Surry County

The Appalachian Mountains near the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina may benefit from the ARC's recovery ecosystem model. The area has a quickly growing outbreak of COVID-19

New dollars target opioid misuse, workforce revitalization in WNC

September 11, 2019 by Liora Engel-Smith

New dollars target opioid misuse, workforce revitalization in WNC - North Carolina Health News

Twenty-nine western North Carolina counties could benefit from a new Appalachian Regional Commission initiative that will invest in workforce training and treatment options for people with addiction.

By Liora Engel-Smith Targeting some of the epicenters of the national opioid epidemic, the Appalachian Regional Commission announced a plan to revitalize the workforce in communities ravaged by addiction. The agency, whose mandate is to promote economic prosperity in 420 counties in 13 states, including North Carolina, outlined a plan to bolster and link programs […]

Image of money with a caduceus superimposed on the bills. We're using this image to denote Medicaid managed care.

Budget impasse delays Initial Nov. 1 rollout of Medicaid managed care

September 4, 2019 by Sarah Ovaska

Budget impasse delays Initial Nov. 1 rollout of Medicaid managed care - North Carolina Health News

Instead of one quarter of the state program going live this fall, the entire state will make the transition to managed care in Feb. 2020

By Sarah Ovaska-Few and Rose Hoban The standoff between North Carolina’s state government power brokers over the state budget and Medicaid expansion has claimed a victim: the planned roll-out this fall of Medicaid managed care. N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Mandy Cohen announced Tuesday morning she was pushing back the Nov. 1 […]

A county by county map of US colored to show opioid death risk, including access to medication-assisted treatment

Forty-one N.C. counties classified as “high risk” in new opioid study

July 23, 2019 by Yen Duong

Forty-one N.C. counties classified as “high risk” in new opioid study - North Carolina Health News

In a national study, researchers classified 41 North Carolina counties as “opioid high-risk” with few providers of medication-assisted treatment and many opioid-related deaths.

By Yen Duong While conversations about the national opioid epidemic often focus on hardest-hit states such as Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, few people have analyzed county-by-county trends, where those state’s policies can make a difference. But a new study, published last month in an open-access version of the Journal of the American Medical Association, […]

people sitting around a large table in a historic style building

Rural hospital CEOs call for Medicaid expansion

April 29, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Rural hospital CEOs call for Medicaid expansion - North Carolina Health News

A group detailed to Gov. Roy Cooper the problems they have keeping their doors open and bills paid.

By Taylor Knopf At a roundtable meeting Wednesday seven CEOs of rural North Carolina hospitals explained to Gov. Roy Cooper and state Health and Human Services Sec. Mandy Cohen that expanding Medicaid would help their institutions keep the doors open. There were some common elements to all their stories. For starters, all of their hospitals […]

A view above sedimentation basins, where the water is clarified as heavy particles settle. Photo by Gabe Rivin

State eyes consolidation of aging rural water and sewer systems

March 26, 2019 by Greg Barnes

State eyes consolidation of aging rural water and sewer systems - North Carolina Health News

Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed bond issue would provide $800 million for water and sewer systems across North Carolina. State officials say some of that money could be used to consolidate struggling rural systems.

By Greg Barnes Spending $800 million for water and sewer improvements doesn’t get the same attention as the new schools Gov. Roy Cooper includes in a proposed $3.9 billion bond issue expected to go before voters in November 2020. But perhaps it should. According to a 2017 water infrastructure report, in the next 20 years, […]

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.

Medicare Advantage to Pay For Community-Based Help

August 30, 2018 by Thomas Goldsmith

Medicare Advantage to Pay For Community-Based Help - North Carolina Health News

Medicare is expanding the types of aid to older people that will qualify for reimbursement — beyond strictly medical services.

By Thomas Goldsmith At a senior center in Asheboro, people dealing with diabetes can learn ways to manage the condition — from healthy eating to stress management — and have Medicare foot the bill. These diabetes self-management classes, each two and a half hours, require significant work on the part of attendees, said Laura Plunkett, […]

an older woman holds up a folded over document and looks off camera as others look at her.

State Budget’s Potential Winners and Losers Were A Mystery Before This Week

May 30, 2018 by Rose Hoban

State Budget’s Potential Winners and Losers Were A Mystery Before This Week - North Carolina Health News

Usually, legislators create a draft budget that’s subject to changes and tweaks. But this year, members of the Republican majority crafted a final budget that will receive an up or down vote later this week.

By Rose Hoban Lobbyists, health care advocates and lawmakers alike spent much of Tuesday poring through hundreds of pages of legal language after the Republican majority members of the General Assembly posted their proposed $23.9 billion state budget online late Monday night. Members of the Democratic minority criticized Republicans for this year’s unorthodox bill drafting […]

Life Expectancy Gap Widens for Appalachia

August 30, 2017 by Rose Hoban

Life Expectancy Gap Widens for Appalachia - North Carolina Health News

Smoking, high rates of diabetes, obesity heart disease and poor birth outcomes contribute to worsening life expectancy in Western NC.

By Taylor Knopf While life expectancy and infant mortality rates continue to improve across the United States, the Appalachian region struggles to keep up. Infant mortality is 16 percent higher in Appalachia than other areas of America, according to a study published in Health Affairs this month called “Widening disparities in infant mortality and life […]

Fight, Then Flight From Poultry Stench

January 27, 2017 by Catherine Clabby

Fight, Then Flight From Poultry Stench - North Carolina Health News

When a poultry CAFO moved in their neighborhood, a Surry County couple decided their longtime residence was home no more

By Catherine Clabby Until recently, Mary and Terry Marshall shared the same pretty vision of their retirement. The Surry County couple would dwell in the roomy house they built 30 years ago on 16 acres of family land off Ellis Hardy Road, a byway named for Mary’s grandfather. “We intended to live in our house […]

To Reduce Addiction, Link Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Care

October 20, 2016 by Thomas Goldsmith

To Reduce Addiction, Link Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse Care - North Carolina Health News

Hundreds gathered to discuss ways to reduce the numbers of people in the Foothills who are abusing opioids, while maintaining options for pain management for people who need the medications. By Thomas Goldsmith In April, when Hickory was ranked fifth in the nation in the rate of opioid abuse, the designation sent shock waves through […]

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