Public health workers say new restrictions on drug-checking supplies come as street drugs become more contaminated and unpredictable. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/06/03/m...

New app aims to make it easier for people leaving incarceration to identify resources Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/06/02/n...

Not submitting kindergarten health requirement forms puts students in jeopardy of being sent home until the assessment or immunization records are submitted, health and school officials said. www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/06/01/h...

We saw NC House Bill 1232 was trending, here’s the #policycheckup #nchousebill1232 #ncpol #abortion #ncabortionbill

As Martin County struggles without a hospital, a federal rural health fund may offer little relief. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/30/t...

The bill would require that every school have automated external defibrillators, which increase the chance of surviving a heart attack. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/29/c...

Mary Otto, a UNC grad and health journalist, brings the story of a Maryland boy who died from preventable tooth infection complications, to a new cohort of dental school graduates. One of UNC’s focuses is oral health advocacy training. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/28/g...

On a Spring Hope farm, organizers hand out hydration packets, grow food and plan emergency housing as North Carolina farmworkers face deadly heat and limited legal safeguards. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/27/m...

Inspection reports reveal harm occurring inside North Carolina nursing homes. For families seeking accountability, the legal path is long, complex and often out of public view. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/26/f...

Healthcare needs in fast-growing Wilmington region could be easier to meet if a UNCW med school trains doctors for nearby rural communities. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/24/u...

Warming ocean waters are priming beaches and raw shellfish for Vibrio. Scientists are trying to stay one step ahead. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/23/a...

Proposed legislation aims to increase oversight of hospital mergers, cap nonprofit hospital CEO pay and add more accountability for hospital authorities like Charlotte-based Atrium. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/22/l...

NC lawmakers are proposing a bill to reduce repeat inspections in adult care homes, arguing the process is burdensome and duplicative. Advocates warn fewer inspections could create oversight gaps for seniors and people with disabilities. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/21/n...

David Wohl, a UNC Health physician, discusses the recent Ebola outbreak which was declared a global health emergency as deaths rapidly rise. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/20/q...

Attorney General Jeff Jackson elects to join 24 other states plus the District of Columbia, arguing that a new rule limiting the amount students can borrow is illegal. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/20/n...

Thousands of people with mental illness return to North Carolina communities from prisons and jails each year. State leaders are expanding programs aimed at reducing crises, closing gaps in behavioral health care and lowering recidivism. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/19/n...

Family members and home care advocates worked the legislative hallways last week. They were seeking better pay for home health aides, nurses and advocating for continued service levels for disabled and medically fragile people. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/18/n...

It received conditional approval – now contested – to increase patient capacity by 13 percent; staff is projected to grow 3.7 percent. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/16/i...

One chemical found in a recent study of the creek’s watershed is an erectile dysfunction drug. “I don’t think the squirrels are taking Cialis and Viagra,” one researcher said. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/15/p...

The number of people who took in a juvenile family member was nearly 16 percent higher in 2025 than in 2023, when the state began paying unlicensed kinship caregivers. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/14/k...

Former Healthy Opportunities Pilot leaders launch new rural health efforts while pushing lawmakers to restore direct service funding. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/13/n...

Candace Beverly explains the value of the opportunity Dream.Org is providing to a group of formerly incarcerated and justice‑impacted individuals.

Dream.Org’s reentry program pairs clean energy training with counseling, stipends and support services so justice-impacted people can land good jobs in the green economy. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/12/c...

A new North Carolina mobile crisis program for children, MORES, aims to keep kids out of emergency rooms and psychiatric hospitals by sending mental health workers directly to families’ homes for up to eight weeks. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/11/a...

According to the researchers, the reasons for the disparity are complicated, but overdose mortality remains one of the primary factors driving the difference. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/10/r...

NC Medicaid funding bill came with unintended consequences and several perceived flaws. Some lawmakers talk fixes, but outlook unclear. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/09/i...

Residents packed the meeting with a petition, persuading commissioners to scrap a 12‑month proposal and support an advisory committee with residents at the table. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/08/n...

The closure of A Woman’s Choice in Greensboro leaves 17 clinics statewide and highlights the financial and operational strain providers face under tighter abortion restrictions. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/08/n...

Speakers described to lawmakers decade-long waits for services, mounting financial strain and fears that ongoing budget uncertainty and potential Medicaid cuts could further destabilize care. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/07/n...

Hospital leaders say joining together will allow them to invest in new facilities and expand services, but critics raise cost and oversight concerns. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/06/w...

Program officials expect more people will need help once Medicaid work requirements kick in next year. In Guilford County, about 10,180 people could lose Medicaid due to the new rules, estimates show. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/05/o...

After initial media reports detailed the proposed combination of the Raleigh- and Charlotte-based systems, Wake County commissioners may move to slow down decision-making. #ncpol #ncga Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/04/s...

Efforts to reduce Black maternal deaths in North Carolina face funding cuts, policy hurdles, and ongoing gaps in access to doula care. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/03/a...

After an allergic reaction, an NC woman was sent to the ER for monitoring—and later billed $6,700 for “critical care” during a brief visit. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/02/a...

Atrium’s proposed deal with WakeMed would extend the reach of the state’s largest hospital system and raise new competition concerns. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/01/c...

The proposal would align North Carolina with federal law and most states while adding oversight to tobacco and vape retailers. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/05/01/n...

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Looming Medicaid work rules bring big challenges to NC counties From Outer Banks resort towns to tobacco-belt farming communities, county offices say the people most likely to lose coverage are the ones working hardest to get by.

From Outer Banks resort towns to tobacco-belt farming communities, county offices say the people most likely to lose coverage are the ones working hardest to get by. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/30/m...

About 10 percent of county social services positions dedicated to Medicaid are currently vacant, even as recertification work will double. Adding to the scramble: they still don’t have a roadmap. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/29/m...

Fayetteville Police Chief Roberto Bryan Jr. discusses the benefits of the police department’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program.

Atrium Health’s planned closed‑door meeting is raising eyebrows because it’s a public hospital authority expected to operate transparently. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/29/p...

Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs aim to reduce criminal involvement and connect people to care. Read the full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/28/n...

NC dentists push for higher Medicaid payments to tackle access crisis as a bipartisan trio of state senators are sponsoring a bill to help more children and adults on Medicaid get oral health care.

Families say ABA — applied behavioral analysis therapy— has been life-changing. But a surge in Medicaid spending — and questions about who’s collecting it — has put the therapy under scrutiny. Read the full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/27/a...

Behavioral health urgent care set to open in Robeson County The facility will be open 24 hours a day to help patients who are experiencing a mental health or substance misuse crisis. Read the full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/26/b...

Living with microplastics, and finding ways to reduce exposure Researchers from Duke say the science on how all these plastics could be affecting our health is still emerging, but there already are ways to reduce risk. Read more: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/24/r...

Medicaid breakthrough comes with unexpected immigration mandates The deal, if passed, would keep expansion largely intact. Immigrant advocates say new provisions could push families away from care, putting U.S.-born children at risk. Read now: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/23/m...

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NC dentists push for higher Medicaid payments to tackle access crisis A bipartisan trio of state senators are sponsoring a bill to help more children and adults on Medicaid get oral health care. Full story: www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/22/n...