AGP Executive Report

Public Health & Preparedness: A new report warns the U.S. is becoming less prepared for future infectious disease outbreaks as funding and personnel shrink. Infectious Disease Response: Samaritan’s Purse opened Ebola Treatment Centers in Bunia and Nyankunde in the DRC, adding 80 beds and ramping up hygiene training and handwashing stations. Food Safety: The FDA upgraded an Alfredo sauce recall to Class I (highest risk) after possible salmonella contamination tied to a dry milk powder ingredient; the product was distributed to food service in 41 states, including North Carolina. Community Health: Richmond County is hosting a Safe Kids Hot Car Display to prevent heat deaths in vehicles, with heat advisories already underway. Health Access & Care Models: Telehealth demand is surging alongside GLP-1 use, while a separate study highlights noninvasive spinal cord stimulation plus therapy as a promising add-on for MS rehab. Opioid Treatment: Opioid overdose deaths are at historic lows, but experts urge continued prevention and treatment support. Local Wellness Support: A Henderson County Boys & Girls Club partnered with Healthy Blue to install a hygiene vending machine for youth. Prevention & Awareness: North Carolina tick season coverage emphasizes how to reduce bite risk and avoid tick-borne illness. Health Equity & Maternal Care: Grants and initiatives continue to target maternal and infant health across the region.

Tick-borne health alert: North Carolina is in peak tick season early, with 2026 already showing higher emergency-room tick-bite visits than last year—experts urge residents to watch for symptoms of Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and to prevent bites. Food safety: The FDA issued a highest-risk recall for Alfredo sauce sold in 41 states due to possible salmonella contamination from a dry milk powder ingredient. Allergy awareness: Health officials warn that alpha-gal syndrome—a potentially life-threatening meat allergy triggered by tick bites—is rising, with symptoms that can hit hours after eating meat or sometimes dairy. Heat and worker safety: Migrant farmworkers preparing for a long hot summer face serious heat-stress risks, with advocates calling for stronger protections as cases of heat illness and deaths have been reported in North Carolina. Community health support: A Durham luncheon for The Links Inc. raised funds for Triangle programs, including health and wellness outreach and youth mentoring. Care access via pharmacies: A study highlights how community pharmacists can help close social needs gaps for atrial fibrillation patients, including housing and mental health barriers. Severe weather: Forecasters flag a slight risk of severe storms in North Carolina, with damaging winds and isolated tornado threats possible.

Public Health & Safety: A North Carolina woman, Marlo Wallace of Dallas, was charged in the death of 23-year-old Aaliyah Michelle Fortner, described as “nonverbal and profoundly autistic,” with the medical examiner citing severe malnutrition and extensive injuries. Food & Drug Safety: The FDA warned and recalled Farm Rich Pizza Cheese Crunchers in 21+ states, including North Carolina, after concerns the frozen snack may contain metal pieces. Youth Health: A New Hanover County mother is pushing “Solly’s Law” to raise the tobacco and nicotine purchase age to 21 and require retailer permitting, after her stepson died from vaping. Community Care & Access: A UNC Health Pharmacy-led partnership in North Carolina helped screen atrial fibrillation patients for social needs like housing and food insecurity, showing mental health barriers were most common. Health Workforce/Opioid Treatment: An NIH-funded effort aims to expand primary-care support for prescribing medications for opioid use disorder across about 40 clinics in Ohio and West Virginia. Rural Health: Rural Health Group marked its 50th anniversary as a federally qualified health center, highlighting continued access work in northeastern North Carolina.

Opioid response in the real world: Rutherford County commissioners rejected a request to use opioid settlement funds for wound care tied to injection drug use, highlighting the tension between prevention services and how local leaders want to spend settlement money. Maternal health funding: Prisma Health received a $1.6 million Duke Endowment grant to expand a text/phone screening and referral program aimed at improving maternal and infant outcomes and addressing mental health and substance use needs. Medicare pay pressure for doctors: A Medicare physician pay increase for 2026 is moving forward, but lawmakers still face the harder question of whether the boost can be sustained beyond the current patch. Public health and safety at home: A Gaston County woman was charged in the death of a non-verbal autistic woman who died of severe malnutrition, underscoring the risks of neglect and the need for better safeguards. Heat readiness: With temperatures pushing into the 90s, doctors urged hydration, limiting direct sun, and using air-conditioned spaces to prevent heat exhaustion and related illness. Disaster-proofing care: Western North Carolina is getting solar “beehive” microgrids to keep essentials like medical devices and food access running during hurricanes. Food safety: The FDA announced a recall of Farm Rich Pizza Cheese Crunchers in multiple states, including North Carolina, due to possible metal contamination. Housing and health access: Novant and UNC Health are competing to add hospital beds in New Hanover County after the state flagged a need for 225 more.

