public health
North Carolina cities and towns score high in LGBTQ equality, despite state laws
Despite a legislative session that featured several broad assaults on LGBTQ people, their visibility and their allies, most North Carolina cities and towns scored high for LGBTQ equality measures in a new study from The Human Rights Campaign. The national LGBTQ advocacy organization released its annual Municipal Equality Index this week, scoring more than 500 cities […]
Trans patients and their doctors struggle with confusion, fear under healthcare bans
[This story is part of ongoing work on LGBTQ+ healthcare in North Carolina, written by Joe Killian. It was conceived and written through a partnership between NC Newsline and Qnotes Carolinas. Due to concerns regarding threats of violence, Newsline agreed to identify some sources in this story by their first names only.] When Sage, a […]
Most Americans want health exceptions in abortion bans. Political infighting keeps blocking them.
In early October, an Idaho woman 20 weeks into her pregnancy went to the emergency room after her water broke about five months early. When the water breaks prematurely, an infection can develop and infect the fetus, placenta and other fluids. At that stage of pregnancy, the threat of infection becomes a ticking clock for […]
Tens of thousands of NC residents have lost Medicaid coverage since June. Some will have a chance to get it back.
About 100,000 North Carolinians lost their government health insurance this summer, as those who were able to keep their Medicaid coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic have been removed because they may no longer qualify. Once Medicaid expansion kicks in on Dec. 1, however, some who lost insurance coverage will be able to get it back. […]
With COVID hospitalizations rising, Duke experts urge people who are eligible to get the next COVID booster
The rise in hospitalizations and the report that First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 is a reminder that the virus is still with us, though not wreaking the kind of havoc it did in the first two years of the pandemic. A daily average of 501 patients with COVID were hospitalized in North […]
Weekend reads: Cooper’s latest veto, classrooms under conservative rule, and NC’s isolated wetland
Former UNC basketball coach launches an airball with ill-informed advocacy (commentary) By Rob Schofield Former UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell doesn’t appear to be an insincere person. At a rally at the Legislative Building on Aug. 16, organized by right-wing culture warriors in support of a bill to ban transgender girls and women from participating […]
One on one with Dr. Betsey Tilson, North Carolina’s State Health Director
As students prepare to return to classrooms across North Carolina, health experts expect to see an uptick in respiratory viruses. Dr. Betsey Tilson, North Carolina’s State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer, says back-to-school preparations should also include staying up-to-date with vaccines. This includes talking with your doctor about getting a seasonal flu vaccine, a […]
A peek at big pharma’s playbook that leaves many Americans unable to afford their drugs
America’s pharmaceutical giants are suing this summer to block the federal government’s first effort at drug price regulation. Last year’s Inflation Reduction Act included what on its face seems a modest proposal: The federal government would for the first time be empowered to negotiate prices Medicare pays for drugs — but only for 10 very […]
Piedmont Lithium gets cold shoulder in Gaston County
Locke Bell and Warren Snowdon hiked through a Gaston County forest, its foliage still full despite the lateness of the year. It was 2021, and they and some friends had spent the afternoon traversing creeks and streams and cliffs, and paying their respects at a family cemetery. “Oh my God, right through there,” Bell said, […]
Families grieving fentanyl deaths to rally in support of new laws
The Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina will rally at the N.C. State Capitol Building later this month, pushing for stronger penalties for illegal distribution of the synthetic opioid and more funding for early intervention, Naloxone and processing toxicology reports. They are also asking state lawmakers for opioid overdoses to be investigated as homicides. As […]
Less federal money coming to NC for childhood immunization program
A federal cut to states’ childhood immunization grant programs will mean North Carolina will get $3.3 million less than expected for its data systems. The CDC told public health officials last month that it is reducing funding for childhood vaccine programs, KFF Health News reported. The CDC linked the cut to the debt-ceiling deal between […]
EPA announces $58 million investment in eradicating lead in drinking water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it would distribute $58 million in grant funding toward the goal of protecting children from lead in drinking water in U.S. schools and childcare facilities. “During his first year in office, President Biden announced a bold plan to replace every lead pipe in America. Today’s announcement is another […]