The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on both routine kidney care and the number of transplants. At the same time, the estimated 37 million American adults with chronic kidney disease are at greater risk of contracting the virus.
Author: Xpress Contributor
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From NC Health News: North Carolina’s coronavirus surge, explained in three charts
With more numbers than ever, it can be hard to understand the magnitude of the pandemic in North Carolina. N.C. Health News created three charts to help make sense of coronavirus in the state.
There goes Vance …
Exploring the Swannanoa Gap
The route through the Swannanoa Gap — where present-day Old U.S. 70 and Mill Creek Road intersect — was first carved out by Archaic Indians as they came up out of the Appalachian foothills and followed Swannanoa Creek on the way to hunting and gathering opportunities in the mountains. Later, Buncombe County’s first white settlers climbed through the gap as they moved into the area. Historian Dan Pierce shares the gap’s history and culture, as well as suggestions for exploration.
From AVL Watchdog: What’s in a name? For Asheville, signs point to history of racism
Vance, Patton, Woodfin, Henderson, Weaver, Chunn, Baird — their names are familiar to anyone living in Asheville and Buncombe County today. All were wealthy and influential civic leaders. They were also major slaveholders or slave traders and white supremacists.
From CPP: Program supports WNC farmers and offers food relief during pandemic
With farmers losing access to customers and many people facing food insecurity during pandemic, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project offers a solution.
From AVL Watchdog: How tech can help Asheville’s economy
In 2019, if you were to ask anyone what drove Asheville’s economy, they’d tell you beer, arts and crafts, outdoor recreation, hotels and restaurants. In short, tourism. Today, with those businesses only just beginning to ramp back up and tourists staying home, talk of diversifying Asheville’s economy is picking up.
Help protect water quality in WNC’s national forests
“Right now, the U.S. Forest Service is drafting the next forest management plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests … and, unfortunately, the current draft is inadequate in a few very important ways when it comes to protecting water quality.”
WNC’s Latino farmworkers feel COVID-19 impacts
As “congregate living settings,” migrant farmworker camps have been listed as high-risk locations for virus transmission — not just by counties throughout Western North Carolina, but by state health officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Asheville hip-hop pioneer MC Huggs remembered for his talents and generosity
Fellow local hip-hop artist Michael “Foul Mouth Jerk” Capra pays tribute to his late friend, who laid the foundation for Asheville’s rap scene.
From CPP: Governor: Masks mandatory in NC; Phase 2 restrictions extended
Masks will be required in public places on honor system except when eating or drinking. Businesses that don’t require masks may be cited.
From AVL Watchdog: The race for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional district could embarrass Trump
As the race for the GOP nomination heads to the June 23 climax, Bennett appears by many indicators to be locked in a desperate race against 24-year-old political neophyte Madison Cawthorn of Hendersonville. A victory by Cawthorn, a political unknown until weeks ago, will be seen as a humiliating defeat for Bennett, a longtime GOP functionary.
From AVL Watchdog: Asheville arrest data suggest discrimination against Black people
African Americans in Asheville are three times more likely than white people to be searched by police in traffic stops and are disproportionately charged with common crimes such as marijuana possession in disparities that experts in police bias called shocking, an AVL Watchdog analysis of police data found.
From North Carolina Health News: As COVID-19 threatened western N.C., a new approach to fighting it in long-term care
Well before COVID-19 hit Western North Carolina, Henderson County formed a strike team to respond to outbreak in long-term care facilities. As the months wore on, the team proved invaluable to staff and residents at Cherry Springs Village, an assisted living facility in Hendersonville.
J Hackett on wounds old and new
J Hackett spoke with Xpress on June 2 about his experiences as a black community leader during the coronavirus pandemic and, now, the protests and grief experienced locally in response to George Floyd’s death on May 25 at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
From CPP: Asheville police action at protest medic station draws outrage
Police chief describes strike against medic station as preemptive because water bottles have been thrown on previous nights.
From CPP: Media coalition sues Cooper, cabinet agencies for COVID-19 records
Carolina Public Press and other news media organizations filed a lawsuit May 28 to obtain public records relating to state’s tracking and handling of COVID-19 crisis.
From AVL Watchdog: Families in fear at stricken nursing home
In its second article on COVID-19 hotspot Aston Park Health Care Center, AVL Watchdog speaks with the families of some residents. Unable to see their loved ones in person, they are faced with the difficult task of waiting and hoping.
A portrait from Hot Springs during COVID-19
As of May 25, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, there are zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hot Springs. However, the town is still following statewide protocols to help flatten the curve of coronavirus infections, and businesses such as Laughing Heart Lodge have borne the impacts.
From AVL Watchdog: COVID ravages Asheville nursing home, half of patients infected
By Friday morning, 55 elderly and infirm residents at the Aston Park Health Care Center in southwest Asheville and at least 30 of its staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
From AVL Watchdog: Pandemic put pause on Mission’s troubles
As Mission Health begins to reopen for elective surgeries and procedures put on hold during the first wave of the ongoing pandemic, the unresolved question that roiled the community just three months ago remains: Was HCA’s purchase of Mission Health healthy for Asheville?