Community News

 

RALEIGH, NC – October 3, 2022 – By the close of the 2022 North Carolina General Assembly legislative session, there was one bill in each chamber that favored expanding Medicaid. Medicaid expansion would increase health care access to about 600,000 North Carolinians, including almost 17,000 people in Buncombe County.

The Senate version includes eliminating the state’s certificate of need (CON) law allowing the state government to oversee the distribution of healthcare equipment and services. Examples are the number of hospital beds, ambulatory surgical centers and sophisticated imaging devices like MRIs and CT scans. The state hospital association is against eliminating the CON, but has offered a counter-proposal.

The House of Representatives bill, in contrast to the Senate’s version, does not contain any other provisions.

Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina:

• Stimulates the economy by creating jobs and growing business
• Brings more money into the state coffers from the federal incentive funding, estimated at between 1-2 billion dollars in the first 2 years
• Keeps more people healthy with earlier cancer diagnosis, fewer cancer deaths, and better access to treatment for mental health and substance use disorder.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

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

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – September 22, 2022 – The Buncombe County Public Health Department was awarded the North Carolina Large County Health Department for 2022. The department was recognized for its equity-focused approach to the COVID-19 response programs, such as:

• Service outreach, Community Health Assessment and staff trainings
• The operational structure of the COVID-19 response
• COVID-19 vaccine outreach
• At-home COVID-19 test kit distribution
• Creating a Mobile Team by bringing public health and health care to historically marginalized populations like low resource areas and rural communities

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been additional federal funding for public health in Buncombe County. The Department has recently used some of these funds to purchase a mobile van and hire a team of nurses and emergency medical technicians. The Team started with mobile monkeypox vaccination clinics. They will expand to COVID-19 boosters and vaccination, flu shots and other types of vaccinations. In the future, the mobile outreach program will include testing for different illnesses and health outreach clinics. At the September 7^th Buncombe County media question & answer session, Public Health Director Stacie Saunders said that it is important “for equity purposes have to take services on the road.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

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

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

WASHINGTON, DC – August 16, 2022 – On August 16^th, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare recipients and people in the Health Insurance Marketplace. After the Senate ratified the bill, Biden told reporters, “When you sit down at that kitchen table at the end of the month, you’re going to be able to pay a whole hell of a lot more bills because you’re paying less in medical bills.”

America is the only developed nation in the world where a citizen can become destitute because of the high cost of health care. Cash-strapped hard-working Americans have to compromise their health by spending their limited resources on food and shelter instead of prescription medicine.

Some of the provisions of the IRA are:

• The federal government will be able to negotiate prices of certain drugs with drug companies
• Insulin co-payments are capped at $35 a month
• Out-of-pocket costs for prescription medicines are capped at $2,000 annually
• Drug companies will offer rebates if drug prices outpace inflation

Notable impacts are:

• Between 1-2 million people will save on the cost of their prescription medicine
• In 2020, over 3 million Americans needed insulin to treat diabetes. It is estimated that many insulin-dependent people will benefit from this bill.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

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

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

TUSCALOOSA, AL – June 28, 2022 –  Heat-related illness is the #1 cause of weather-related fatalities in the U.S. This is associated with higher temperatures and more frequent heat waves from climate change. People are susceptible to heat-related illness when core temperatures rise to 106 degrees. University of Michigan Public Health Professor Marie O’Neil comments, “Hot weather has unequal impacts, and seniors, very young children, outdoor workers, people without access to air conditioning, and those with chronic illnesses are among the most vulnerable.” Everyone needs to take frequent breaks out of the heat, drink plenty of water and wear light-colored, lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.

On June 28^th, NBC news reported a new OSHA pilot-study in Alabama for the prevention of heat-related illness with arm bands that measure core temperature. At-risk workers at Black Warrior Brewing Company in Tuscaloosa participated in the study. Many load kegs and pallets onto trucks in the scorching Alabama summer heat. Workers take a break when their core temperature reach 100 degrees.

