Clinical pharmacy gained traction when the Asheville Project, an initiative that addressses chronic health problems in city employees, included pharmacists in medical teams. Now clinical pharmacists have a greater role to play in a variety of medical settings.
“Please tell my why it is better for citizens to not have health care? Why must people suffer to assure tax breaks for the very wealthiest Americans?”
“Now is the time to let your representatives know that you believe that everyone deserves access to healthcare. When everyone can see a doctor or get preventative care, we have a stronger economy, healthier communities and stable families.”
Nutz R Us, a Buncombe County company that incorporated under that name in 2008, operates assisted living facilities catering to mentally ill adults, according to a story filed by Frank Taylor, managing editor of Carolina Public Press. Multiple officials with state and local public health agencies have told Carolina Public Press that they find the […]
“In this crazy system, if you earn little, you pay lots. Our governor refused federal money to expand Medicaid, and although I have a master’s degree and was a teacher, I never worked more than a year in one place, so I have no pension.”
Fifteen thousand patients visit the Minnie Jones Health Center in downtown Asheville each year. Most of them are low-income residents of the area, often under- or uninsured. More than 200 of them are transgender patients seeking care at the center, which is run by Western North Carolina Community Health Services.
Despite high hopes for Obamacare (aka, the Affordable Health Act), not all residents of Buncombe and surrounding counties have benefited from the national effort to extend insurance to those who can’t afford it. Part of the shortfall is blamed on North Carolina’s decision not to expand Medicaid. Meanwhile, nongovernmental caregiving entities in Western North Carolina, […]
Caregivers and organizations in Western North Carolina — including community health centers, acupuncturists and herbalists — are helping people without insurance receive the care they need. Indeed, many providers say access to health care is a basic human right. People in every corner of the state should be covered and have access to care, says Benjamin Money, CEO and president […]
Interested in having a conversation about what’s going on in health care over a cup of coffee or tea? You can tune into Health Care Café, a radio show hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life every Monday evening.
How does a culture combat an entity that cannot be seen? Start with awareness of the issue. “As humans, we all have bias,” says Dr. Rebecca Bernstein of Mission Health. “It doesn’t make us bad people, but when that bias affects how we make decisions, it can have adverse effects on our patients.” “We hope to help […]
While the sign-up deadline for health care under the Affordable Care Act passed March 31, some can still sign up, according to an attorney with one of the local nonprofits that has assisted WNC residents in doing so. People who dealt with technical difficulties or have a major life change can still get healthcare under the ACA. Also, due to North Carolina’s government refusing to expand Medicaid, many locals will not face a penalty for not having insurance.
In this set of short pieces, Xpress looks at the efforts of local organizations and “navigators” to help residents get coverage under the new healthcare law, the reactions they’re seeing so far, information on how to connect with these services and on-the-ground perspectives from a couple of volunteer navigators.
Beginning in 1890 and winding toward 1960, Sharon West’s presentation explored medical accessibility and access for African Americans in Buncombe County. However, she reveals that, in many ways, Buncombe still has a ways to go when it comes to diversity in the medical community. (Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
After renting a building on Biltmore Avenue for about 15 years, Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center will begin providing sexual and reproductive health services in a permanent setting by the end of the year. The announcement came at the nonprofit’s fundraiser and 35th anniversary celebration on Thursday night. (Pictured: Bonnie Smith, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood, makes the announcement. Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
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.)
President and CEO of the Mountain Area Health Education Center for a little more than a year, Dr. Jeff Heck says the academic medical center has an eye toward not only training physicians, but thinking about sustainability. And it starts with recruiting and retaining doctors.
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.
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.
It’s a sobering thought: If I live long enough to need nursing-home care, I will probably need Medicaid. I hope not, of course. I have been fortunate to have worked all my life and to earn enough to save for retirement. I have never needed any public assistance except for a FEMA loan for flood […]
Asheville participates, for the third year, in a campaign to raise awareness about ovarian cancer symptoms and risks.
Beginning in a waiting room full of patients, Sen. Kay Hagan visited the Minnie Jones Health Center for an hour-long tour of the facility. Hagan visited the local community health center in honor of National Health Center Week. (Photos by Caitlin Byrd)
