The sometimes challenging road to health care in rural Western North Carolina extends beyond the curves of country back roads. Whether it’s dealing with the current physician shortage that affects all but Madison in the 16-county region or wrestling with social and economic barriers, local providers and patients share their challenges and plans to address rural health-care needs. (Cover by Emily Busey. Photo by Max Cooper.)
Despite challenges in providing health care to patients in rural areas, Dr. Steve North, founder and president of the Center for Rural Health Innovation, is building relationships with patients even when he’s not physically present.
As the July 31 deadline looms for ending Western Highlands Network’s state Medicaid contract, its board hopes to keep mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services close to home. (Above, WHN board member Steve Wyatt announces the board’s the resolution of intent to merge with Smoky Mountain. Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
Sierra Hollister, 49, has been offering Kundalini yoga classes to the community since 1995. (Photo by Kate Lundquist)
After the head of the state Department of Health and Human Services spoke for nearly an hour about plans to overhaul Medicaid, local providers say details and questions about the future of the program remain unknown and unanswered. (Photo of DHHS Secretary Alonda Wos by Caitlin Byrd)
With eight cases of the measles confirmed to date, officials from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services announced they are working with local health departments to investigate and control an outbreak. Though nothing can get rid of a measles infection, health officials say it can be prevented by the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.
As part of an ongoing effort to speak with North Carolinians about Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed changes to the way the state’s Medicaid program operates, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Aldona Wos and N.C. Medicaid Director Carol Steckel will give a presentation about the plan in Asheville on Monday, April 22. This presentation is intended for the provider community, and will be held at 11:30 a.m. at MAHEC Education Center at 121 Hendersonville Road.
One week after state officials notified Western Highlands Network that its Medicaid waiver contract will end July 31, WHN board members report that the Asheville-based organization’s future will come in one of two ways: merge with another local management entity, or pilot an integrated health-care program.
“Women veterans the fastest-growing population of homeless in America,” says retired Staff Sergeant Alyce Knaflich. Yet there are not enough beds available for them in local shelters.
On Friday, April 5, the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance notified the Asheville-based Western Highlands Network that it’s terminating its contract, effective July 31. WHN coordinates mental-health, substance-abuse and developmental-disability services in in Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Polk and Rutherford counties.
The concept of peers helping peers is nothing new in health care, but in Buncombe County the interest in peer support specialists is growing. Known informally as PSS, these people help others navigate the mental health and substance abuse system. However, peer support specialists have a unique perspective: They’re in recovery from mental illness and/or substance abuse themselves. As of March 21, there were 838 peer support specialists in North Carolina, 65 of them in Buncombe County. (Map courtesy of the Peer Support Specialist Program at UNC-Chapel Hill)
CarePartners and Mission Health went public with the future of their working relationship today when leaders from the two health care organizations announced that CarePartners will seek an affiliation with Mission Health. Above, Mission Health President and CEO Ron Paulus talks about the merger. (Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
A national study released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute shows that Buncombe County remains one of the top 20 counties in the state for overall county health rankings for the third year in a row. However, the No. 19 ranking received this year was a drop from the No. 14 spot held by the county last year. (Graphic by Emily Busey)
The phones at Listening Hearts Crisis Center will stop ringing in less than two weeks when the local suicide hotline disconnects indefinitely and suspends its services on April 1.
In honor of March being national nutrition month, Vice President for Women’s and Children’s Health at Mission Hospital and Medical Director for Mission Children’s Hospital, Dr. Susan Mims, writes a post about pediatric nutrition. (Photo courtesy of the Western Carolina Medical Society)
Silence penetrated the room as two UNC Asheville faculty members read anonymous stories of sexual harassment from a stack of notecards. The stories were shared at a sexual harassment speak-out event held on Thursday, Feb. 28, where UNCA faculty, staff and students discussed what sexual harassment means and how to respond both individually and culturally. (Includes audio)
On Thursday, the student-run UNCA community health fair showcased a full floor of exhibits promoting community wellness for all age groups. This year’s offerings included more than 20 new vendors, both franchised businesses and local health staples. (Photo by Jackie Starkey)
After sharing 42 slides worth of charts, data and graphs, an independent economic consultant speaking to local doctors, health advocates, politicians and board members at the Feb. 22 meeting of the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services made a conclusion: Though the recession started five years ago, the numbers show that Buncombe County still has “a ways to go.” Highlights of the presentation, along with the full presentation, can be found in this post. (Slide image courtesy of SYNEVA Economics)
Success stories: As the executive director of the Asheville YWCA’s MotherLove program for high school parents, Tangela Bowman says the program helps teen moms like A.C. Reynolds junior Svetlana Contreras succeed as parents and students. The program currently has a 100 percent graduation rate. Photo courtesy of the Asheville YWCA When she was 14 years […]
People who ate at two restaurants near Charlotte, N.C. in the last two weeks may have been exposed to hepatitis A, according to reports from health agencies in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. Currently, there are no reports of Buncombe County residents being exposed to the virus at this time.
At 14 years old, Svetlana Contreras found out her life was about to become more complicated than any homework assignment she could ever receive as a student at A.C. Reynolds high school: She was going to be a mother. But for Contreras, she had help taking on these new responsibilities when she signed up for the Asheville YWCA’s MotherLove program. (Photo of MotherLove director Tangela Bowman, top, and Svetlana Contreras)
