Families face growing child care shortage as closures outpace openings
Child advocates — and NC Gov. Josh Stein — are urging legislators to tackle pay, subsidies and infrastructure to improve access to child care.
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Population growth to impact water infrastructure
As North Carolina’s population grows, local and state governments, elected officials, educators and nonprofit groups are bracing for the demands more residents will put on the state’s already taxed and aging water infrastructure.
🔗 buff.ly/Fb71sTq
A new perk for state workers: free surgery
The State Health Plan promises no-cost surgeries if members use certain surgeons. It’s a strategy more employers are adopting as they try to rein in rising health care costs.
Read more:
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/09/a...
NC’s Teepa Snow is teaching how to approach dementia differently
Read the full story at www.nchealthnews.org
What does it take to restore rural maternity care? Chatham County’s family physician-led maternity unit offers a possible blueprint for filling maternity care gaps.
Read the full story:
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/06/c...
National EV funding fight hits home along Charlotte’s I‑77 corridor
A court ruling frees up billions for EV charging, offering hope to West End residents living with highway exhaust even as new I‑77 toll lane plans face growing community pushback.
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/05/f...
NC’s Teepa Snow learned early that what looked like “behavior problems” in people with dementia were often attempts to communicate, a lesson that reshaped her entire approach. Now she teaches care partners to see the person first.
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/04/t...
Some lawmakers push to restore funding for program aimed at improving infant, maternal health
The Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina lost its funding last year after getting caught in a budget dispute.
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/03/p...
NC lawmakers consider options to force psychiatric treatment for people with severe mental illness
Read more 🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/03/02/n...
NC Medicaid director Jay Ludlam steps down after overseeing the state’s expansion, which added coverage for more than 710k residents since Dec. 2023.
NC faces new federal work requirements, billions in potential funding losses.
🔗 buff.ly/oaJPSJp
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NC lawmakers wrestle with broken mental health system, ask public for input
Lawmakers are trying to fix a mental health system that sends people with illnesses through a cycle of ERs, jails and psych hospitals.
Read the full story:
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/26/i...
#ncpol #ncga
A hotter, wetter South is becoming a breeding ground for mold.
After Hurricane Helene, Asheville renters report worsening water damage and respiratory symptoms — while scientists study how climate change may be amplifying mold risks.
Full story via Grist:
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‘Something needs to change’: Report details isolation at NC juvenile detention centers
A review by Disability Rights NC found that teens in some state juvenile detention centers spend more than 22 hours a day in their cells, despite policies limiting isolation.
Full story here:
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Independent pharmacies across NC say pharmacy benefit managers PBMs — the middlemen negotiating drug prices for insurers — have squeezed reimbursements and imposed opaque fees that threaten their survival.
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More than 70,000 mothers were referred to police over alleged substance use during pregnancy — often tied to flawed/misinterpreted drug tests. Many cases involved prescribed meds/legal CBD. In thousands of cases, no abuse was found.
Full investigation: buff.ly/tgOm6s7
ACA's NC enrollment fell 22% in 2026 — the largest drop in the country.
More than 200,000 residents lost affordable coverage after enhanced subsidies expired and premiums rose. Advocates warn more may drop coverage soon.
What’s driving the decline? 👇
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/20/a...
Dentists, oral health advocates urge EPA to use ‘gold standard science’ in its fluoride review
The EPA is accepting public comments on its preliminary assessment plan for review of fluoride in drinking water.
Full story at the link::
🔗 buff.ly/OO0hZ2q
Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan says moving forward after hard-fought environmental justice gains fall before shifting federal priorities will require relying on science and exchanging ideas. 🔗 Full story at our website.
Sunlight illuminates stained glass windows over wooden pews. Milner Memorial Presbyterian Church, where those windows once displayed worship, is gone. In its place is Milner Commons, an affordable housing complex for older adults. 🔗 Full story at our website.
She entered a mammogram van expecting peace of mind.
After an abnormal result, she faced canceled and delayed appointments before finally getting answers.
Mobile screening expands access — but without timely follow-up, lives can be put at risk.
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/18/a...
Kimberly Sanders thought getting her annual mammogram in a mobile van would make screening easier. But when the results came back abnormal, Charlotte’s largest imaging provider wanted her to start over — and pay out of pocket. 🔗 Full story at our website.
Hard-fought environmental justice gains fall before shifting federal priorities, leaving communities in renewed uncertainty
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From sanctuary to senior housing, Milner Commons reflects shifting needs
Milner Commons is an affordable senior housing community built on the former site of Milner Memorial Presbyterian Church, preserving touches of the church’s past while serving a new mission.
READ MORE ⬇️
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Without school vaccine mandates, many kids may never see a doctor
As a growing number of states weaken childhood immunization requirements, physicians fear many families will miss critical wellness checks.
Read More ➡️
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/14/w...
At 75, Myron Cohen isn’t interested in retiring. But fewer titles would be welcome.
UNC Chapel Hill’s Cohen, who became known for his research into controlling the spread of HIV, says it’s time to pass the torch.
Read ➡️
🔗 www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/13/m...
North Carolina’s three state psychiatric hospitals — Cherry, Central Regional and Broughton — serve about 570 patients each day. But hundreds more wait weeks or even months for a bed.
We’re driven to help you understand how health policies and systems affect your everyday life.
Your support helps us do that — and every single donor makes a difference. Join us in the race to 100 new recurring donors in 2026.
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Who gets a bed in NC’s state psychiatric hospitals — and who waits?
NC psych hospitals are struggling to meet demand due to staffing shortages while limited hospital capacity is taken up by criminal defendants ordered by courts to receive psychiatric treatment.
🔗 buff.ly/6btAukI
#ncpol #ncga
A 10-year federal program meant to strengthen primary care clinics was canceled after just one year — leaving NC providers worried about patient access and staffing shortages.
Read more: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/02/11/c...
