urgent care

shows a silhouette of a person sitting hunched on the floor, that's devolving into question marks and triangles

Mental health parity isn’t panning out for some patients and parents

January 22, 2019 by Yen Duong

Mental health parity isn’t panning out for some patients and parents - North Carolina Health News

A federal law is supposed to guarantee that mental health patients get treated the same as other patients, but that's not been the case for these three patients who tell their stories of struggling with insurance companies.

This is the second in our series of stories about how well North Carolina has done at enacting a law requiring mental health services to be covered on par with physical health. By Yen Duong A federal law passed in 2008 was supposed to ensure that patients with mental and behavioral illnesses were treated on […]

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 […]

Keeping a Hospital Afloat in Far Western Murphy

January 18, 2018 by Rose Hoban

Keeping a Hospital Afloat in Far Western Murphy - North Carolina Health News

Mike Stevenson has been at the helm of Murphy Medical Center for 30 years. He’s getting ready to leave, even as he’s preparing the institution for big changes.

By Rose Hoban In the 30 years Mike Stevenson has been leading Murphy Medical Center, he’s seen it happen too often: People wait to get the treatment they need. “They’re too proud to get care they cannot pay for, and therefore don’t get it until too late in their disease,” he said. Stevenson calls these […]

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 […]

Photo shows a brick wall with the words "Cleveland Crisis & recovery Center" on it.

A Place to Go for Prompt Help with Behavioral Health Problems

February 1, 2017 by Thomas Goldsmith

A Place to Go for Prompt Help with Behavioral Health Problems - North Carolina Health News

The Cleveland Crisis and Recovery Center is one of a handful of psychiatric urgent care centers in North Carolina.

By Thomas Goldsmith The young woman knew she needed help, she said, after she bit her husband’s thumb to the bone, then jumped out of a car traveling 45 miles per hour. Melissa Leonard, 21, of Lincoln County, admitted herself in late January to Cleveland Crisis and Recovery Center, a 16-bed behavioral-health urgent care center […]

Belhaven Mayor Paul O'Neal was at the legislature Wednesday morning. Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Spruce Pine) stands to his right.

Belhaven Mayor Looks for Answers to His Town’s Hospital Problem

August 13, 2015 by Editor

Belhaven Mayor Looks for Answers to His Town’s Hospital Problem - North Carolina Health News

A rural mayor wades into the ongoing argument over the state’s certificate of need program. By Rose Hoban In a press conference at the General Assembly Wednesday, Belhaven Mayor Paul O’Neal thumped the podium in frustration that Pungo Hospital, located in his town, remains closed after a year. “This community needs a hospital,” he said. […]

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