Community News

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WASHINGTON, DC – October 1, 2022 – On October 12^th, The FDA has granted an emergency use authorization to the Moderna and Pfizer pharmaceutical companies for their updated COVID-19 boosters for children 5 years and older and adolescents. The new boosters became available September 2^nd. The authorization is significant before a possible fall surge of COVID cases as seen with many other viral respiratory diseases like the flu. Groups of children and adolescents are in school, an indoor environment which has been linked to a higher risk of spread of these illnesses.

The updated COVID booster is bivalent, which means that it targets 2 versions of the COVID virus, the original virus and the new dominant BA.4 and BA.5 variants. The BA.5 strain accounts for almost 90% of all COVID infections in the U.S. The remainder of U.S. infections are due to the BA.4 strain. This new booster will replace the previous booster shot that had targeted only the original version of the virus. However, the original vaccine will still be used for persons who have not received the primary vaccination series.

The updated booster can be administered to people under specific conditions. Eligible persons must be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots and have had the primary vaccination series. The CDC advises that people who recently had COVID consider delaying their boosters until 3 months after their symptoms started or after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic.

On August 30^th, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said via a statement about the updated booster, “They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants.” It takes between 1 to 2 weeks after you get the booster for the antibodies to rise significantly.

Children and adolescents have had a much lower rate of the primary vaccination series than other age groups. According to the CDC, only 31% of children 5 to 11 years old and 58% of 12-to-17-year-olds have completed this series. Booster shots are available at the Department of Public Health Coxe Avenue vaccination clinic, pharmacies, community health centers and rural health clinics.

 

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 – October 4, 2022 – Buncombe County will soon be the recipient of millions of dollars to fight the local opioid problem. This is the county’s share of the recent opioid settlement litigation with opioid distributors, manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. The Commissioners will now have to decide how to spend this money. At the October 4^th Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, Dr. Shuchin Shukla (a physician and opioid specialist with the Mountain Area Health Education Center), Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness (a local reentry program), the County post overdose response team and the County Sheriff’s Office spoke about the opioid crisis in Buncombe County and about evidence-based interventions that are in need of financial support and development. Buncombe County will be receiving over $16 million over 18 years. The County has already received over $600 thousand and will be getting over $1 million soon.

Some important facts about overdose deaths:

• Buncombe County’s has increased to 45.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, 3 times the 2015 rate
• North Carolina’s has increased to 35.8 deaths per 100,000 residents, more than 2 times the 2015 rate
• Buncombe County’s rate has exceeded North Carolina’s since 2016

Some of the CDC-endorsed strategies for overdose reduction include:

• Naloxone distribution
• Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
• Syringe services programs

Distribution of naloxone (known by the brand name Narcan) to at-risk individuals has been shown to decrease the opioid death rates between 30-45%. Naloxone is a medicine that reverses the effect of opioid overdose to prevent overdose deaths. It is routinely used by the BC overdose response team.

Many incarcerated persons are addicted to opioids. Upon incarceration, they have a sudden withdrawal from the addictive drugs. The likelihood of relapse after release is 40 times higher than the general population. Dr. Shukla said that MAT is considered a more effective evidenced-based treatment program than sudden withdrawal. According to the Sheriff’s office, the number of overdose deaths has decreased by 22% among “people passing through the jail” since adoption of MAT by the Buncombe County Detention Center in 2020.

Syringe access programs have been shown to reduce the risk of overdose, reduce transmission of disease, and increase healthcare access and treatment.

Other interventions mentioned at the briefing was peer support, mobile outreach, post overdose response, and mental health and crisis support.

Dr. Shukla emphasized that while the popularity for evidence-based interventions is growing that the funding needs to continue and grow. For every $1 invested in addiction treatment, the return on investment is $4 to $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice and theft. Commissioner Amanda Edwards said that the presentations “couldn’t have come at a better time for us.”

