Radio Active Kids December 24! The 2022 Christmas-ish show!

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – December 21, 2022 – The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending December 13^th. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level. However, cases and hospitalizations are rising. Cities like Los Angeles and New York City are experiencing high community levels of COVID. The rise is due to a potential winter surge of respiratory disease as people spend more time indoors and because of indoor gatherings and holiday travel around Thanksgiving.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on December 10^th indicate:

• Last week’s total cases are up 22% from the previous week.
• 68% of the total population have received their initial vaccination series.
• 28% of people with their initial vaccination series have the updated booster.

An updated COVID-19 booster is now available for eligible persons 6 months and older. It is more effective at protecting against severe illness and death from the new variants. Eligible persons must have the initial vaccination series and be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots. The CDC advises delaying the booster 3 months for people who recently had COVID or after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic.

To help reduce the spread of COVID this Holiday season, President Biden is again making COVID tests, face masks and antiviral medicines available at no cost. The tests can be ordered via covidtests.gov or by calling 1-800-232-0233.

COVID-19 infections can spread through holiday gatherings and travel. Be extra protective if you are having guests from regions with a high community level like Los Angeles and New York City. Here’s some advice:

• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home
• Everyone is encouraged to get vaccinated and updated boosters
• Get tested before and after travel, before gatherings outside the household with at-risk people or if you have any COVID symptoms
• High risk persons should consider wearing a mask in indoor public spaces and when on public transportation, a high-quality medical mask is best
• Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoors; small gatherings are safer than large; and indoor gatherings are safer in larger spaces with the windows and doors open to allow fresh air to circulate

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

 

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