high blood pressure

Children sitting around a table cutting greens as part of a program that tackles physical activity in Durham.

Fighting childhood obesity by teaming up

December 16, 2019 by Sarah Ovaska

Fighting childhood obesity by teaming up - North Carolina Health News

How one Durham program, Bull City Fit, is partnering doctors concerned about children’s health with parks departments to change young lives.

By Sarah Ovaska On a rainy, cold and dark winter evening, several dozen children from age 5 into their teenage years gathered in the courtyard of a Durham Parks and Recreation building, counting out stretches, jumping jacks, lunges and leaps in unison. “1-2-3-4-5 …” Between the numbers were shouts relaying the rules of Bull City […]

Mediterranean food design (!) and cooking by TRG, shows a fish being braised in a pan with red and yellow peppers

UNC’s southern twist on Mediterranean diet keeps diners on track, earns $3.8M grant

July 19, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

UNC’s southern twist on Mediterranean diet keeps diners on track, earns $3.8M grant - North Carolina Health News

UNC researchers have devised an inviting mix of the Mediterranean diet and down-home cooking, aimed at keeping dieters motivated by providing food they actually like.

“… I am drawn to conclude that any plan to reform eating habits must not lose sight of the fact that people want to enjoy their food. Any sort of cooking or diet is doomed to failure if it fails to give people pleasure.” — Michel Guérard, Eat Well and Stay Slim: The Essential Cuisine […]

A wall of blue bins, each labeled with a code, some are full of prescription bags

MedAssist fills prescriptions for Tar Heels in need

April 30, 2019 by Yen Duong

MedAssist fills prescriptions for Tar Heels in need - North Carolina Health News

NC MedAssist, based in Charlotte, is a mail-order pharmacy which sends free medicine to uninsured and low-income people across the state.

By Yen Duong The first time Natalie Holloway’s heart failed, her husband of 38 years drove her the 33 miles from their hometown of Columbia to an emergency room in Edenton. “We was the only ones that night on the road,” Holloway recalled. “I couldn’t breathe so I had to roll down the window. I […]

a female physician checks the lungs of a male patient.

Special Report: What happens when a state expands Medicaid?

April 1, 2019 by Rose Hoban

Special Report: What happens when a state expands Medicaid? - North Carolina Health News

We’ve written about the political battles surrounding Medicaid expansion in North Carolina for years. To cut through the political spin, this year we reached out to other states to ask what they experienced.

By Rose Hoban Medicaid expansion has the potential to add thousands of health care jobs to the North Carolina landscape, expand opportunities for care to hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, and bolster the fortunes of smaller, rural hospitals. While at first, providers might be strained by the addition of these new patients to the […]

21 people stand on a stage holding a plaque and novelty award check

Mecklenburg County health program wins national competition

March 11, 2019 by Yen Duong

Mecklenburg County health program wins national competition - North Carolina Health News

Village HeartBEAT also won a $500,000 prize for fighting cardiovascular disease risk factors among its Charlotte/ Mecklenburg participants.

By Yen Duong Wanda Dupree just wanted celebratory ice cream. But while wondering which flavor would best mark the end of a 16-week health challenge, she ran into her chair aerobics coach, who talked her out of the treat. “I realized that this wasn’t just about this challenge. This was an initiative for us to […]

a doctor in a darkened room examines xrays of breast tissue to look for cancer.

Study: Black Women with Breast Cancer Suffer More Financially

May 9, 2018 by Rose Hoban

Study: Black Women with Breast Cancer Suffer More Financially - North Carolina Health News

Even when controlling for other factors, research from UNC Chapel Hill shows African-American women are under disproportionately higher financial stress during and after treatment.

By Rose Hoban Amid growing evidence that patients are under increased financial stress, new research from UNC Chapel Hill finds that black women with breast cancer end up under worse financial strain during treatment than whites. Stephanie Wheeler, an associate professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, examined data collected as part of […]

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

Low-wealth Schools Find New Ways to Deal with Student Trauma

December 21, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Low-wealth Schools Find New Ways to Deal with Student Trauma - North Carolina Health News

In Edgecombe County, educators are learning about how traumatic childhood experiences could impede learning in their students, and how they can help.

By Taylor Knopf As Hurricane Matthew stalled over the eastern part of North Carolina in October 2016, large parts of Edgecombe County were inundated. The storm damaged about 3,500 buildings across the county and at least 250 filled with more than four feet of water. Thousands were displaced from their homes and forced into makeshift […]

shows a row of crops withe a church in the background

It Takes a Village to Improve A Community’s Health

October 9, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

It Takes a Village to Improve A Community’s Health - North Carolina Health News

Halifax County had some of the lowest health rankings in the state. Alarmed by this, the community pulled together to start making major changes.

By Taylor Knopf It’s the community gardens popping up around town. It’s baked chicken and water added to the church congregational lunches. It’s the new weight lifting equipment at the community college. These are some of the small ways Halifax County is fighting back against obesity and heart disease. In 2015 and the years preceding, […]

New Awareness Day Aims to Help North Carolinians Learn about High Blood Pressure

May 18, 2017 by Leah Asmelash

New Awareness Day Aims to Help North Carolinians Learn about High Blood Pressure - North Carolina Health News

Even after having a stroke, many people don't fully appreciate the importance of controlling their blood pressure.

By Leah Asmelash “Today, the message is check, check, check your blood pressure,” said Rep. Becky Carney, an eight-term legislator who had suffered sudden cardiac death in her legislative office in 2009. Carney, who has since been a champion for heart health, was making introductory comments to open a high blood pressure awareness day at […]

shows lawmakers at their desks, some speaking to one another, some looking down at their work

Legislative Roundup – A Busy Week

May 1, 2017 by Rose Hoban

Legislative Roundup – A Busy Week - North Carolina Health News

Last week legislators considered hundreds of bills in the crush of lawmaking known as "crossover." This is Part 1 of 2 stories this week, digesting the week's work.

By Rose Hoban There are two or three weeks at the NC General Assembly every session that are really, really busy: One is the week before the end of the session (slated to be late June/ early July), when the budget deal is done and lawmakers push through some of their pet pieces of legislation […]

Additional Thanks

Categories