Suicide Prevention & Social Ties: A new push highlights how loneliness and weak social connection can raise suicide risk, with Charlotte residents describing community rituals like light-rail trash pickups as protective. Maternal Health Funding: ECU Health won nearly $1.5M from the Duke Endowment for a text-and-phone screening and referral program aimed at improving maternal and infant outcomes across eastern North Carolina. Cancer Care Update: The FDA approved capivasertib plus abiraterone and prednisone for PTEN-deficient metastatic prostate cancer, backed by trial results showing improved radiographic progression-free survival. Extreme Heat Response: Triad cities are expanding cooling resources, including weekend cooling centers and heat-triggered alerts, to protect children, seniors, and people experiencing homelessness. Rabies Alert: Mecklenburg County reported a rabies-positive coyote in Huntersville, with at least one human and one vaccinated domestic pet exposed. Digital Safety Law: The NC Senate unanimously advanced a bill restricting social media accounts for kids under 14 and requiring parental consent for teens, plus AI literacy steps in schools. Food Safety Recall: FDA elevated a frozen pizza recall affecting 21 states due to possible metal fragments. Opioid Treatment Access: A major NIH grant aims to expand primary-care prescribing support for opioid use disorder treatment in about 40 clinics across Ohio and West Virginia.

EMS & Behavioral Health Funding: North Carolina DHHS is awarding $10 million to 39 EMS agencies, including Onslow County EMS, to strengthen the EMS workforce and expand rural access to mental health and substance use disorder care—using tools like opioid response support and follow-up connections to treatment. Hospital Oversight: A new NC Senate proposal would cap nonprofit hospital CEO pay and add protections for healthcare whistleblowers, as lawmakers weigh how the Atrium Health–WakeMed merger could affect costs and access. Heat Safety: Dangerous heat is building across North Carolina, with a Heat Advisory for the Triad Friday as heat index values near 105 and storms could bring damaging winds and hail. Rabies Alert: Davidson County confirmed its first rabies case of 2026 after two fox attacks; both bitten people started post-exposure treatment, and officials urge avoiding wild animals and reporting bites. Public Health & Food Recalls: FDA recall coverage continues after frozen pizza snacks were pulled in 21 states for possible metal contamination. Alpha-gal Awareness: NC State highlights rising alpha-gal syndrome risk tied to tick bites, which can trigger red-meat and dairy allergy reactions. Medical Education Expansion: ECU marked a topping-out ceremony for the new Brody Center for Medical Education, a $265 million state-funded build aimed at expanding training capacity.

Opioid Treatment Access: A new NIH-funded push aims to expand primary-care prescribing support for opioid use disorder meds across about 40 clinics in Ohio and West Virginia, targeting the gap between what’s proven and what’s actually prescribed. Rabies Alerts: Alamance County health officials confirmed a third rabies case after a fox tested positive in Snow Camp; residents near the bite area are urged to monitor pets and seek guidance if exposure is a concern. Health Tech Privacy: Apple says its Health app will flag patterns that may suggest perimenopause in a 2027 update, sparking debate about how much personal health data should be shared. Myth vs. Science: A viral trend around music tuned to 432 hertz is getting attention, but experts say there’s no solid proof it has special healing benefits. Cancer Care Access: Novant Health is expanding advanced cancer services in southeastern North Carolina to speed diagnosis-to-treatment for patients. Water Safety: Durham is moving to Stage 2 stronger water-use restrictions starting June 15 as drought worsens and reservoir levels drop. Food Safety: A listeria outbreak tied to recalled soft cheeses has sickened people in multiple states, with at least one death reported. Community Mental Health: Darkness RISING is using arts, music, and wellness programming to reduce stigma and expand mental health support in Black communities. Workplace Safety: North Carolina’s construction worker deaths rose in 2024, underscoring ongoing risks from falls, electrocutions, and being struck by equipment.

Food Safety: Clover Hill Dairy issued a recall for Soft Ricotta/Requeson cheese sold in North Carolina and other states after illnesses tied to Listeria monocytogenes. Public Health Research: A new Neurology study links high blood pressure with a lower dementia risk in people with physical frailty, while frail people without frailty showed higher dementia risk. Maternal Health Advocacy: Raleigh hosted a push for state laws and grant programs aimed at reducing pregnancy-related deaths among Black women, citing large preventable gaps in postpartum support and implicit bias. Hospital Transparency: ECU Health facilities in eastern North Carolina were among hospitals warned over federal price transparency rules; ECU says issues were technical and corrected. Community Health & Access: Dosher Memorial Hospital marked 96 years of community healthcare in Southport, highlighting long-term local access efforts. Senior Nutrition: Caldwell County seniors may get Farmers Market Vouchers (first-come, first-served) through Thrive’s Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Care Coordination: A growing hospital-to-nursing home partnership model (Post Acute Network) is gaining traction for reducing readmissions and improving outcomes, including in Charlotte. MS Care Updates: A Charlotte meeting of multiple sclerosis centers highlighted a shift toward long-term disability progression and quality-of-life focused care.

