State plans to make COVID-19 vaccine available for free, prioritized first to health care workers, residents and workers at long-term care facilities.
From CPP: Staffing demands as pandemic surges could cripple NC hospitals
While beds and ventilators were a concern for hospitals early in the pandemic, officials now worry about having enough trained staff to handle the rising case load, and frontline workers cope with burnout.
Asheville Integrative Medicine closes up shop
Asheville Integrative Medicine will close next month, a victim of COVID-19 and the ensuing recession.
BeLoved Asheville co-directors are thankful for a vibrant, generous community
“In the midst of 2020, we learned that the impossible can become possible through the power of community.”
On gratitude: Stacie Saunders
“I think we are all looking forward to a time that we can be with families and friends again without worry of possibly getting them sick. That day is not today, but it will be a day in our future.”
COVID-19 compounds housing crisis
With Asheville’s only day shelter for people who are homeless undergoing renovations, and overnight options unable to admit those in need of short-term shelter due to the pandemic, “For people experiencing homelessness, this is going to be a brutal winter,” says Eleanor Ashton of nonprofit Homeward Bound.
From NC Health News: More farmworker women are bringing their children to work during the pandemic
Throughout this year’s agricultural season, migrant farmworkers have struggled to find child care for young kids who would usually spend their days in classrooms.
Health in brief: St. Gerard House expands services for autistic teens
Annual events move to Zoom, nonprofits prepare for Thanksgiving and more area wellness news.
Communicating COVID: How WNC counties are delivering the message
In North Carolina, local health departments are not required to publicly post or share COVID-19 data, leaving it up to each local entity to decide if, when and how to do so. And while WNC counties are making vital pandemic-related information public, they’re not all taking the same approach.
Crisis medicine: Potential COVID-19 treatments that lack FDA approval
Some local doctors and alternative health practitioners have turned to hundreds of small-scale and observational studies suggesting that cheap, over-the-counter supplements such as vitamin D and zinc might strike a significant blow in the struggle against COVID-19.
New Cooper order seeks to prevent COVID-19 evictions
Gov. Roy Cooper said the order would clear up legal confusion about whether an existing moratorium, issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, covered tenants who live outside of federally subsidized housing.
From AVL Watchdog: Mission sale: Good for WNC, or just HCA?
Years from now, the decision in 2018 by the directors of Mission Health to sell to HCA Healthcare might be seen as a brilliant strategic maneuver, one that guaranteed affordable, high-quality healthcare for future generations of western North Carolinians. This was, and still is, the position of the directors and executives who pushed the deal.
Melody LeBaron on coping with death and dying
People who are facing death, as well as their families, need to make dozens of decisions large and small, author Melody LeBaron says, and everyone should have a plan in place before the final moments of life. Her new book provides support for creating a roadmap to guide individuals and their loved ones as death approaches.
North Carolina will stay in Phase 3 for three more weeks
Instead of reimposing additional statewide restrictions — something Gov. Roy Cooper has repeatedly said he wants to avoid unless absolutely necessary — the governor asked local law enforcement agencies to “enhance prevention efforts.”
County urges vigilance as COVID-19 cases creep upward
“People are out and about, sometimes with symptoms, putting people at risk,” said Stacie Saunders, Buncombe County’s public health director, during an Oct. 20 update to the county Board of Commissioners. “Folks are not adhering to the precautions like keeping 6 feet apart.”
From AVL Watchdog: A done deal: How Mission Health wooed HCA
The news stunned Asheville and Western North Carolina, where Mission Health System Inc. was the area’s largest employer, its main healthcare provider, and a long-time source of civic pride. Seemingly out of the blue, Mission’s directors publicly announced on March 21, 2018, that they had voted to sell the 133-year-old nonprofit to HCA Healthcare.
COVID-19 roundup: Cases rising across the state, on college campuses
For the second day in a row, North Carolina set a record for the most COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. With numbers rising both across the state and in Buncombe County, here’s what you need to know about the coronavirus as the weekend approaches.
Jackson County study tests wastewater for COVID-19 outbreaks
A team of Jackson County researchers found that wastewater collected in rural areas can be used to track COVID-19 outbreaks up to a week before a patient tests positive. Now, they’re hoping to expand the study across the region.
North Carolina hits new COVID-19 peak
The 2,532 new COVID-19 cases reported Oct. 15 marked the state’s highest one-day increase since the pandemic began in March. With worsening metrics, North Carolina residents need to step up and do their part to slow the viral spread, Gov. Roy Cooper said.
From The Center Square: Buncombe County official tight-lipped with lawmakers about social service incident
Buncombe County Health and Human Services Director Talmadge “Stoney” Blevins gave North Carolina lawmakers limited details about his agency’s decision to place a 9-year-old girl in a drug- and needle-filled hotel room during a hearing on Oct. 13.
COVID-19 cases continue to climb
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,428 new cases of COVID-19 on Oct. 8, the highest count since July 30. Hospitalizations are the highest they’ve been all month, and in Buncombe County, viral spread is somewhat higher.