Jane Sartwell

1 week ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Of all the companies that have come to North Carolina in recent years, from Toyota to Google to Amazon, cryptomining operations don’t exactly spring to mind. But the state, because of its vast swaths of land, is increasingly being targeted by these outfits looking to operate here — much to the chagrin and consternation of local residents. But as politicians and lawmakers cozy up to crypto, these mining operations are of ever-increasing importance.

2 weeks ago | upandcomingweekly.com | Jane Sartwell

For residents of rural North Carolina, quality health care can seem nonexistent. Let alone be affordable. Now, one of the only options for low-cost, low-barrier medical care is under threat: community health centers. Rural residents with chronic conditions like hypertension, heart disease and diabetes — on Medicaid or without insurance entirely — can’t afford regular trips to the emergency room. And rural hospitals can’t afford to treat them. That’s where community health centers have a vital role.

2 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

The State Health Plan is deeply in debt. To get out of the red, the 750,000 employees who receive coverage will experience something many were hoping to avoid: the first significant premium increase in nearly a decade. It’s part of the strategy from Brad Briner, North Carolina’s treasurer, to pay off a $507 million shortfall the State Health Plan has accrued due to dramatic increases in the cost of health coverage — a deficit which is projected to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027.

3 weeks ago | carolinapublicpress.org | Jane Sartwell

Six months ago, Washington Regional Medical Center in Plymouth declared bankruptcy for the second time in five years. Now, hospital leadership hopes that the facility will emerge from this latest financial hardship by late May. That’s good news to the 10,713 residents of Washington County who need the hospital to stay in business. It’s the only one around. The bad news is that it has never been harder to keep a rural hospital afloat, especially one that’s not connected to a larger health system.

3 weeks ago | wunc.org | Jane Sartwell

For residents of rural North Carolina, quality health care can seem nonexistent. Let alone affordable. Now, one of the only options for low-cost, low-barrier medical care is under threat: community health centers. Rural residents with chronic conditions like hypertension, heart disease and diabetes — on Medicaid or without insurance entirely — can’t afford regular trips to the emergency room. And rural hospitals can’t afford to treat them. That’s where community health centers have a vital role.