Millions of people in the U.S. are exposed to heat at work. Some indoor industries where workers have suffered heat-related illness are kitchens, bakeries, steel mills and warehouses. At-risk outdoor industries include farming, construction and landscaping. A disproportionate number of these jobs are held by people of color.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

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

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

WASHINGTON, DC – December 2, 2022 – The U.S. public health emergency for the disease formerly known as monkeypox will end on January 31, 2023. According to CDC data, the average number of cases a week have been sharply reduced from a peak of 600 at the beginning of August to fewer than 10 at present. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a prepared statement, “we will continue to monitor the case trends closely and encourage all at-risk individuals to get a free vaccine.”

The World Health Organization renamed monkeypox mpox last month to remove the association between the disease and monkeys. It was first discovered in 1958 after outbreaks of the disease occurred in laboratory monkeys by a virus related to the smallpox virus. However, the source of the disease is unknown.

Mpox is a communicable disease that has spread to more than 70 countries and has infected about 30 thousand people in the U.S. this year. Until the recent outbreak, monkeypox has been endemic in central and western Africa. The virus can reside in African rodents and non-human primates and can infect people. Cases outside of Africa were either related to human travel or through the export of animals. The recent worldwide outbreak is from the milder West African strain and is rarely fatal. The first cases were detected in the U.S. in mid-May.

Mpox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder. They can include: fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and chills followed by a painful rash. The rash, ranging from a few lesions to thousands, can appear like pimples or fluid-filled blisters before scabbing over.

The disease can spread from contact with an infected person or infected animal, although not as rapidly as COVID-19. The virus is primarily spread through direct contact with the rash, scabs or bodily fluids or with contaminated items, like clothing or bedsheets. Most of the mpox cases outside of Africa have been spread through contact among men who have had sex with men. However, women and children can develop the disease by touching an infected person or contaminated item.

Embracing effective public health practices by the gay community have almost completely eliminated the disease in the U.S. Dr. Daniel Griffin, chief of the Division of Infectious Disease for Optum Health, said via email to USA Today, “The most impacted population were quick to embrace vaccines, proactive about getting treated, really did reduce risky behaviors.”

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

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

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC – 2021 – The NC General Assembly requires that local public health departments conduct a community health assessment (CHA) every 3-4 years to identify the strengths, resources and needs of each region. The information is compiled into a written report that provides information about the community’s health and a plan for improvement. The report is used to develop a plan for action to address the priorities identified by the CHA.

A CHA, also referred to as a community health needs assessment (CHNA), identifies key health needs and issues through data collection and analysis through the systemic examination of the health status indicators for the population. Methods are through community engagement and collaborative participation. This leads to strategy development, planning and action to address health needs and issues.

The important features of the CHA are that it:

• Encourages multisector collaborations
• Includes assessment, development, implementation and evaluation
• Involves diverse community engagement
• Addresses disparities
• Uses evidence-based interventions
• Promotes transparency
• Uses high-quality data

A community health improvement plan (CHIP) is the long-term systemic effort to address the health problems identified in the community health assessment. The CHA is updated every 3-5 years. The plan is used by government agencies in collaboration with community partners to focus efforts and coordinate resources. It is aspirational and addresses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the community so that its resources can be allocated to best meet the community’s needs.

The most recent Buncombe County Community Health Assessment was in 2021. Data was obtained through stakeholder meetings of the CHIP Advisory Council of 52 agencies, from the Western North Carolina Regional Community Health Assessment Survey and from community health data across different demographics.

After identifying the most significant community concerns, the Advisory Council prioritized areas of focus:

• Birth outcomes/ infant mortality
• Mental health & substance use
• Chronic health conditions: heart disease & diabetes

The CHA concluded that these health focus areas disproportionately impact marginalized groups. Racism, both systemic and structural, are root causes of health and life course disparities linked with the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). The CDC defines the SDoH as conditions in the places where people live, learn, age, work and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life-risks and outcomes. They drive 80% of health outcomes and highly correlate with race, age, gender, and income. The development, planning and action for each of the 3 health focus areas will be determined after meeting with focus groups in 2022.

 

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