The expansion of mobile health units throughout Buncombe County is bringing health care where it is needed most — right to them, with minimal barriers.
Tag: public health
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Local students talk the future of public health
As the demand for public health careers rises, future public health practitioners share the field’s diverse employment opportunities and how to address the mistrust of governmental institutions and the medical industry spurred by the pandemic.
Wellness roundup: AdventHealth approved for new hospital
AdventHealth has been approved to build a new hospital in Western North Carolina, the company announced on Facebook Nov. 22. Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties will together have a projected need of 67 additional acute care beds by 2024, according to a plan published by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health […]
Letter: Where’s the public safety action plan?
“More resources without strategy that apprehends the true nature of the challenge won’t get the public safety and public health job done.”
Letter: Sharps disposal should be easier
“I have never seen a nurse in a medical facility lack the appropriate sharps container in which to dispose of a used needle or syringe. Why aren’t there more locations in which to dispose of them outside of medical facilities? “
Q&A with Fabrice Julien, professor of health communication at UNC Asheville
Public health is the science of improving health and safety within communities. Fabrice Julien, assistant professor of health and wellness at UNC Asheville, knows that it’s also an art. Julien teaches health communication and the theory of health promotion at UNCA. He thinks a lot about how to break through medical distrust and skepticism, as […]
Local incentives aim to boost COVID-19 vaccinations
On June 26, just over two months ago, Buncombe County recorded just one new case of COVID-19. The county’s coronavirus state of emergency had ended earlier that month, and just 16 people were hospitalized due to the disease across Western North Carolina. As of Aug. 18, the emergency is back. WNC hospitals are caring for […]
Letter: Article should have included science of noise pollution
“As with water and air pollution, noise pollution is a recognized public health issue that contributes to increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, depression, stress and hearing loss.”
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.
Public health nurses offer community-based care
Public health nursing is all about getting out into the community to improve people’s health where they live, work and eat. It may not be glamorous, but it’s an opportunity to really make a difference, says Hayley McPeters, one of nine Buncombe County nurses honored recently as part of a statewide campaign.
Let’s join forces to create a truly healthy community
“The only way we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to achieve optimal health is to work together with a shared and well-coordinated commitment to improving our community’s health.”
Sexual transmission of Zika, rise of STDs have health officials on alert
With numbers of sexually transmitted illnesses rising across the nation, local and state public health officials are particularly worried about the impact of a new and unique illness: the Zika virus. Zika is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, but unlike other such illnesses, it can also be transmitted by sexual contact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The […]
Health assessment drives solutions
A new health assessment for Buncombe County shows an increase in the number of infant deaths, deaths from complications of diabetes and incidences of opiate overdoses. The 2015 Community Health Assessment Report, released last week, also details how to address these and other health problems in the county. The assessment is performed in each county […]
Beyond the studio: Yoga as a public health strategy
Kristine Kaoverii Weber is a big-picture person. So although she’s the creator of Subtle Yoga, she spends less time thinking about yoga studios, complicated poses or the latest yoga pants and more time thinking about the current state of health care. It’s also what has led her to begin teaching behavioral health professionals how to […]
Asheville press conference: Power-plant carbon rules will promote better health
Clean Air Carolina and its MAHA initiative (Medical Advocates for Healthy Air) held an Asheville press conference Wednesday. Sept. 17, to highlight President Obama’s latest proposal to limit carbon pollution from the nation’s power plants — and the positive health impacts of the plan. Power plants are responsible for 52 percent of North Carolina’s carbon pollution. “Climate change […]
Vital signs: Taking Buncombe County’s pulse
In less than 10 minutes, a doctor or nurse can get a read on a patient’s overall health and well-being just by checking a few key indicators: pulse, blood pressure, temperature and respiration rate. But how do you assess an entire community’s vital signs? And if you don’t, how will you know what the biggest problems are and how best to allocate scarce resources? (cover design by Emily Busey)
PHOTOS: American Red Cross and Mission Health team up for CPR Saturday
Mission Health and the American Red Cross teamed up to teach the public about “hands-only” CPR on Saturday, Aug. 18. The classes were held in counties across Western North Carolina. (All photos by Caitlin Byrd)
Photos: Local mothers graduate from nurse-family partnership program
As children played and laughed, proud mothers and nurses smiled, too. After spending more than two years together, 10 local mothers graduated from the Buncombe County Nurse-Family Partnership program. The public health program pairs registered nurses with low-income, first-time mothers. As one mother said, “It is a bond that I will never forget.” (photo by Caitlin Byrd)
Information sources on food-borne illness
Salmonellosis. Botulism. Campylobacteriosis. Hepatitis. Cyclosporiasis. Just a few of the more common food-borne illnesses in the U.S. Here we have tried to get the best collection of information on what they are and how to avoid them in one place.
Smoking is not a protected right
It's spring and the weather is perfect for a nice long walk around downtown Asheville. I love walking down the sidewalk on Broadway, seeing the trees in bloom and breathing in the sweet mountain air … blech, cough cough! Oh wait, what do you know? Another rude person standing and smoking on the sidewalk, ruining […]
Lake Powhatan closed to swimming and fishing after 3 cases of crypto diagnosed
The Centers for Disease Control recommended that Lake Powhatan be temporarily closed to prevent the spread of cryptosporidium (crypto), according to a Buncombe County Health Department notice on Friday, Aug. 28. The Forest Service is fully cooperating and has closed Lake Powhatan to swimming and fishing.