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Winston-Salem Journal: Temporary and limited Medicaid expansion likely to clear legislature

By Alanna Joyner / April 29, 2020 / Comments Off on Winston-Salem Journal: Temporary and limited Medicaid expansion likely to clear legislature

Since March 15, more than 900,000 North Carolinians have lost their jobs, and in a system where many workers receive health insurance through their employers, most of those people have lost their access to health care too. Many now unemployed workers will not be able to qualify for Medicaid due to North Carolina’s lack of…

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Americans trust experts, governors – not Trump on re-opening the U.S. economy

By Alanna Joyner / April 28, 2020 / Comments Off on Americans trust experts, governors – not Trump on re-opening the U.S. economy

From Trump’s suggestion of “injecting” disinfectant into the body to arguing with state governors asking for crucial aid, the long list of the Trump administration’s mismanagement of the health crisis continues as the U.S. climbs to over 960,000 COVID-19 cases. Trump, who called for governors to “liberate” their states by lifting lockdown restriction — despite…

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Cooper: Steps will need to be taken before NC can fully reopen

By Alanna Joyner / April 27, 2020 / Comments Off on Cooper: Steps will need to be taken before NC can fully reopen

On Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced a three-phase outline the state is implementing as it looks to ease the COVID-19 restrictions. During a press conference, Cooper presented the gradual reopening benchmarks that aim to keep as many North Carolinians as possible safe and healthy while easing the state back open.  In order to lift restrictions,…

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News & Observer: The legislature needs to think big on how to respond to COVID-19

By Alanna Joyner / April 27, 2020 / Comments Off on News & Observer: The legislature needs to think big on how to respond to COVID-19

The North Carolina General Assembly convenes on Tuesday for its short session — the focus is only on temporary and immediate fixes in response to the current public health crisis. Several bills and summaries that the General Assembly will consider during the short session this week, include small business loans, resources for remote teaching, increased…

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WRAL: New coalition on the left presses inequality issues during COVID-19 and beyond

By Eleanore Wood / April 24, 2020 / Comments Off on WRAL: New coalition on the left presses inequality issues during COVID-19 and beyond

By Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter A new coalition of left-leaning groups came together over the last month and a half, and it’s pushing state leaders to address economic inequality as government responds to COVID-19, and longer term. The group, NC United for Survival & Beyond, lists some 200 organizations as members. Many are smaller grassroots operations,…

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Americans are concerned about ending the coronavirus lockdowns too soon, poll finds

By Alanna Joyner / April 23, 2020 / Comments Off on Americans are concerned about ending the coronavirus lockdowns too soon, poll finds

The question of when to start reopening the country has been part of the coronavirus conversation in the U.S. for the last few weeks. With Trump’s constant push to reopen the economy despite a chronic lack of test kits, medical supplies and an overwhelmingly strained health system, the proposed quick turnover is not sitting well…

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Continued social distancing necessary to slow the spread and save lives in NC

By Alanna Joyner / April 21, 2020 / Comments Off on Continued social distancing necessary to slow the spread and save lives in NC

On April 6, a team of local health experts released a projection model looking at how COVID-19 could affect North Carolina in the coming months. Since its release, state health officials and Gov. Roy Cooper have implemented measures to slow the spread of the virus and preserve hospital capacity to save lives. As a result,…

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Trump’s coronavirus testing failure squandered valuable time

By Alanna Joyner / April 21, 2020 / Comments Off on Trump’s coronavirus testing failure squandered valuable time

The Trump administration’s failure to quickly scale up testing continues to cripple the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic. Three months after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the states, a chronic lack of testing kits remains a burden on states as Trump focuses on reopening the economy rather than increased test kit distribution. …

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Gov. Cooper launches effort to test for and trace coronavirus

By Alanna Joyner / April 21, 2020 / Comments Off on Gov. Cooper launches effort to test for and trace coronavirus

Last Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper outlined the benchmarks North Carolina needs to accomplish first before reopening business during the pandemic. In the press conference, the governor stated that expanded testing capacity, ability to trace contact of all infected people, and improved trends — in terms of the number of cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and the availability…

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Experts and medical professionals push back against the “Reopen” movement

By Eleanore Wood / April 21, 2020 / Comments Off on Experts and medical professionals push back against the “Reopen” movement

While a small vocal group of protestors are demanding that the state reopen on May 1, experts say that we must have more testing for a safe reopen. RALEIGH – While a small group of organized activists protest against widely popular social distancing measures designed to save lives, experts and medical professionals are urging Americans…

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