp guidance; rough surf warning

May 15, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – May 15 – COVID testing guidance; too few Dare County test sites; camp guidance; rough surf warning - North Carolina Health News

Testing, testing, testing. Getting access to the necessary COVID-19 tests has been a problem for Dare County and elsewhere in northeastern NC.

By North Carolina Health News staff Big testing-site gap in northeastern NC After the state Department of Health and Human Services compiled a list of sites across the state where people can get tested for COVID-19, there was a glaring gap in Dare County and much of northeastern North Carolina. “The northeast part of our […]

Shows a yellow basket with plastic bags containing tubes containing COVID-19 tests

Coronavirus Today – May 14 – Churches sue state; prison staff testing plan; need a test, find a site

May 14, 2020 by Editor

Coronavirus Today – May 14 – Churches sue state; prison staff testing plan; need a test, find a site - North Carolina Health News

Nearly a week into this phase of the modified stay-at-home order, no spikes or deep drop-off in COVID-19 have appeared.

By North Carolina Health News staff Churches argue state violating their rights Gov. Roy Cooper said during a media briefing on Thursday that he had not seen a lawsuit filed in federal court challenging his modified stay-at-home order that calls for houses of worship to hold outside services with social distancing measures against COVID-19 unless […]

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