Community News

 

RALEIGH, NC – April 4, 2024 – The latest update of the NC Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard was on April 4^th. Last month, enrollment in NC increased by more than 31 thousand to more than 416 thousand people. Buncombe County enrollment increased by almost 800 to nearly 10,500 people. It is estimated that a total of 600 thousand North Carolinians will be eligible for ME, with almost 17 thousand from Buncombe County. In 4 months of accepting applications, the state is almost 70% of the way to enrolling all eligible persons and Buncombe County is more than 60%.

On December 1^st, North Carolina officially became the 40^th state to expand Medicaid, the federal program for health insurance for low-resource individuals. ME increases health care access to eligible North Carolinians ages 19-64 and their families with earnings to 138 percent of the federal poverty level based on their household size, up from 100 percent. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) dashboard to track ME enrollment is at medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/reports.

There are many ways to apply for NC Medicaid. Applications can be taken by phone, email, fax, or in person. Buncombe County residents can apply for Medicaid online and at any time at ePASS.NC.gov. Applications can be done in-person at the HHS Building on 40 Coxe Avenue, by calling 828-250-5500, or by mail. A printable application can be obtained online at the NCDHHS website.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

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ASHEVILLE, NC –  April 24, 2024 – Respiratory infections, like COVID-19, are prevalent during the winter months. The winter surge of respiratory infections has passed. However, over the past 3 years, COVID-19 infections, unlike other respiratory infections, have also surged in August.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 13^th shows:  

• Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County. They are low in almost 100% of the counties in the U.S. Admissions have decreased in the U.S., North Carolina and Buncombe County from the previous week.
• Less than 2% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 2^nd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are minimal in North Carolina. This is less than 1% of all ER visits, the lowest level of 5 groups

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 10^th shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has increased from the previous week, at 100% or greater, the highest level of 3 groups for a positive rate of change.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

ASHEVILLE, NC – April 1, 2024 – Grief can affect your mental and physical health particularly after the loss of a member of the family. We can develop such a close relationship to a pet (like a dog or a cat) that we consider our pet to be a member of our family. A feeling of grief in response to the loss of a pet may be similar to the loss of a person. However, the grieving process is different for everyone. According to the American Psychological Association, “grief is the anguish experienced after significant loss.” I definitely think that this applies to the loss of a pet.

Jennifer Breslow, a psychotherapist who specializes in pet loss counseling, said, “The death of a pet is a devastating loss and people often feel overwhelmed by the emptiness and void they feel when their pet is gone.” She added, “Grieving is a process that takes time and is filled with a mess of uncomfortable feelings. But it is temporary and a normal human response to a significant loss.”

I lost my beloved companion Brady on April 1^st at the age of 13 . He was a majestic-looking golden retriever who was always happy to see me with his tail-wagging, infectious smile, and frequent licking. We had many great times together and Brady did some crazy things. After he passed, I read that there is a 61% risk that this popular breed will develop cancer. In 2010, I lost my first golden retriever Rocky to cancer at the age of 11. His passing brought me many days of grief. When I finally got over it, we brought home Brady, one year later.

After age 11, Brady developed 4 different cancers at 4 different times. Three of his cancers got better with surgery. However, the 4^th cancer had the worst prognosis because it was destined to spread.

Amputation and chemotherapy prolonged his life for 8 months. After 1 month recovering, he had 6 good months of being a happy dog. He was running with 3 legs and still had a great life. A second round of chemotherapy was begun after the cancer spread to his lungs one month ago. However, he had severe complications and was unable to walk much. There was a brief improvement, followed by a regression over the final 2 weeks.

It isn’t a good sign when your dog barks to be helped up to go to the bathroom or wants a new location in the yard or the house. When Brady refused to eat his meals, including his favorite treats, we knew that his quality of life had been severely compromised.

When a close relative passes, people pass through the 5 stages of grief as described by the psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. A 6^th stage of grief, ‘finding meaning,’ was described by David Kessler, a grief expert and Kubler-Ross colleague, in 2016. I suspect that these stages are similar after the loss of your pet.

According to Wallace Sife, the founder of the Association for Pet Loss Bereavement (APLB), there are 5 stages of pet grief: 1. shock, disbelief and denial, 2. anger, distancing and alienation, 3. guilt, 4. depression, and 5. resolution.

