Health

  • Coalition hopes to coordinate efforts to combat opioid crisis in Columbus County 
    by Henry Hawthorne IV
    By Henry Hawthorne IV While overdoses underscore the opioid crisis in Columbus County, county leaders still have a long way to go to understand the core causes and provide effective prevention programs, says Lauren Cole. “The first two weeks of April we had 14 overdoses at Columbus Regional,” Cole said. “One mother overdosed and left three preschool children sitting in the emergency room. No one …Read more
  • Rural NC health care system sees huge spike in quarantined workers as COVID cases rise
    by Sarah Nagem
    The number of staff members at Scotland Health Care in North Carolina who are quarantined jumped from five to 55 in less than a week, a sign of the strain put on hospitals as COVID-19 cases rise. Read more
  • Abuse, neglect of children often goes hand-in-hand with parents’ drug use
    by Ivey Schofield
    Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part series in 2017 that reported on the opioid crisis and associated mental health issues. Today, Reporter Ivey Schofield looks at how children are impacted by parents’ drug use and how schools, social services, Boys and Girls Homes and other agencies …Read more
  • Drug treatment options exist, but many don’t know where to find them
    by Ivey Schofield
    Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part series in 2017 that reported on the opioid crisis and associated mental health issues. Today, Reporter Ivey Schofield looks at what treatment options for addiction are available and where people can find them in the county.  By Ivey SchofieldBBI Writer …Read more
  • Drug treatment program leads to sobriety, sisterhood
    by Ivey Schofield
    Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a multi-part series where the Border Belt Independent looks at what has changed since The News Reporter’s six-part series in 2017 that reported on the opioid crisis and associated mental health issues. Today, Reporter Ivey Schofield looks at how women at the Rose House in Whiteville work to overcome addiction. By Ivey SchofieldBBI Writer Eleven women gather in …Read more