Nursing shortage persists in North Carolina, despite recent improvements

Nursing shortage persists in North Carolina, despite recent improvements

By Jaymie Baxley Though North Carolina still has far fewer nurses than it needs, incremental gains have been made in addressing the shortage. That was the key takeaway from an analysis released Sept. ...

Parents fear losing disability protections as Trump slashes civil rights office

Parents fear losing disability protections as Trump slashes civil rights office

By Fred Clasen-Kelly KFF Health News Devon Price, a 15-year-old boy with autism, has attended the largest school district in North Carolina for 10 years, but he cannot read or write. His twin sister, ...

North Carolina watches for signs of bird flu as fall migration begins

North Carolina watches for signs of bird flu as fall migration begins

By Will Atwater Mid-September signals the soon-to-arrive familiar fall rhythms: leaves preparing to turn from green to gold and crimson, pumpkin spice flavors reappearing on menus and migratory birds ...

NC turns to mobile clinics to expand substance use treatment 

NC turns to mobile clinics to expand substance use treatment 

By Rachel Crumpler In 2024, more than 3,000 North Carolinians are estimated to have died from opioid overdose. Since 2000, more than 41,500 people have died from overdoses.  Even as the overdose death...

HealthySteps, which supports families in pediatric clinics, looks to expand in NC

HealthySteps, which supports families in pediatric clinics, looks to expand in NC

By Jennifer Fernandez Jamestown resident Ashley Robinson’s third child arrived three months early. A micro-preemie, Milo weighed just 1 pound, 2.7 ounces, smaller than an average woman’s shoe. At 3 we...

People 65 and older no longer need a prescription for a COVID booster

People 65 and older no longer need a prescription for a COVID booster

By Anne Blythe In an effort to tamp down confusion and frustration about who can and can’t get a COVID vaccine, and whether they have to have a health care provider’s prescription, state health direct...

Federal vaccine guidance changes cause confusion, frustration

Federal vaccine guidance changes cause confusion, frustration

By Anne Blythe and Lola Oliverio Amid all the chaos and confusion emanating from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention these days about vaccines, Christoph Diasio, a Southern Pines pediatrici...

One stop at a time, mobile reentry center helps people get back on their feet after incarceration

One stop at a time, mobile reentry center helps people get back on their feet after incarceration

By Rachel Crumpler On a recent Friday in Greenville, a black bus parked outside the Joy Community Center and Soup Kitchen, drawing attention from those arriving for a hot meal. White lettering on the ...

NC landfills create hidden risk: PFAS-contaminated sludge and groundwater

NC landfills create hidden risk: PFAS-contaminated sludge and groundwater

By Will Atwater On a warm July morning, Joe Suleyman — dressed in a neon vest, short sleeves and blue jeans — stood on a grassy hill in New Hanover County. White clouds drifted across a bright blue sk...

Help line gives pediatricians crucial mental health information to help kids, families

Help line gives pediatricians crucial mental health information to help kids, families

By Emily Chambliss In North Carolina, the odds of finding a child psychiatrist  depend too often on your ZIP code. Even in urban counties such as Wake or Mecklenburg, families may wait months for an a...