Jane Sartwell

2 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

This summer, 5 million tourists will descend on 200 miles of remote North Carolina coastline. The Outer Banks are idyllic — and popular. But for both those visitors and the area’s 38,000 year-round residents, the vacation paradise has one serious problem: health care access. Dare County Emergency Management Services evacuates about one person a day by helicopter. In the summer, that number can reach four or five.

3 weeks ago | wunc.org | Jane Sartwell

Over the last decade, 10 hospitals have eliminated maternity care in North Carolina. Just one has added it: UNC Health Chatham in Siler City. The Chatham County center serves as a rare counterexample to the wave of rural maternity closures across the state. That’s where a stark divide has emerged: While hospitals in cities like Charlotte and Raleigh have added dozens of new delivery rooms, many rural facilities have shuttered or downsized their units, citing financial struggles.

3 weeks ago | wunc.org | Jane Sartwell

Summer tourism in Western North Carolina—hiking, fishing, driving up scenic mountain roads—is a perfect respite for many from the hot southern season. But those idyllic mountain scenes are competing in the public's mind with images of Tropical Storm Helene’s aftermath: death, devastation and destruction. And for an area that is dependent on tourism, there's a fear that this perception will keep people away during the valuable summer months.

3 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

WILMINGTON — This was once a quaint, coastal town, all cobblestone and sand dunes. When Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo graduated from high school in 1978, the vast majority of the graduating class hightailed it out of here as fast as they could. There were no jobs and no prospects. Now, it’s bursting at the seams with businesses and opportunities. How to manage this influx of people — many from the northeastern United States — is a topic of debate.

3 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Over the last decade, 10 hospitals have eliminated maternity care in North Carolina. Just one has added it: UNC Health Chatham in Siler City. The Chatham County center serves as a rare counterexample to the wave of rural maternity closures across the state. That’s where a stark divide has emerged: While hospitals in cities like Charlotte and Raleigh have added dozens of new delivery rooms, many rural facilities have shuttered or downsized their units, citing financial struggles.