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North Carolina Medicaid expansion to launch soon
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday that Medicaid expansion will launch on Dec. 1. The state budget was passed last week, enabling them to set a date for the launch. Kody Kinsley, North Carolina’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, previously said he wasn’t sure if they’d make the December deadline.
Budget negotiations stalled for almost three months after the new fiscal year started, putting the timeline for implementing Medicaid expansion into uncertain territory.
Researchers from the Urban Institute estimated last year that if North Carolina expanded Medicaid, uninsured rates would drop by 30% — or around 346,000 more people being covered.
Nansemond tribe to open health clinic
The Nansemond Indian Nation is building a health clinic in Portsmouth. The tribe says the goal is is to bring care to underserved populations – especially those reliant on Medicare.
The first phase of the project includes four exam rooms. The second phase will include a pharmacy. The tribe hopes to replicate the model across Hampton Roads and deliver care in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Suffolk and the Peninsula. The Portsmouth clinic is expected to open in December.
West Nile detected in Norfolk mosquitoes
A Norfolk mosquito tested positive for West Nile Virus in August. Though it happens every year, it’s best to stay cautious, said Eastern Virginia Medical School Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Jennifer Hanrahan.
Eighty percent of people will have no symptoms or mild illness that looks like a lot of other viral infections, she said. Symptoms could include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or rashes.
New merger funds for ODU and EVMS
The new Virginia state budget allocated $14 million for Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School to complete their merger by the end of this year.
“We could not be more pleased with this most recent development and continued progress,” ODU President Brian O. Hemphill said in a statement.
The new school will be called the Eastern Virginia Health Sciences Center at ODU.
It’ll host 56 health science programs, including 18 that aren’t offered anywhere else in the state — like a master’s degree in surgical assisting, a doctorate in reproductive clinical science and a master’s in art therapy and counseling.
A “baby box” for Gates County, NC
A group in Gates County installed a baby box at their local EMS station – a safe place for people to give up newborns. It’s a climate-controlled locked box with three silent alarms to let first responders know when a baby's put in the box.
Gates County is home to about 11,000 people. Local chaplain Susan Westfall, who spearheaded the effort, said she wants to raise awareness about safe haven laws.
“We're not expecting to get a baby every month. In fact, we'd be surprised if we got one every year. That's fine,” she said. "But we do want to inform every resident of Gates County and the whole Hampton Roads, Virginia area that this does exist — that you can anonymously and safely drop off your baby.”
Stay tuned in October for the next health roundup.