I feel much better, after having the opportunity to prepare and report this story to you during my grieving process. The ability to communicate with others is a great medicine. If you find yourself like me, feeling down from the loss of a pet, I suggest talking to others and staying active. I will celebrate all the good times that I had with Brady. Boy, was I fortunate to have had such a great companion!

Colleen Roland, a pet loss specialist at the APLB, said that having a pet is “one of the best gifts that life can offer – an unconditional love with an animal companion.”

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC –  April 17, 2024 – Respiratory infections, like COVID-19, influenza and RSV, are characterized by being more prevalent during the winter months. With the recent onset of spring, the winter surge of respiratory infections has passed. However, over the past 3 years, COVID-19 infections have also surged in August. Therefore, the weekly update will continue to report on COVID-19 and restart influenza and RSV updates in the fall.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 6^th shows:  

• Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County. They are low in more than 99% of the counties in the U.S. and less than 1% at medium and high Admissions have decreased in the U.S. and North Carolina from the previous week.
• Between 1-9 deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are minimal in North Carolina. This is about 1% of all ER visits, the lowest level of 5 groups

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 3^rd shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at an orange level representing the 2^nd highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 60^th and 80^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has increased from the previous week, between 10% to 99%, the middle level of 3 groups for a positive rate of change.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ATLANTA, GA – March 21, 2024 – The CDC recently reported that U.S. life expectancy at birth in 2022 is 77.5 years, about a 1-year increase from 2021. There are fewer deaths from COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and homicides, according to the report. The life expectancy had dropped in 2020 and 2021 due to the large number of COVID-19 deaths and drug overdoses. In 2021, the U.S. life expectancy was 76.4 years, the lowest since 1996. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the life expectancy was 78.8. The peak life expectancy was almost 79 in 2014.

The 10 leading causes of death for 2022 and 2021 are the same, although some of the causes changed ranks. The leading causes of 2022 deaths in the U.S. are heart disease and cancer, and have been since the early 1990’s. COVID-related deaths fell from 3^rd to 4^th, more than a 50% decline from the previous year. Accidents and unintentional injuries like drug overdoses increased from 4^th to 3^rd, although the number of overdose deaths were similar between 2021 and 2022. Over the past 20 years, drug overdose deaths were almost 4 times more frequent.

Rising infant mortality rate, from low-birth-weight newborns, congenital problems, and sudden infant death syndrome, contributed to lowering the life expectancy rate. The infant mortality rate increased by more than 3% between 2021 to 2022.

Life expectancy can be determined from birth and at age 65. Life expectancy at birth for women exceeds men by more than 5 years. The average male lives almost 75 years in 2022; while females live to 80. For persons at age 65, the life expectancy is almost 84, females exceeded males by 3 years.

The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among large, wealthy countries; however, it spends much more on health care per capita. These countries have life expectancy above 80 years and per capita health care spending from about 40-64% of the U.S.: Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland and Japan.

 

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Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

CHARLESTON, WV – March 22, 2024 – It is now illegal to smoke in motor vehicles in West Virginia with children present. On March 22^nd, West Virginia became the 12^th state to protect children in motor vehicles from the harms of secondhand smoke. According to the law, persons 16 and under cannot be exposed to a lit tobacco product or someone smoking. Smoking with children present cannot be the main reason that a driver is pulled over. However, lawbreakers can be fined up to $25 if they are stopped for another offense. The other 11 states that prohibit smoking in motor vehicles with children present are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Virginia. The age limits vary according to state. North Carolina does not prohibit smoking in motor vehicles with children present.

According to the CDC, exposure to secondhand smoke from burning tobacco products (like cigarettes, cigars, and pipes) can cause nonsmokers to develop illnesses associated with smoking and these can contribute to premature death. Exposure to secondhand smoke occurs when people breathe in smoke from burning tobacco products or from people who exhale while smoking. Any level of exposure can be harmful.

Tobacco smoke contains hundreds of harmful chemicals including about 70 that can cause cancer. Heart disease, stroke, lung disease and reproductive health problems (like low-birth-weight newborns) have been associated with exposure to secondhand smoke. Children are impacted more than adults, including sudden infant death syndrome, lung infections, asthma, and ear infections.

Smoking is prohibited in many indoor spaces, like work, public places, restaurants and bars, in order to protect people from secondhand smoke exposure. According to the CDC, between 2-3 million nonsmokers died from health problems that were caused by exposure to secondhand smoke since 1964. Protecting defenseless children from the harms of secondhand smoke is a good public health policy.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour