Healthcare News & Stories

For North Carolina, August marks five months of living in a world upended by COVID-19. By July, more than 100,00 North Carolinians had tested positive for COVID-19. And, like the nationwide trend [1], North Carolina’s communities of color are more affected by the virus.
In North Carolina, 9.6% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.[2] But by mid-June, the Hispanic and Latino community represented more than 44% of North Carolina’s COVID-19 cases. [3]
Prior to the pandemic, Latino communities faced greater health disparities. These disparities are caused by social and economic discrimination. Now, some challenges are proving even greater under the stress of a virus.

FROM INITIAL SYMPTOMS TO RECOVERY, FIND OUT HOW COVID-19 SYMPTOMS PROGRESS.
You’ve been careful. You’ve stayed socially distant. You’ve worn a mask. You’ve washed your hands often. But others weren’t as careful. And when you went to grab takeout last week, you bumped shoulders with someone who had COVID-19. Little did you know, they had just coughed, and you are now infected.
You may not start feeling symptoms immediately, but when you do, what can you expect?

Evidence continues to emerge showing a stark contrast in the impact of COVID-19 on community health. The novel coronavirus is striking minority groups, particularly African Americans, at disproportionally higher rates.
A number of factors are likely behind this disturbing trend including poorer access to healthcare, higher rates of chronic illness, limited testing, distrust of the healthcare system and underlying bias.
We recently spoke with Bridget Hurd, senior director of diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and a member of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, a high-level panel appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to better understand the key drivers of these disparities and determine what can be done to improve outcomes.

You would think that with each passing year, incidents of complications during pregnancy and childbirth would decrease. But the recent Health of America report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association shows otherwise.
Overall, pregnancy complications rose by more than 16% in recent years. Childbirth complications saw an increase of more than 14%. As a physician, this is troubling to me.
A review of 1.8 million pregnancies (ages 18-44) nationwide between 2014 and 2018 offered significant findings:

The racks at the Great Outdoor Provision Co. store in Chapel Hill are typically stocked with canoes and kayaks. They were threadbare late last week. Of the few boats remaining, all but three had “sold” tags on them. Since late March, keeping enough boats in stock has been near impossible. More and more people are turning to one of the most social-distancing-friendly forms of outdoor recreation: paddling.“
Folks are (re)-discovering the joy of paddle sports,” says Chuck Millsaps, president of Great Outdoor Provision Co., with seven stores in North Carolina. “It has been encouraging to see folks take to the water for a bit of peace and perspective.”
Part of the beauty of paddling in these pandemic times is that keeping your distance from fellow paddlers is easy. You may see another paddler or two at the boat ramp. But out on the water it’s easy to keep your distance. And as escapes go, in the eyes of Jim Poling Sr., author of “The Canoe: An Illustrated History,” you’d be hard pressed to find a better alternative.“

HAVE A CHRONIC DISEASE? HERE’S HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE TO MANAGE YOUR ILLNESS AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Nurse case managers at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) are working hard to help members with existing health conditions stay safe. Four of these nurses—Roanne Ray, Ebb Olwell, Cary Holt, and Grace Denton—compiled a few tips for protecting yourself and staying healthy.
MAKE A PLAN FOR GETTING GROCERIES AND ESSENTIAL ITEMS

YOUR PREGNANCY RELATED COVID-19 QUESTIONS, ANSWERED.
Welcoming a new baby is a joyous time. You look forward to decorating the nursery, shopping for baby items and meeting your little one. But with the coronavirus outbreak, many new and expecting families are now experiencing worry.
Here are answers to questions new and expecting families may have right now.