A new perk for state workers: free surgery

A new perk for state workers: free surgery

By Michelle Crouch What if your health plan offered free surgery, but only by surgeons on its approved list? That’s the incentive behind a new program the North Carolina State Health Plan is rolling o...

Population growth to impact water infrastructure

Population growth to impact water infrastructure

By Jennifer Allen Coastal Review Online As North Carolina’s population grows, local and state governments, elected officials, educators and nonprofit groups are bracing for the demands more residents ...

8 Things to Have the Doctor Check After an Aging Person Falls

8 Things to Have the Doctor Check After an Aging Person Falls

If you want to prevent dangerous falls in an aging adult, here’s one of the very best things you can do: be proactive about getting the right kind of medical assessment after a fall. Why? There are ...

What does it take to restore rural maternity care? One NC hospital shows a way.

What does it take to restore rural maternity care? One NC hospital shows a way.

By Rachel Crumpler A clear container of pink, blue and white beads sits on display at the nurses’ station of a five-bed rural maternity care unit in Siler City, the Chatham County seat. A label reads:...

National EV funding fight hits home along Charlotte’s I‑77 corridor

National EV funding fight hits home along Charlotte’s I‑77 corridor

By Will Atwater Ron Ross, 70, has spent decades in Charlotte’s Historic West End watching traffic thicken on nearby I‑77 and working alongside his neighbors to fight for cleaner air and a healthier fu...

NC’s Teepa Snow is teaching how to approach dementia differently

NC’s Teepa Snow is teaching how to approach dementia differently

By Ashley Fredde Teepa Snow had been properly warned that “Ms. Jackson is on a tear” by the on-duty nurse when she strode into the room.  She recalls huffing in exasperation  and thinking in response ...

Some lawmakers push to restore funding for program aimed at improving infant, maternal health

Some lawmakers push to restore funding for program aimed at improving infant, maternal health

By Jennifer Fernandez RALEIGH — A statewide group that has focused on improving the health of mothers and babies since 2009 has been winding down its work since it lost state funding last October. Wor...

NC lawmakers consider options to force psychiatric treatment for people with severe mental illness

NC lawmakers consider options to force psychiatric treatment for people with severe mental illness

By Taylor Knopf As North Carolina lawmakers grapple with how to keep people with serious mental illness out of jails and hospitals, one intervention that has piqued their interest is forcing people in...

Hospitals fighting measles confront a challenge: Few doctors have seen it iefore

Hospitals fighting measles confront a challenge: Few doctors have seen it iefore

By Andrew Jones KFF Health News ASHEVILLE — At around 2 a.m., 7-year-old twin brothers arrived at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Both had a fever, a cough, a rash, pink eye, and cold symptoms. The boy...

5 Ways to Help Someone Age in Place

5 Ways to Help Someone Age in Place

People of all older ages often tell me they hope to age in place. Meaning, they want to be able to remain in their home and community, even as time brings changes to life, health, and abilities. These...