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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Triangle hospitals are seeing an increase in snake bite cases this year
Extreme heat has plagued the Triangle for several days already this year. And as temperatures have risen, local emergency departments have reported an increase in visits from snake bite patients. Snakes become more active during spring and summer months, said Dr. Ben German, an emergency department physician at WakeMed. Humans do, too, and that's one of the reasons why more snake bites occur during warmer times of year. On really hot days, though, snakes become more nocturnal, and people spend time outdoors later in the afternoons and evening. 'Around dusk seems to be the prime time for snake bites as we get into this time of year, because again, the snakes and people are more active together, and it's harder to see them,' German said. Some of these bites may be attributed to copperheads. The brown, Hershey's Kiss-shaped patterned snakes are the most common venomous snakes Triangle residents are likely to come across, and are one of just a handful of venomous snakes that live in North Carolina. Copperhead bites are rarely fatal for humans, but they may need to be treated with antivenom. The News & Observer asked WakeMed, UNC Health and Duke Health about how many patients with snake bites have been treated at their emergency departments so far this year. So far this year, WakeMed has treated slightly more snake bite cases than the same period last year. ▪ From Jan. 1-July 6, WakeMed saw 59 patients with snake bites. Of those, 33 received antivenom. ▪ Over the same period in 2024, 55 people came to WakeMed Emergency Departments with a snake bite, and 31 of them were treated with antivenom. German said snake bite cases have generally increased yearly since he began working at WakeMed in 2006, but he attributed that to an increase in the number of people moving to the area. UNC Health emergency departments have treated 112 people for snake bites so far this year. The highest number of snake bite patients visited the facilities in May and June — 39 and 45, respectively. In some of these cases, copperheads were specifically named in the diagnosis. Compared to last year, UNC Health Emergency Departments have treated more patients with snake bites so far this year. ▪ From January 2024 through early July 2024, UNC Health Emergency Departments saw 90 snake bite patients, including 45 in July. ▪ Across emergency departments, UNC Health treated at least one person with a snake bite each month in 2024. In five months — May through September — UNC Health Emergency Departments saw at least 20 people with snake bites, system-wide. And during fall and winter months, fewer patients visited emergency departments with snake bites. Duke Health hospitals typically see more than 100 patients with snake bites each year, Duke Health said in an emailed statement Thursday, July 10. And the highest number of monthly cases usually falls during July. So far this season, Duke Health has treated 33 patients with snake bites at emergency departments at three facilities — Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital. Of those 33 cases, 11 sought treatment at Duke Health emergency departments since Tuesday, June 17. German, the WakeMed emergency physician, recommended three tips to avoid snake bites during this time of year: ▪ Wear good shoes outside. Sneakers are better than sandals, but leather shoes that cover above the ankle will work best to protect against bites to feet and lower legs. ▪ Be aware of your surroundings. Don't reach under objects or into spaces that aren't visible. Be careful when picking up debris, especially sticks, branches and mulch, which hide venomous copperheads well. ▪ If you're walking, taking out the trash or are outside for another reason later in the day or early in the morning, bring a flashlight. Have a question about your community you'd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you'd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you. If you have a question about the Charlotte area, send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. Do snake repellents keep snakes out of your NC yard? What experts say Snake in a drive-thru? Boa found coiled under window of Triangle McDonald's
Associated Press
10-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital set to bring 8,000 jobs to a Raleigh suburb
APEX, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital will be built in a bedroom community near the state capital, the project's health systems announced Thursday, creating a campus estimated to bring 8,000 jobs to the area. UNC Health and Duke Health announced in January an agreement to jointly build the proposed 500-bed pediatric hospital and linked facilities in the state's Research Triangle region, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. At that time, the specific location wasn't finalized. But leaders of the health systems said Thursday that the 'North Carolina Children's' project will be constructed about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) southwest of downtown Raleigh in Apex, a town of 77,000 already surging in population thanks to the region's strong technology economy. The 230-acre (93.1-hectare) campus will also include a children's outpatient care center, over 100 behavioral health beds and a research and education center operated by Duke University and University of North Carolina medical schools. The campus is poised to be integrated into a long-discussed mixed-use development location called Veridea that will include thousands of new homes, retail, dining, office and research space, as well as a new Wake Technical Community College campus. 'This campus will create a brighter, healthier future for generations of children and adolescents across North Carolina and the Southeast, and we're thrilled to have Apex as our home and partner,' UNC Heatlh CEO Dr. Wesley Burks said in a news release. A groundbreaking for the hospital campus is now expected in 2027, with construction anticipated to take six years. North Carolina Children's Health also issued on Thursday a request for information from potential design and construction contractors for the project. There are children's hospitals already in North Carolina, including those operated by the University of North Carolina and Duke University health systems that are attached to their main campuses in the Triangle. The Apex location 'will ensure that the Triangle remains a hub and a destination for the best pediatric scientists, teachers and clinicians — convenient to both medical school campuses,' said Dr. Mary Klotman, dean of the Duke University medical school and a Duke Health executive. The health systems have said the hospital campus project could cost from $2 billion to $3 billion, with a massive private fundraising effort ahead. The project has already received $320 million from state legislators. The next state budget, still being negotiated by House and Senate Republicans that ultimately would head to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's desk, also could contain more project funds. Stein said in an interview Thursday that beyond the economic opportunity the project will spark, 'I'm really excited about what the children's hospital means for children of North Carolina who are sick and in need of the best, most sophisticated, advanced medical interventions to live long, healthy lives.'
Business Journals
09-06-2025
- Health
- Business Journals
North Carolina faces worrying health care landscape
2025 State of Health Care panel event on June 5 at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The panel featured ECU Health CEO Michael Waldrum; Cristy Page, chief academic officer at UNC Health; Dr. Seth Brody, chief physician executive at WakeMed; Mickey Foster, CEO of FirstHealth of the Carolinas; Morgan Jones, chief strategy officer at Duke Health; Greg Moon, vice president of health care strategy at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden is among thousands to get prostate cancer this year. Where to get tested in NC
Former President Joe Biden's Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis served as a reminder of the importance of cancer screenings. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of natural deaths among North Carolina men, behind lung cancer, according to the UNC Men's Health program. The prostate is a gland that lies between a male's bladder and rectum and is part of his reproductive anatomy. Biden's team announced his diagnosis Sunday afternoon, saying that he had an increase in urinary symptoms which led to the finding of a prostate nodule. Biden's team said his form of prostate cancer is aggressive and has spread into his bones. Across the country, more than 180,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and around 40,000 will die from it. But if caught early, UNC Health says that almost all men with this diagnosis can live five or more years. That drops to 34% once it spreads. The American Cancer Society lists seven medical facilities where men can go to get screened for prostate cancer within a 50-mile radius of Raleigh. All seven also offer screenings for cervical, lung, breast and colorectal cancers. Those include: ▪ UNC Rex Healthcare of Wakefield, Raleigh ▪ Durham VA Medical Center, Durham ▪ University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ▪ Johnston Healthcare, Smithfield ▪ Carolina Urgent Care, Durham ▪ Carolina Urgent Care, Chapel Hill Call the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or use the chat feature on the group's website, to find out about options for potentially free screenings. A 2021 study by the UNC Men's Health Program found that only 52% of men in North Carolina were screened for prostate cancer. More than 8,000 men in North Carolina were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2021. Among them was Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville. In March 2021, he publicly announced he would undergo surgery after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Tillis said he didn't have any symptoms. 'I am blessed that my cancer was detected relatively early, and I can't emphasize enough how important routine screenings are, regardless of how healthy you think you are,' Tillis said then. 'I had no symptoms and would have never imagined I had cancer. My prognosis is good because I went to my annual physical and received a PSA test, which led to a biopsy and eventually my diagnosis. Early detection can truly save lives.' Tillis was among the first in North Carolina to react to Biden's news Sunday, posting on social media that he and his wife Susan 'are saddened to hear about President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis and are praying for his full recovery.' UNC encourages all men between 19 and 49 to receive physicals at least every two years, and an annual physical after 50. Even if a patient is healthy, the routine screenings give doctors a patient's baseline for blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and other things so that if something does go awry, a doctor knows what is normal for that individual. Between 50 and 69, but as early as 40, a prostate screening is done annually to ensure that a patient remains healthy. After 69, doctors will work with their patients individually to determine if a prostate exam is still necessary. Biden is 82. Prostate cancer is most common in Black men or those with a family history, especially with a father or brother who was diagnosed. In February, state Rep. Rodney Pierce, a Democrat from Halifax County, proposed a bill to provide $4 million to fund free or low-cost prostate screenings and follow-up care to uninsured or underinsured men in North Carolina. That same month, in Congress, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy of Greenville was among lawmakers who proposed requiring insurance companies to cover screenings without imposing any cost-sharing requirements on men at high risk of prostate cancer. A prostate exam can include a prostate-specific antigen blood test, a digital rectal exam and a biopsy. Murphy, a urologist, encouraged men to ensure their doctor don't stop at the PSA blood test, but also conduct a rectal exam to catch potential signs of cancer the blood test might miss. 'A man with a 'below normal' PSA can still have prostate cancer,' Murphy wrote on social media. 'This is why a rectal examination by your physician must ALSO be done. Unfortunately, some doctors are forgoing critical examination and relying only on the blood test. Make sure your doctor does both.' Biden received an outpouring of support from lawmakers, including Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina, who wished him a speedy recovery.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UNC Board of Governors names a familiar face to serve as NC State's next chancellor
NC State University's Bell Tower. (Photo: Kevin Howell, UNC Health's Chief External Affairs Officer, has been selected to succeed Randy Woodson as North Carolina State University's next chancellor. Howell will now lead the largest university in North Carolina, with nearly 39,000 students and a $2 billion budget. He's no stranger to higher education. Howell has served previously as an NC State University's vice chancellor for external affairs, where he led efforts to support the university's role as a driver of the state economy. UNC System President Peter Hans said in selecting its next chancellor, NC State needed to find a leader who not only believes in the transformational power of higher education, but has also lived it. 'Kevin is the personification of what makes NC State an extraordinary institution, the kind of place where a talented young man from Cleveland County can find a home, break ground as the first ever Black student body president, and then choose to devote his life to the upkeep and uplift of public education,' Hans said in presenting Howell's nomination to the UNC Board of Governor's on Tuesday. Hans noted that Howell, a Shelby native, has served in various capacities in the governor's office, the UNC System, UNC Health, and on numerous civic and charitable boards in central North Carolina. Howell will also be the first Black chancellor at NC State University, at a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion has drawn scorn from conservative state legislators and cutbacks and condemnation from the new Trump administration. DEI was not mentioned in Tuesday's announcement. Rather Hans described Howell as a wonderful ambassador and fundraiser. 'He's got a great mind, a generous passion, and a profound love of this university,' Hans said. 'But don't let that genial exterior fool you. Kevin Howell is a competitor to his core, a former wrestler who hasn't lost the instinct for tackling, grappling, and coming out on top.' Those skills and competitive drive are what is needed said Hans as NC State enters a 'transformative era.' He takes over the leadership role at a time when many universities nationwide are experiencing declines in student enrollment. Howell currently serves on the executive committee of myFutureNC which has actively been working to boost higher-ed enrollment in North Carolina. The nonprofit seeks to have two million North Carolinians hold a postsecondary degree or an industry credential by 2030. In February, NC State's Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, announced a hiring freeze due to the spike in uncertainty surrounding federal funding. And Howell will also guide the university through the future of Poe Hall, and health concerns about a building contaminated with high levels of PCBs. On Tuesday, Ed Weisiger, chair of the NC State Board of Trustees, chose to focus Howell's strengths. 'Kevin simply makes organizations better and healthier by working in them,' said Weisiger. 'We are so pleased to have him return to NC State.' Howell earned a bachelor's degree in political science from NC State in 1988 and was the university's student body president his senior year. He earned a law degree from the UNC-Chapel Hill and later served as a law clerk on the N.C. Court of Appeals. Following a five-month nationwide search, Howell will become the third NC State alumnus to serve as chancellor of the land-grant university. He will take over the role May 5 with a salary of $600,000. Woodson, the longest serving chancellor in the UNC system, has held the position for the last 15 years. This report will be updated after Howell addresses the university community at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday.
