Bessemer City
A 65-year-old man who had spent more than a year in custody at Mecklenburg County's Central jail has died at a Charlotte hospital, and the State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into his death. Christopher Green had been held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center-Central on East Fourth Street since Aug. 9, 2025, before he was hospitalized late last month and ultimately died this week.
Atrium Health has reached a construction milestone in its $130-million expansion of Atrium Health Cabarrus, marking the completion of the main structural framework for a new patient care tower. The health-care provider recently held a topping-out ceremony, placing the final steel beam atop the structure. The expansion is expected to...
Barbara Washington collapsed at her Charlotte-area home on May 22, 2024, and was rushed by EMS crews who managed to revive her before taking her to Novant Health Matthews Medical Center. Less than a day after she was later transferred to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, the 82-year-old was dead. Now her family is suing, alleging that doctors denied her life-saving heart surgery.
A proposed Mecklenburg County air-quality permit would let Digital Realty keep a hyperscale data center on Moores Chapel Road online through a blackout with 242 diesel generators. Together they would total 726 megawatts, a backup fleet that would rival the output of some utility-scale power plants, and the permit would allow more than 100 tons of air pollution a year.
Seventeen quality measures go into each side of these new nursing home ratings, which immediately told me this was more than a simple score. U.S. News released its 2027 results on November 10, giving families a fresh way to compare care across North Carolina. The ratings look at two very...
Medicaid applicants in South Dakota, North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin have until Dec. 31 to file under the old rule that lets the program pay for medical bills from before the application date. After that, the look-back shrinks to as little as one month. Anyone with an unpaid hospital, nursing home or doctor bill from […]
Most seniors want to spend their remaining years in their homes. But, for many, that’s not always possible. People over the age of 65 are one of the fastest growing demographics in North Carolina, and some will need to rely on nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other senior care centers for help as they age. In 88 North Carolina counties, there are more people over the age of 60 than there are people under the age of 18, according to state data. U.S. News and World Report released its 2027 ratings of the best nursing homes on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with 78 nursing homes in North Carolina among the top of the 403 nursing homes rated by the company. Nursing homes, sometimes called skilled nursing homes, provide 24-hour medical care for long-term or short-term rehabilitative stays for people who need a high level of medical care. This is often the highest level of medical care a person can receive outside a hospital. Earlier this year, The News & Observer created a complete guide to finding a good senior care facility in the Raleigh area, including options besides nursing homes , checking facility inspections and key figures on local senior
North Carolina environmental regulators this week sent a scathing critique to Chemours, which is responsible for contaminating at least 10 counties with toxic “forever chemicals,” arguing that the company’s cleanup proposal violates the terms of a consent order. The state Department of Environmental Quality detailed multiple inadequacies...
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As the end of the year approaches, four locally owned dental practices in western North Carolina are encouraging residents to prioritize their oral health and review their remaining dental insurance benefits before they reset. Arden Family Dental, Fletcher Family Dental, Mills River Family Dental and Hendersonville...
A North Carolina woman is facing a potential sentence of three decades in prison for trying to defraud the federal government to secure COVID relief funds. On Monday, November 2, the United States Attorney’s Office East District of North Carolina announced in a press release that Pamela Humphrey, a Fayetteville Tech Community College Professor, had […]
Editor’s note: An article in last week’s The Smoky Mountain News titled “ What $144 million looks like” examined how President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill impacted SNAP and Medicaid recipients. This week, SMN examines how the legislation impacts county governments in Western North Carolina.
Four new Subaru Crosstrek vehicles are helping Pardee Home Health clinicians travel the back roads and rural communities of Western North Carolina to provide care where patients need it most. “Home health is really the bridge between the hospital and the patient,” said Chloe Aguilar, a licensed physical therapist with...
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — New Medicaid requirements are approaching, raising concerns about how changes to healthcare coverage could affect patients across western North Carolina. For many families, the cost of health insurance is already becoming difficult to manage. "We've seen folks who went from paying $150 last year, their...
GREENVILLE - The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has named ECU Health the recipient of the 2026 Special Recognition Award for Health System Innovation. The award recognizes organizations that are advancing the practice of lifestyle medicine through visionary leadership, innovation and a commitment to transforming health care delivery. “In...
RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - North Carolina was awarded $216 million toward rural healthcare. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded funding to expand the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The program was designed to improve healthcare and maintain services in rural areas. A news release says the...
Charlotte has a moratorium on new data centers, but it doesn’t apply to some huge projects that are already underway. A proposed Mecklenburg County air quality permit would allow Digital Realty to run 242 diesel-powered generators to power its hyperscale data center on Moores Chapel Road during blackouts. The...
Democrats are poised to take control of the N.C. House for the first time in 15 years. Health care affordability, rural access and Medicaid are emerging as legislative priorities. A divided General Assembly could shape how far the incoming majority can advance its agenda. By Ashley Fredde. For the first...
Nearly a decade after North Carolinians learned their drinking water had been contaminated with industrial chemicals for years, a new documentary is examining how it happened, the people affected and the ongoing fight to hold polluters accountable. GENX: The Saga of Forever Chemicals, premiering Friday in Saxapahaw, traces the contamination...
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced today that their state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit directors, F. Edward (Eddie) Kirby, Jr. and Jim Mooney, were elected to serve as the president and vice president of the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units (NAMFCU) for the upcoming year.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WECT) - North Carolina plans to relaunch a scaled-down Medicaid program in early 2027 that will deliver food to eligible residents facing food insecurity, state health officials announced. The Healthy Opportunities Pilot will receive about $25 million, including $9 million from the state budget and federal matching funds....
