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A child who tests positive for excessive lead levels faces a risk of adverse and irreversible brain development, lower IQ and damage to the kidneys and nervous system. High levels can lead to seizures, unconsciousness and death. #COVID19NC #coronavirusnc northcarolinahealthnews.org/2…

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Dr. Judith Borger attends to a patient in the Moderna coronavirus / COVID clinical trials being conducted in Fayetteville.

Clinical trials for coronavirus vaccine progressing in Fayetteville and elsewhere in NC

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Clinical trials for coronavirus vaccine progressing in Fayetteville and elsewhere in NC - North Carolina Health News

More than 300 people are participating in Phase 3 of the Moderna vaccine clinical trials in Fayetteville. A local doctor heading those trials says they are going well, but scientists doubt a vaccine will be approved before December, at the earliest.

By Greg Barnes Matt Irving didn’t think much about his participation in a new clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine until someone mentioned it on social media and people started thanking him. “I just didn’t think it was a big deal,” the Fayetteville resident said. But deep down, Irving knows that his involvement in the […]

shows signs advertising rural broadband at a lonely rural crossroads. Broadband is necessary for better telehealth penetration in NC's rural burgs.

HHS plan to improve rural health focuses on better broadband, telehealth services

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HHS plan to improve rural health focuses on better broadband, telehealth services - North Carolina Health News

Rural North Carolina has some of the largest swaths of "white space" in the country, where broadband and even cell service don't reach.

By Sarah Jane Tribble Kaiser Health News Knowing it may be met with some skepticism, the Trump administration Thursday announced a sweeping plan that officials say will transform health care in rural America. Even before the coronavirus pandemic reached into the nation’s less-populated regions, rural Americans were sicker, poorer and older than the rest of […]

hands hold a tube of blood as a proxy for coronavirus tests and research

As long waits for results render COVID tests ‘useless,’ states seek workarounds

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As long waits for results render COVID tests ‘useless,’ states seek workarounds - North Carolina Health News

As coronavirus cases continue to tick up across the United States, individual states are pivoting to find labs that can provide test results in a more timely way.

By Matt Volz and Phil Galewitz Kaiser Health News States frustrated by private laboratories’ increasingly long turnarounds for COVID-19 test results are scrambling to find ways to salvage their testing programs. Montana said last month that it is dropping Quest Diagnostics, one of the nation’s largest diagnostic testing companies. The Secaucus, New Jersey-based company had done all the […]

shows states that have higher rates of coronavirus patients

White House document shows 18 states in coronavirus “red zone”

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White House document shows 18 states in coronavirus “red zone” - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina is one of the states identified by White House advisors for increased scrutiny because of the high rate of coronavirus cases in the state.

By Liz Essley Whyte Center for Public Integrity A document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force but not publicized suggests more than a dozen states should revert to more stringent protective measures, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, closing bars and gyms and asking residents to wear masks at all times. […]

Toni Henley says she is frustrated because her husband, Jeff, had to wait nearly a week to be tested for the COVID-19. Now he's being given hydroxychloroquine

Harnett County coronavirus patient now hospitalized, unproven drugs may be part of treatment

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Harnett County coronavirus patient now hospitalized, unproven drugs may be part of treatment - North Carolina Health News

Jeff Hensley, 57, started feeling ill on March 4, now his wife says he's being treated with hydroxychloroquine, an old drug that researchers hope will be a "hail Mary" treatment for coronavirus infection.

By Greg Barnes and Rose Hoban Update: Jeff Hensley returned home Sunday, according to a Facebook post his wife, Toni Hensley wrote.  “[H]e is tired and weak and still short of breath but he will be recovering at home with his personal home nurse,” she wrote. A Harnett County man with the coronavirus has taken […]

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

Federal proposal could change the face of Medicaid in North Carolina

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Federal proposal could change the face of Medicaid in North Carolina - North Carolina Health News

A Trump Administration announcement of lump-sum offer for adult Medicaid coverage draws fire from some quarters.

By Sarah Ovaska and Liora Engel-Smith The Trump Administration announced a proposal Thursday that could potentially transform how Medicaid functions in some areas. The proposal would let states opt into a lump-sum funding system to pay for the health care needs of low-income, working-age adults. The proposal is already drawing fire from critics and Democrats […]

shows a lake with pilings sticking up from the water. It's a lake contaminated with coal ash.

Researcher weighs in on Trump administration’s coal ash rule redo

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Researcher weighs in on Trump administration’s coal ash rule redo - North Carolina Health News

Earlier this month, the US EPA announced amendments to the regulations for the disposal of coal ash. Environmentalists are saying the rollback gives industry permission to pollute longer.

By Mark Hibbs Coastal Review Online The Trump administration moved last week to rewrite part of Obama-era regulations addressing coal ash disposal, which entails risks that a Duke University researcher says are all too familiar in coastal North Carolina. But a Duke Energy spokesperson said the proposed changes will have no effect on the utility’s […]

shows the front of a Medicare card

Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches

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Seniors signing up during Medicare open enrollment hitting glitches - North Carolina Health News

Annual open enrollment for Medicare started Oct. 15 and concludes Dec. 7. State officials and advocates involved in Medicare benefits say glitches are slowing the process for consumers to sign up, even as the process gets more complex.

By Thomas Goldsmith A newly revised Medicare sign-up page can produce drastically inflated costs for some drugs, incorrect premiums for low-income people, and other “worrisome” results, say North Carolina health officials who work to make sure people over 65 get appropriate benefits. Top management at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as […]

Shows the computer home page for people to choose a Medicare plan

Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say

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Medicare’s key means for selecting coverage has grown harder to use, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

Controversy is roiling over the revised Medicare Plan Finder, an online tool for selecting optimal plans. Medicare says it’ll be fine after some tweaking, but some advocates say it has major problems.

By Thomas Goldsmith and Anne Blythe Advocates for older people contend that the online method many people and advisers use to select Medicare plans has gotten so difficult to navigate that beneficiaries will run into trouble trying to make their choices. Federal Medicare representatives maintain there’s real benefit to consumers in changes the agency has […]

shows a young man standing in front of a window, looking at the camera. He tells his story of being on PrEP.

Even when HIV prevention drug is covered, other costs block treatment

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Even when HIV prevention drug is covered, other costs block treatment - North Carolina Health News

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, makes it possible to almost completely stop transmission of HIV, but it costs thousands of dollars each month.

By Michelle Andrews Kaiser Health News Three years ago, Corey Walsh, who was in a relationship with a man who was HIV-positive, got a prescription for Truvada, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent infection with the virus that causes AIDS. Walsh, then 23, was covered by his parents’ health insurance […]

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