Maternal Health Push: North Carolina lawmakers and advocates rallied for the “Momnibus” bill, aiming to improve Black maternal health with new funding and attention to disparities in pregnancy and childbirth outcomes. Inmate Care Costs: A new UNC Chapel Hill–backed report says NC counties face a recurring pattern of higher-than-expected inmate healthcare costs, driven largely by off-site hospital visits and specialty medications that strain budgets. Public Health & Safety: Chatham County reported a fox in Silk Hope tested positive for rabies; officials say no one was bitten, but potential exposure checks and pet vaccination reminders are underway. Water & Air Watch: Greensboro released its 2025 drinking water quality report, while NC DEQ is taking public comments on an air quality permit modification for Egger–Lexington Particleboard Plant in Davidson County. Health Research Funding: Western Carolina University nursing professor Caitlin Torrence won an $840,000 grant to lead a regional health policy research consortium focused on mental health, food security, substance use, and housing. Community Caregiving: A Durham caregiver shared how caregiving for a parent with Lewy body dementia is shaped by policy gaps, urging support for veteran caregiver protections. Healthcare Costs & Access: A report highlights how Medicaid spending patterns—from radiology in Murphy to E&M claims in Reidsville—show where public health dollars are flowing locally.

Food Safety Alert: A Salmonella outbreak tied to moringa supplements has expanded to 119 illnesses across 36 states, prompting new FDA recall updates. Public Health: A listeria outbreak linked to Clover Hill Dairy soft ricotta and requesón has killed one and sickened seven, with recalls and a facility license suspension in Maryland. Animal Health: FDA expanded a pet food recall over possible thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in freeze-dried chicken products. Healthcare Oversight: Wake County judge dismissed a lawsuit by 31 former NC State athletes alleging sexual abuse, citing procedural issues and expired claims. Mental Health & Justice: A federal judge ruled the man accused in the Charlotte train stabbing of Iryna Zarutska is currently incompetent to stand trial and ordered up to four months of treatment. Local Wellness & Community: Appalachian State won $1.82M to turn surplus sweet potatoes into plant-based dairy alternatives. Emergency Preparedness: New Hanover County urged residents to prepare for hurricane season and enroll vulnerable people in its access registry.

Public Health & Safety: FDA expanded a recall of GO Raw LLC freeze-dried and frozen raw pet foods after thiamine (Vitamin B1) levels were found dangerously low, raising risks of neurological problems, seizures, and death—especially for cats. Food Safety: Clover Hill Dairy recalled soft ricotta/requeson cheese sold in North Carolina due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, a particular danger for pregnant people, frail seniors, and immunocompromised residents. Local Healthcare Growth: Novant Health marked a major construction milestone with a topping-out ceremony for a new 20-bed Greenville hospital, with an expected late-2027 opening to expand access in the Upstate. Wellness Research & Fundraising: The Appendix Cancer PMP Research Foundation is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Appendix Cancer Walk series, reporting nearly $2.5 million raised and 49 research grants, with events including in North Carolina. Health Policy & Access: North Carolina’s mental health supervision expansion to all 100 counties continues to roll out, aiming to strengthen oversight and services statewide. Community & Prevention: Raleigh is gearing up for Juneteenth events that include health and wellness screenings alongside music, food, and family activities.

Affordable, heat-ready housing: Durham’s Alma Street Commons broke ground as North Carolina’s first Living Building Challenge-certified affordable development, using sustainable materials and designed for extreme heat so residents can keep cool—an explicit health move as the state expects 90+ days above 90°F. Local health system scrutiny: Wake County leaders grilled health executives over a proposed WakeMed–Atrium Health combination, with concerns ranging from competition to possible insurance cost increases for state workers. Rural EMS + addiction care: NCDHHS announced $10 million to expand the EMS workforce and bolster rural behavioral health and substance-use treatment through Mobile Integrated Health programs. Public health policy: A new global study finds sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are spreading fast—64 countries adopted them from 1990 to 2024—driven more by obesity and type 2 diabetes burdens than by drink consumption rates. Workforce + care access: A federal judge struck down Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee as an unlawful tax, a win for hospitals and other employers relying on skilled foreign workers. STEM for health innovation: N.C. A&T won approval to launch the state’s first standalone HBCU Ph.D. in bioengineering, aiming to expand research capacity in human health and biotech.

