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PFAs, chemicals commonly used to make everyday items water-resistant or nonstick, have been showing up in NC's water for years. NC AG Josh Stein has opened an investigation into the companies using these chemicals. #environment #PFA northcarolinahealthnews.org/2…

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Smoky Mountain Center

Panorama of the new Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro.

Bill Would Make Mental Health Agencies Create Local Crisis Plans

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Bill Would Make Mental Health Agencies Create Local Crisis Plans - North Carolina Health News

A bill in the works at the legislature makes a series of changes and tweaks throughout the mental health system.

By Taylor Knopf It’s no secret that North Carolina’s mental health system leaves a lot to be desired, and one of the biggest holes in the safety net is a dearth of crisis services. That’s why state lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would direct all seven state-funded mental health management organizations to […]

neon emergency room sign

Help for Mental Health & Substance Abuse Clients in Rural WNC Counties

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Help for Mental Health & Substance Abuse Clients in Rural WNC Counties - North Carolina Health News

A new crisis center for mental health patients in five mountain counties should relieve the pressure on emergency departments. By Thomas Goldsmith One day this June, Wilkes County Sheriff Chris Shew found 22 patients with mental health and substance abuse problems crowding the local hospital’s emergency department, waiting for treatment, transportation or other help. For […]

Dianne Whitman is chief court counselor for the 30th Judicial District and a force behind the Juvenile Justice Treatment Continuum in Western North Carolina. Photo credit: Taylor Sisk

Keeping Kids Out of Prison by Intervening Early

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Keeping Kids Out of Prison by Intervening Early - North Carolina Health News

A multi-agency program in Western North Carolina offers care to adolescents at the first signs of trouble. By Taylor Sisk Criminal justice reform is a hot topic in the public arena these days, from the White House to town halls and across the political spectrum. Juvenile justice is of particular concern. The North Carolina legislature […]

photo of someone listening to another person

NC Mental Health Agencies Announce Workforce-Development Collaborative

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NC Mental Health Agencies Announce Workforce-Development Collaborative - North Carolina Health News

By Taylor Sisk Three of North Carolina’s Medicaid mental health organizations announced last week that they’ll be jointly launching a workforce-development initiative to offer training resources to frontline professionals who provide services to people with disabilities. The mental health agencies (known as local management entities/managed care organizations) collaborating in this initiative are Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, […]

Health care professionals, elected officials and law enforcement officers break ground on a comprehensive behavioral care center in the Caldwell County town of Lenoir. Photo courtesy Smoky Mountain LME/MCO

Mental Health Crisis Center to Serve Caldwell, Alexander & McDowell Counties

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Mental Health Crisis Center to Serve Caldwell, Alexander & McDowell Counties - North Carolina Health News

A new comprehensive health care center will provide 24-hour mental health and addiction urgent care, outpatient behavioral health treatment and beds for people in crisis. By Taylor Sisk “I don’t know if I was ready for help, but my husband was ready for me to get it,” said Rebekah McCloy, recalling her behavioral health crisis. […]

Regions of origin of heroin into the U.S. from, 1977-2012. Photo courtesy Drug Enforcement Administration

From Nayarit to Your Neighborhood: Heroin’s Path to a Ready Local Market

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From Nayarit to Your Neighborhood: Heroin’s Path to a Ready Local Market - North Carolina Health News

A conference in Asheville convened law enforcement officers and health care professionals concerned about drug trafficking in Western North Carolina, offering a glimpse of heroin’s prevalence. By Taylor Sisk Law enforcement officers, health care providers, behavioral health specialists and a variety of other concerned people gathered in Asheville last week to get a ground-level view […]

The North Carolina Harm Reduction’s Tessie Castillo demonstrates how to administer naloxone. Photo credit: Taylor Sisk

Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Now More Available in North Carolina

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Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Now More Available in North Carolina - North Carolina Health News

In the past week, two agencies responsible for public money to confront substance use have announced initiatives to make naloxone more readily available. By Taylor Sisk Under most circumstances, feeling like a thousand tiny needles are being stuck into your entire body, followed by “instant shakes and fevered, flu-like symptoms” that succumb to four hours […]

Richie Tannerhill was a primary force behind the inaugural Western Regional Recovery Rally.

‘People Recover in Their Communities’

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‘People Recover in Their Communities’ - North Carolina Health News

In the mountains of Western North Carolina, Richie Tannerhill is championing recovery from mental health and substance-use setbacks. By Taylor Sisk Richie Tannerhill is high today. He’s higher than a man should be. He’s been high, in fact, for a very long time, but not quite so high as he intends to be tomorrow. Tannerhill […]

Dan Murphy and his mom, Vickie. Photo credit: Taylor Sisk

Coordinated Services Help People Reach Beyond Disability

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Coordinated Services Help People Reach Beyond Disability - North Carolina Health News

Care coordinators help connect individuals and their families to resources and relationships within their communities. By Taylor Sisk “She’s just such a wonderful mother,” Jill Long says of Monica Benge. That’s no small compliment under any circumstances, but Benge’s circumstances are considerable. Benge is mom to a son, Bradley, with cerebral palsy. Bradley is a […]

The rally included a Recovery Walk around Lake Junaluska. Photo courtesy Smoky Mountain LME/MCO

Cultivating Recovery Community

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Cultivating Recovery Community - North Carolina Health News

A Lake Junaluska rally draws more than 600 people from throughout Western North Carolina and beyond to celebrate recovery from mental health and substance use disorders. By Taylor Sisk “Today we raise the profile of recovery way up here,” said Richie Tannerhill, greeting guests to the inaugural Western Regional Recovery Rally, as he reached high […]

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