nursing homes

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety

March 14, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith 6 Comments

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety - North Carolina Health News

Nowhere in North Carolina is there more at stake in the fight against COVID-19 than in nursing homes and assisted living centers. Residents are more likely to die from it if they contract the virus. Facilities are adopting new means of protection as the disease spreads worldwide.

By Thomas Goldsmith Like others around the globe who are battling the COVID-19 virus, residents and staffs of North Carolina’s long-term care centers are dealing with the threat of disease amid a shifting landscape of risks, guidelines, fears and hopes. However, the mostly older long-term care residents are more susceptible than the general population to […]

shows white fireworks against a dark sky. 2019, 2020

NC health trends and policies to watch for in 2020

January 3, 2020 by Editor

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 […]

shows the back of a wheelchair, with an old and wizened hand on the arm of the chair

Many uses exist for money intended to aid NC nursing home residents, advocates say

January 14, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

Many uses exist for money intended to aid NC nursing home residents, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

Projects that could benefit nursing home residents are plentiful as NC looks for potential applicants for $28.9 million in a fund that sits mostly unused.

By Thomas Goldsmith There are plenty of ways to help nursing home residents through projects that could be paid for by a nearly $29 million, mostly unused, fund accumulated by federal and state authorities, advocates for older people and a state legislator said. Instead, the civil money penalties fund, comprised of fines levied against North […]

Millie Veasey stands in the doorway of her home, a smiling man in the doorway looks in. Some programs such as these are not getting as much support because of the budget standoff.

Millions in fund, earmarked to improve nursing home care, sits mostly unused

January 9, 2019 by Thomas Goldsmith

Millions in fund, earmarked to improve nursing home care, sits mostly unused - North Carolina Health News

The money comes from “civil money penalties” -- fines levied against North Carolina nursing homes by federal regulators — and is waiting in state coffers to be used.

By Thomas Goldsmith An email from a state official delivered startling news during the first week of January: “The NC Division of Health Service Regulation reports a balance of $28,952,697.63 in the CMS fines/penalties fund for the quarter ending December 31, 2018.” In plain language, that email referred to nearly $29 million in a state-federal […]

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What Newly Reported Stats on Understaffing at NC Nursing Homes Means to Residents

September 10, 2018 by Thomas Goldsmith

What Newly Reported Stats on Understaffing at NC Nursing Homes Means to Residents - North Carolina Health News

A new federal method of counting nursing home employees shows many homes lack full staffing.

By Thomas Goldsmith Last Nov. 6, Hillside Nursing Center in Wake Forest admitted a woman with a diagnosis of COPD and hypoxemia, or a low level of blood oxygen. Nursing notes from Nov. 7 describe the woman, identified in a state report filed with federal regulators only as Resident #4, as “alert and verbal with […]

NC’s Star Rating System for Assisted Living Homes Gets Close Scrutiny

April 10, 2018 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC’s Star Rating System for Assisted Living Homes Gets Close Scrutiny - North Carolina Health News

A multi-disciplinary team mandated last year by the General Assembly is studying whether the state’s four-star system for assisted living centers should be modified or scrapped.

By Thomas Goldsmith With additional reporting by Rose Hoban Since 2009, North Carolinians looking for an adult care home have used a star rating system designed to show how well these assisted-living centers look after older residents and those with disabilities. Now a multi-disciplinary team mandated last year by the General Assembly is studying whether […]

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Proposed Federal Rule Could Limit Ability to Sue for Nursing Home Harm

August 15, 2017 by Rose Hoban

Proposed Federal Rule Could Limit Ability to Sue for Nursing Home Harm - North Carolina Health News

The rule could to make it harder - or impossible - for nursing home patients and their families to go to court when something bad happens.

By Rose Hoban Cindy Pajak’s voice still shakes with anger when she talks about the end of her mother’s life. Pajak and her sister brought their 87-year-old mom, Ann Flynn, down to North Carolina from Ohio, where another sister had been caring for her. Their mom had dementia and was frail, so Pajak and her […]

Tony Mode, 62, of Newton, enjoys the recreational activities PACE@Home offers.

Making the Case for Aging in Place

June 30, 2015 by Editor

Making the Case for Aging in Place - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly looks to expand into rural areas. State government has applied the brakes.

By Taylor Sisk There’s a concept in Confucian philosophy called “filial piety,” which suggests that you should be good to your parents in their advanced years. A text titled The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars outlines key tenets of this philosophy, culminating with 滌親溺器, roughly translated as “He Washed His Mother’s Bedpan.” As a rule, we don’t […]

Government To Grade Nursing Homes on Tougher Scale

February 17, 2015 by Editor

Government To Grade Nursing Homes on Tougher Scale - North Carolina Health News

By Julie Appleby Kaiser Health News Starting immediately, the federal government is making it harder for nursing homes to get top grades on a public report card, in part by increasing scrutiny of their use of anti-psychotic drugs and raising the bar on an array of quality measures. Those grades – in the form of […]

Secretary of Health and Human Services Aldona Wos told reporters the Medicaid program accounts for $13 billion in spending per year, and processes more than 88 million claims.

How ‘Broken’ is NC Medicaid?

April 15, 2013 by Rose Hoban

How ‘Broken’ is NC Medicaid? - North Carolina Health News

Since January, state officials have maintained that North Carolina Medicaid is “broken.” Last month, Gov. Pat McCrory proposed an overhaul of the program, which provides health care for more than 1.8 million North Carolinians. In this first of two parts, N.C. Health News takes a deep look at the state of the program. By Rose […]

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