primary care

A masked man checks the blood pressure of an african american patient

The doctor will see you now, at work

December 1, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

The doctor will see you now, at work - North Carolina Health News

Amid the rising cost of health care, a mobile clinic provides free basic medical care to workers at a factory in rural Montgomery County.

By Liora Engel-Smith The semi-trailer that’s become a staple in the McRae Industries parking lot has nothing and everything to do with making shoes. The white and green truck doesn’t deliver leather for boots, nor does it shuttle uppers to a nearby sewing factory. But people here say the two-axle vehicle is every bit as […]

A physician in a white coat is putting a blood pressure cuff on a patient's arm.

An old school doc in the new normal

November 5, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

An old school doc in the new normal - North Carolina Health News

Charles Sawyer has been a fixture of medicine in Hertford County for more than half a century. He has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

By Liora Engel-Smith Amaza “Rita” Hall has been to the hospital many times with severe asthma attacks, but there’s one ER run the lifelong asthmatic from Gates County remembers by date: May 19, 1999. Hall, now 73, had been admitted to the hospital yet again. With an oxygen cannula in her nose and an IV […]

Looking for care after a COVID hospitalization? Here are some suggestions from experts.

August 19, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Looking for care after a COVID hospitalization? Here are some suggestions from experts. - North Carolina Health News

It's good news that a North Carolina COVID-19 patient may be ready to be discharged from hospital. But caregivers are also realizing the change will come with a raft of questions about whether the home and caregiver can support a loved one recovering from the deadly virus.

By Thomas Goldsmith North Carolina caregivers have a real hunger for practical answers to difficult questions about COVID-19. Just consider the 9,000 participants who clicked into a statewide “tele town hall” organized by state AARP Aug. 17. The listeners’ questions about the disease covered a broad range of topics, but many centered on friends’ or […]

Shows a group of eight people each wearing masks and holding out their arms to be at a distance from one another.

Will COVID-19 help move primary care physicians away from the fee-for-service model?

August 19, 2020 by Rose Hoban

Will COVID-19 help move primary care physicians away from the fee-for-service model? - North Carolina Health News

The “medical MacGyvering” that took place early in the pandemic wasn’t limited to emergency physicians jerry-rigging personal protective equipment or ICU docs using FaceTime to connect patients to families. Small primary care practices also pivoted hard, but it’s come at a cost.

By Rose Hoban When Karen Smith went to Jamaica in March, she planned a working vacation. The Hoke County primary care doctor, whose practice thrives with about 3,000 patients, was in the island country to do some medical mission work when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported there. She’s a little unclear on the […]

A man in a facemask puts a coronavirus awarness flier on a car at a wal-Mart parking lot in Columbus County, a rural area.

Coronavirus gains a foothold in rural North Carolina

May 7, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

Coronavirus gains a foothold in rural North Carolina - North Carolina Health News

The state’s first coronavirus outbreaks began in cities, but the virus spread to rural areas. Recent data shows a disproportionate burden of cases per capita there.

By Liora Engel-Smith Coronavirus arrived late to Columbus County, but it caught on quickly. When the rural county’s health department reported its first case on March 28, North Carolina’s overall case tally had already surpassed 900. By May 4, coronavirus in the county reached a new height: 167 known cases, 10 deaths. Located about an […]

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 […]

Woman in a white coat sits at a computer, she's in an office that has health promotion posters hung on the walls.

Rural Hospital has Patients Headed to Walmart For Their Care

September 7, 2018 by Taylor Knopf

Rural Hospital has Patients Headed to Walmart For Their Care - North Carolina Health News

Rural hospital CEOs are looking to urgent care clinics to take the pressure off of EDs, where care can be costly and even ineffective.

By Taylor Knopf Historically, the residents of rural Robeson County have relied heavily on the Southeastern Health Emergency Department for much of their medical care, even for non-emergent issues such as sore throats and sprains. The hospital, located in the county seat of Lumberton, has about 90,000 ED visits per year, according to Southeastern Health […]

map showing the status of states and their licensure of nurse practitioners. North Carolina falls into one of the red states.

More Nurse Practitioners Now Pursue Residency Programs

July 6, 2018 by Kaiser Health News

More Nurse Practitioners Now Pursue Residency Programs - North Carolina Health News

The year-long residencies give newly graduated nurse practitioners extra time with complicated patients and extra time to hone their skills after completing academic training.

By Michelle Andrews Kaiser Health News The patient at the clinic was in his 40s and had lost both his legs to Type 1 diabetes. He had mental health and substance abuse problems and was taking large amounts of opioids to manage pain. He was assigned to Nichole Mitchell, who in 2014 was a newly […]

Mental Health Providers Get Ready to Add Physical Care to Services

December 7, 2017 by Rose Hoban

Mental Health Providers Get Ready to Add Physical Care to Services - North Carolina Health News

At the annual meeting of the state’s mental health managed care agencies, the message was clear, the future would include taking care of the “whole” person.

By Rose Hoban As North Carolina Medicaid changes from being the current fee-for- service system in the next two years to being a one run by large managed care organizations, leaders in the mental health system will have to rethink how they deliver care. That was the message at the annual meeting of the state’s […]

Downtown Marshall, looking across the bridge to the Madison County Courthouse

Advantages of a Rural, Small-town Medical Center

May 30, 2017 by Taylor Knopf

Advantages of a Rural, Small-town Medical Center - North Carolina Health News

The Hot Springs Health Program is big enough to innovate, but in a town small enough to make it feel like home.

By Taylor Knopf The mountains become steeper and houses fewer as you drive west out of Asheville on U.S. Route 25 and pass the sign that reads, “Welcome to Madison County: Jewel of the Blue Ridge.” The county covers 449 square miles and has about 21,000 residents. There are three small towns: Marshall, Mars Hill […]

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