Rural EMS Boost: NCDHHS announced $10 million for 39 local EMS agencies to strengthen Mobile Integrated Health, expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment beyond the initial 911 call. Public Health Watch: U.S. measles cases are on pace to top the 2025 record, with 2,030 cases reported across 38 states and DC and most infections tied to unvaccinated people. Cancer Care Update: A genomic test co-developed in Canada/UBC research suggests many breast cancer patients (age 40+) with low-risk results may safely skip chemotherapy, based on the OPTIMA trial. MS Research Roundup: The CMSC meeting in Charlotte highlighted new MS care developments, including updates on high-efficacy therapy use across age groups. Tobacco/Nicotine Policy: Multistate attorneys general, including Hawaiʻi’s AG Anne Lopez, urged Formula 1 to end tobacco and nicotine sponsorships, citing youth exposure risks. Health & Safety in NC: A Lenoir County man faces charges after allegedly shooting a 12-year-old, paralyzing him, according to Kinston officers. Community Health: The Carolina Hurricanes Foundation donated $50,000 to help deliver 150,000+ summer meals for families facing food insecurity.

Medical Education Scrutiny: DOJ opened 15 new investigations into alleged race-based discrimination in medical school admissions, expanding a broader civil-rights push that could reshape how future doctors are selected. Rural Health Access: A report from Martin County highlights how hospital closures and limited emergency services leave residents facing long drives for care, underscoring ongoing “healthcare desert” concerns in eastern NC. Nursing Home Watch (CMS): New CMS ownership and quality snapshots spotlight both high- and low-performing facilities—Mecklenburg Heath and Rehabilitation (5 stars), The Laurels of Greentree Ridge (5), and Trinity Oaks (4) stand out, while The Oaks in Winston-Salem is listed at 1 star. Diabetes & Weight-Loss Pipeline: Pfizer’s berobenatide advances with Phase 3 recruitment after Phase 2b results showing strong weight loss and tolerability for people with obesity/overweight, with or without type 2 diabetes. Air Quality & Heat Risk: North Carolina faces hotter-than-normal conditions plus ozone alerts, raising the stakes for heat illness and breathing problems. Community Mental Health: Darkness RISING’s arts-and-wellness events in Raleigh aim to reduce stigma and expand mental health support in Black communities.

Value-Based Care Results: Blue Cross NC says its value-based care work has generated more than $1 billion in savings since 2019, with 3 million members in programs, 76% provider participation, and double-digit improvements in chronic care quality. Rural Access Gap: A Martin County family story highlights how hospital closures and long ambulance travel times can turn emergencies into near-impossible rescues, underscoring ongoing rural health shortages. Obesity Drug Pipeline: Pfizer is recruiting for a pivotal Phase 3 trial of berobenatide, a potential once-monthly GLP-1 option, after Phase 2b results showed sustained weight loss. Nursing Home Watch: New CMS reporting spotlights quality and ownership details across multiple North Carolina facilities, including several with low star ratings and fines/penalties. Mental Health in the Community: Darkness RISING is using arts and wellness programming to reduce stigma and connect Black communities to mental health support. Public Health & Safety: A CDC-linked salmonella outbreak tied to backyard chicken flocks includes cases reported in North Carolina. Air Quality & Heat Risk: Meteorologists warn of rising heat illness risk and ozone impacts across parts of the state.

Teen Driving Safety: After a crash killed his sons, retired drag racer Doug Herbert launched B.R.A.K.E.S. teen driver safety classes, now bringing the program to EchoPark Speedway June 13-14. Public Health Workforce Pay: Western NC medical examiners plan a coordinated, indefinite vacation starting June 15 to protest stagnant pay that hasn’t risen in more than a decade. Long-Term Care Watch: CMS data show Stonecreek Health and Rehabilitation in Asheville received a 2-star rating for Q1 2026, while Salisbury Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Rowan County also logged a low 1-star rating for Q1 2026. Medicaid Spending Signals: New local billing reports highlight rapid Medicaid growth in places like Creedmoor (Temporary National Codes) and Taylorsville (National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies), underscoring shifting demand and costs. Weight-Loss Drug Pipeline: Pfizer shared late-breaking Phase 2b results for monthly GLP-1 berobenatide, aiming to reduce injection frequency and improve adherence. Community Safety: Rescuers recovered the body of missing kayaker Angel Martinez from Roanoke Rapids Lake after a May 14 incident.