By Michelle Crouch Key Takeaways: For almost four months, supporters and critics of Atrium Health’s proposed combination with Raleigh-based WakeMed Health and Hospitals have filled meeting rooms, fired off emails to elected officials, carried signs and bought radio ads as they argued over what the deal would mean for Wake County. Wake County commissioners are […]

The post 10 key questions about the proposed WakeMed-Atrium deal appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Ryan Oehrli NC Local Flu season is fast approaching. Pharmacies and doctor’s offices are already offering vaccinations, and some North Carolinians may be eligible for a new mRNA flu shot.  Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first mRNA vaccine for influenza, a shot from Moderna. A study found 27% fewer flu […]

The post This flu season, here’s where and how you can get vaccinated in NC appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Will Atwater Key Takeaways: For nearly three years, Kensley Wellons, 54, has helped ensure that Greensboro schoolchildren have nutritious meals each day. Wellons, an elementary school cafeteria staff member, said a typical shift includes preparing meals, stocking canned goods deliveries, running the register during lunch service and connecting with students. Her work doesn’t end […]

The post A Greensboro mom navigates SNAP renewals, program changes and high grocery costs appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Anne Blythe Key Takeaways:  On the first of September, Davie County will join the list of North Carolina community drinking water systems no longer adding fluoride to their supplies. Unlike the handful of other counties that considered ending system fluoridation, the decision in Davie County had a new twist. Pragmatic decisions about international supply […]

The post Davie County ends water fluoridation after supply chain problems appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Rachel Crumpler Key Takeaways: Inside North Carolina prisons, incarcerated people have long turned to fellow prisoners for guidance about faith, conflict, grief, addiction and simply how to navigate life behind bars.  An increasing number of those people are “field ministers” — incarcerated men who have earned a four-year bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry while […]

The post Faith and counseling in NC prisons can come through peers behind bars  appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Ted Clifford Asheville Watchdog The Aug. 19 hearing at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College was a routine part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services certificate of need process. It was an opportunity for state regulators to hear public comments and presentations on the competing proposals before them. But today, even routine […]

The post 92 new hospital beds up for grabs amid anger at HCA, distrust of state regulators appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Michelle Crouch Key Takeaways:  As Atrium Health continues its push to join forces with Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals, its leaders have repeatedly pointed to another North Carolina deal as evidence of what to expect: its 2020 combination with Winston-Salem-based Wake Forest Baptist. “Don’t judge us by what we say; judge us by what […]

The post As Atrium pursues WakeMed, a look inside its last big North Carolina deal appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Rachel Crumpler Key Takeaways: For weeks, dozens of men at Neuse Correctional Institution, a medium-custody prison in Goldsboro, have experienced intense itching and pimple-like bumps appearing all over their bodies.  Many of the men believe they have scabies, a skin condition caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin and lay eggs. “You […]

The post ‘You can’t resist scratching’: Scabies cases identified at NC prison appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Andrew Jones KFF Health News Hospitals across the U.S. are trying to reduce maternal deaths and complications after pregnancies using one small tool: a silicone wristband stamped with the declaration “I Gave Birth.” The wristbands are part of a growing initiative first launched by North Carolina-based ECU Health as Congress sought to address the […]

The post Hospitals say they found a tool to help reduce childbirth risks: wristbands appeared first on North Carolina Health News.

By Jennifer Fernandez Key Takeaways: About a week after finishing the Early Childhood Workforce Ready Academy in Wayne County, Dominque McBride walked into Little Bulldogs Academy in Goldsboro. She carried a packet filled with certifications — such as CPR, first aid, playground safety — that she earned while undergoing intensive training during the two-week academy […]

The post North Carolina invests in fast-track training to combat child care worker shortages, center closures appeared first on North Carolina Health News.