New toolkit gives North Carolina parents know-how to “Get the Lead Out” of school drinking water With “back to school” in full swing this week, Environment North Carolina is releasing a new free toolkit to help parents, teachers and administrators "Get the Lead Out" of school drinking water.
...
Medicaid expansion is not just a moral imperative — it could provide a much-needed tonic for the fiscal ailments that many rural hospitals face in North Carolina. Legislative leaders’ refusal to expand Medicaid has deprived hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians of lifesaving medical care and has left rural hospitals dangling in the fiscal winds.
...
A new report released this morning finds that expanding Medicaid in North Carolina would create more than 37,000 new jobs and insure approximately 365,000 more people. The report was prepared by researchers at The George Washington University with funding from Cone Health Foundation and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. In addition to the new jobs created and the hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents gaining coverage, the researchers estimate...
...
People with disabilities need full and inclusive access to meaningful employment opportunities. Many North Carolinians with disabilities are being left out of the economic mainstream. State policies continue to subject many people with disabilities to unfair wages, isolation, and limited work expectations and options. Employment services also continue to fail people with disabilities who aspire to obtain meaningful employment.
...
For nearly 40 years, Alliance for Justice (AFJ) has worked to ensure that our nation’s justice system advances core constitutional values, preserves critical rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans. We have never witnessed an assault on our justice system like the one we have seen since Donald Trump became President.
...
Making certain that every infant is safe and developing, every toddler is thriving, and every preschooler is prepared for kindergarten smooths the pathway to lifetime success and happiness for all North Carolinians. Recent data collected by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation finds that North Carolinians recognize the importance of the early years and want to see policymakers make a significant investment to ensure more children can access quality early childhood education.
...
A report, issued by Disability Rights North Carolina provides strong evidence that federal, state and local emergency management officials must take action to ensure the well-being of people with disabilities during natural disasters. Analyzing the response to Hurricane Florence, the report shows how public officials must do more to include the voices of people with disabilities and disability rights advocates as they plan for future emergencies and ensure their safety.
...
With one of the largest uninsured populations in the country, North Carolina is home to far too many people who lack the regular health care access and financial security that comprehensive health care coverage provides. In an economic landscape in which employers consider health outcomes in their location and expansion decisions, North Carolina’s 10.7 percent uninsured rate—the 10th highest in the nation—makes us less competitive.
...
North Carolina’s legislators are back at work for the 2019-2020 “long session.” While the state’s policy-makers and budget writers face a host of challenges, they also have a shot at making a real difference in the state’s long-term outlook. NC Child has identified five leading opportunities for lawmakers to remove obstacles to the success and well-being of North Carolina’s children.
...
Eviction, and the displacement that follows, is a very harsh reality for many North Carolina residents. With ever increasing rent prices, the inadequacy of investment in affordable housing programs, compounded by the loss of affordable units because of expiring subsidies and stagnant wages...
...
A new report from Prof. Gene Nichol and Heather Hunt at the North Carolina Poverty Research Fund is shining a light on an important area in which the General Assembly has been repeatedly undermining the independence of the judiciary: the micromanagement of court fines and fees. The report is entitled “Forcing Judges to Criminalize Poverty: Eroding Judicial Independence in North Carolina” and in it, authors Gene Nichol and Heather Hunt build on their past research efforts regarding the burdensome nature of court fines and fees for poor people.
...
A 10-year review of public health spending shows that public health funding in North Carolina has not kept pace with the growing population. A new report from the North Carolina Budget & Tax Center gives a breakdown of how state investments in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services have changed since 2008.
...
From infant mortality to life expectancy, race predicts outcomes in the United States. Racial inequities, created and sustained through the policies and practices of governments and other institutions, have long-lasting and cumulative impact. In Durham, North Carolina, the revitalization and subsequent gentrification of its downtown has brought these racial fault lines...
...
