Disability Rights NC

Door to a unit inside a jail. Jail suicides and overdoses are on the rise across the state. The counties may not have enough resources to fight COVID-19.

NC governor to sheriffs: No extra state COVID-19 resources available for jail inmates

March 28, 2020 by Taylor Knopf 18 Comments

NC governor to sheriffs: No extra state COVID-19 resources available for jail inmates - North Carolina Health News

In a conference call with Gov. Roy Cooper, NC sheriffs asked about medical assistance for possible jail inmates with COVID-19. Cooper couldn’t provide them with much.

By Taylor Knopf North Carolina has 100 counties each with their own sheriff and jail system, meaning there are 100 different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic for jail inmates across the state. On Tuesday, North Carolina’s sheriffs joined Gov. Roy Cooper on a conference call with questions about what to do if the virus is […]

woman asks questions about mental health policy to a panel of legislators

Mental health advocates use gathering to push for funding, priorities

February 5, 2020 by Rose Hoban

Mental health advocates use gathering to push for funding, priorities - North Carolina Health News

An annual event brings mental health advocates face-to-face with policymakers, but questions linger whether the encounters move the needle.

By Rose Hoban Hundreds of people concerned about North Carolina’s mental health system convened in Chapel Hill on Saturday morning for an annual event that’s become a prime forum for laying out the priorities and concerns of the mental health community. About 400 service providers, advocates and consumers of mental health services were joined by […]

a fence is in the foreground, with a dozen men in jumpsuits beyond it, they're sitting on benches and seveal are playing basketball. More inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement following the 2017 deaths of prison officers in NC.

After officer deaths, more NC inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement

December 18, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

After officer deaths, more NC inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement - North Carolina Health News

The NC prison system has increased its use of solitary confinement for inmates with mental illness after five officers were killed on the job in one year. Prior to the 2017 deaths, prisons had reduced their use of solitary significantly.

By Taylor Knopf The year after five prison officers were killed by inmates in 2017, the state prison system almost doubled the number of inmates with mental illness held in solitary confinement. Previously, North Carolina’s prison system made significant strides to reduce the number of prisoners with mental illness who are held in isolation for […]

Jail suicides are on the rise in North Carolina

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise

October 31, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise - North Carolina Health News

Advocates want to update old jail rules to help keep inmates safe, but sheriffs’ objections are slowing down the process.

By Taylor Knopf Suicide and drug overdose deaths are on the rise in North Carolina jails, according to a recent report released by Disability Rights NC. There have been 17 suicides so far this year, up from 12 in 2018. And the number of jail overdose deaths more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. About […]

shows a man in a wheelchair sitting in a room with a bed.

NC to consider hiking personal needs allowance for long-term care residents.

February 19, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC to consider hiking personal needs allowance for long-term care residents. - North Carolina Health News

Medicaid recipients in long-term care in N.C. receive $30 in personal spending money a month in nursing homes and $66 in assisted living, a sum that’s remained the same for years.

By Thomas Goldsmith A proposal to increase the amount of money available to North Carolina’s long-term care residents raises a compelling question: How much does a person need to live on, once room, board and medical care are provided? Interviews with long-term care residents on Medicaid and others familiar with their spending show that the […]

Prison Safety Bill Debate Gets Surprisingly Contentious

June 8, 2018 by Taylor Knopf

Prison Safety Bill Debate Gets Surprisingly Contentious - North Carolina Health News

A debate over inmates' use of rude gestures and aggressive throwing of bodily fluids turns surprisingly sharp in the wake of the recent deaths of correctional officers.

By Taylor Knopf and Rose Hoban Mental health advocates are concerned that a bill to enhance prison safety could disproportionately hurt inmates with severe mental illnesses. A bill making its way through the General Assembly would have imposed automatic felony charges, with time in prison added to the sentences of inmates who masturbate in front […]

a woman and her son sit at a table, looking at one another and laughing

Guardianship Reform on Tap in the North Carolina Legislature

December 17, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Guardianship Reform on Tap in the North Carolina Legislature - North Carolina Health News

Young people with disabilities are living longer, more independent lives. Advocates for them say it's time to update guardianship laws to create more choices for them.

By Taylor Knopf Adults with disabilities are leading longer lives thanks to advances in medicine and technology and where once people with disabilities died young, now a good number will likely outlive their parents. But many of those parents have been the guardians for their children, providing guidance, security and steering their every move. Advocates […]

Shows two young women, both in wheelchairs, holding hands and smiling at the camera.

Advocates Promote Guardianship Alternatives for Adults With Disabilities

December 10, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Advocates Promote Guardianship Alternatives for Adults With Disabilities - North Carolina Health News

More families are skipping guardianship for their children with disabilities, even as they're exploring other legal methods to protect their loved ones.

By Taylor Knopf Janie Desmond was nervous the first time she boarded a train in Durham headed for Greensboro. From her wheelchair, the train seemed big, loud and unfamiliar. “I kind of wanted to convince my mom to take me to school, but I had to take the train,” Desmond said describing her freshman year […]

a woman and young man sit at a table, the young man smiles at the woman, who looks at the camera.

Families Offer Praise, Ideas for Reforming NC’s Guardianship Process

December 4, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Families Offer Praise, Ideas for Reforming NC’s Guardianship Process - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina's program to provide guardianship for people with serious mental health or intellectual issues is in need of updating. In a multipart series, NC Health News will take a look at the issues around guardianship and what might need to change.

By Taylor Knopf A week before Shawn Stead’s 12th birthday, he was riding a scooter in his Garner neighborhood when a Ford F-150 truck hit him. He suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), spending the first three weeks at WakeMed hospital in Raleigh unconscious. Doctors said he would likely die or be brain dead. Shawn’s […]

LME MCO map, with Cardinal looming large

Mental Health Advocates Say the Reckoning at Cardinal Innovations Was a Long Time Coming

November 29, 2017 by Rose Hoban

Mental Health Advocates Say the Reckoning at Cardinal Innovations Was a Long Time Coming - North Carolina Health News

Observers of changes in the state’s mental health system say they’ve seen the problems at the Charlotte-based agency for years, long before Richard Topping became CEO.

By Rose Hoban When the state Department of Health and Human Services made the surprise move Monday to take over Cardinal Innovations, many long-time observers of changes in the state’s mental health system had the same thought: “Finally.” It’s been a dramatic year for the state-funded organization that manages behavioral health services for some 850,000 […]

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