 

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 – October 19, 2022 – The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending October 10^th. Most of North Carolina is low although 2 out of 100 counties are at a high community level. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level with just over 2% of the counties at a high level. For a community at a low community level, the CDC recommends:

• You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on October 8^th indicate:

• There have been 91 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days up 3 cases from 88 cases the previous week.
• 67% of the total population have received their primary vaccination series. Unchanged the past 10 weeks.
• 13% of people 12 years old and over with their primary vaccination series have had the new bivalent booster.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 36 and has decreased by 8 since last week, and of ICU patients is 4 and has decreased by 2 from the previous week.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

 

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

 

RALIEGH, NC – October 3, 2022 – During the recent North Carolina General Assembly short session that ended on July 1^st, there are 2 bills favoring expanding Medicaid, one in each chamber. Passage of either bill or negotiation of a compromise bill would be the culmination of a long-drawn out process that began about a decade ago. North Carolina is one of twelve states that have refused to expand Medicaid since the Affordable Care Act was signed into federal law in 2010 and the Supreme Court ruled that each state has the right to decide in 2012. The Affordable Care Act lowered the threshold income level of who was eligible for Medicaid health insurance so that more low-income Americans could access health care. The federal government has incentivized non expansion states to expand Medicaid eligibility by increasing the federal subsidies for the cost of newly eligible people to 90% and up to 95% for the first 2 years of expansion.

The Senate version of the bill was championed by Republican Phil Berger, the highest-ranking officer of the State Senate. In addition to featuring expanding Medicaid as the centerpiece of this bill, the proposal included some other provisions. However, aside from expanding Medicaid, the provision that Senator Berger strongly feels that needs inclusion is reforming the state’s certificate of need (CON) laws by eliminating them. The CON laws allow the state government to oversee the distribution of healthcare equipment and services like the amount of hospital beds in a given location, ambulatory surgical centers and sophisticated imaging devices like MRIs and CT scans. Hospitals may feel economically threatened by competing new facilities and services in the region that they draw patients from. Rural hospitals usually have a greater negative economic impact. Many North Carolinians live in rural regions so having a rural hospital close because of economic hardship would be devastating. The state hospital association is against reforming the CON laws.

The version in the House of Representatives was introduced by Republican leader Tim Moore, the Speaker of the House, just days before the planned end of the short session. This bill is only focused on the feasibility of expanding Medicaid.

Expanding Medicaid would result in more people with access to health care coverage:

• Approximately 600,000 North Carolinians, including
• Almost 17,000 people in Buncombe County
• Between 3-4,000 people in Haywood County
• Almost 7,000 people in Henderson County, and
• Between 1-2,000 people in Macon County

Other advantages of expanding Medicaid in North Carolina include:

• Significantly stimulating the economy by creating jobs, growing business activity and bringing in more revenue for each county
• Saving a lot of money because of the federal incentive funding, estimated at between 1-2 billion dollars in the first 2 years
• Keeping more people healthy. Some examples are earlier cancer diagnosis, fewer cancer deaths, and better access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. In the long haul, this will save much money too.

 

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 – October 12, 2022 – The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending October 3^rd, Most of North Carolina is low although 10 out of 100 counties are at a high community level. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level with less than 3% of the counties at a high level. For a community at a low community level, the CDC recommends:

• You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and take additional precautions.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on October 1^st indicate:

• There have been 88 cases per 100,000 residents in the last 7 days down 11% from 111 cases the previous week.
• 67% of the total population have received their primary vaccination series. Unchanged the past 9 weeks.
• 66% of people with their primary vaccination series have had at least one booster. This is unchanged over the past 7 weeks.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations is 44 and has decreased by 6 since last week, and of ICU patients is 6 and has decreased by 2 from the previous week.

The FDA and the CDC approved a new COVID booster that targets the original virus and the new dominant BA.4 and BA.5 variants. This new booster will replace the previous booster shot that had targeted only the original version of the virus. However, the original vaccine will still be used for persons who have not received the primary vaccination series. The booster shots are available at the Department of Public Health Coxe Avenue vaccination clinic, pharmacies, community health centers and rural health clinics. Eligible persons 12 years old and up can have the booster, must be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots and have had the primary vaccination series. The CDC advises that people who recently had COVID consider delaying their boosters until 3 months after their symptoms started or after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.
• People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

 

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