/diagnosing-health-care-a-north-carolina-voices-series 00000177-6edd-df44-a377-6fff43390000North Carolina Voices: Diagnosing Health Care aired Thursday October 4th through Tuesday October 16th, 2007 on Morning Edition, The State of Things, and The Story. The series explored the connections between health, and health care, in North Carolina.North Carolina is not healthy. The state is ranked 36th in the nation in terms of health. One in four North Carolinians is obese, up from 13 percent in 1990, making obesity not just a personal health concern, but a public health epidemic. Diabetes is on the rise, particularly in rural areas. There are wide disparities in lifespan: A white girl born in North Carolina can expect to live until she is nearly 80 years old, but a black boy, statistically, will only make it to 68 - and he is likely to be sick for 15 years of his life. More than 16 percent of North Carolinians have no health insurance, and those who do not have insurance tend to be sicker than those who do. In addition to the physical and emotional toll, unhealthy lifestyles are costing North Carolina an estimated $24 billion a year.Why is North Carolina so unhealthy? What is being done about it? And what are the links between health, and the health care system?What does it mean to be healthy?Who is healthy, who is unhealthy, and why? What social and environmental factors affect health status, and what role does access to health care play in making people healthy?Does access to health care matter more for some groups of people than others? Are the people who need health care most getting the help they need? And does the current health care system actually promote good health? Why, or why not?What Do You Think?You can send an email to ncvoices@wunc.org or leave a comment about the series at 1-877-3VOICES (1-877-386-4237). Please tell us your name and how to pronounce it, in case we read your comments on the air. And please provide a daytime phone number so we can call you back if we have questions.Support for "North Carolina Voices: Diagnosing Health Care" comes from Dominion, Duke University Health System, GlaxoSmithKline, the North Carolina Humanities Council, the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation, the Julian Price Family Foundation, the John Rex Endowment and "The Healthy Weight Initiative," and UNC Health Care. Support also comes from the listeners of North Carolina Public Radio-¹ÏÉñapp. en-US Copyright Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:20:00 GMT /health/2007-10-16/nc-voices-health-of-elders People are living longer now than ever before in human history. By the year 2030, more than one-in-five people in the United States will be over the age… Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:20:00 GMT /health/2007-10-16/nc-voices-health-of-elders Rose Hoban /health/2007-10-16/nc-voices-diabetes-part-5 As part of our series "North Carolina Voices: Diagnosing Health Care" we’ve been reporting on the remarkable rise of Type 2 diabetes. That rise is due… Tue, 16 Oct 2007 14:18:00 GMT /health/2007-10-16/nc-voices-diabetes-part-5 Emily Hanford /health/2007-10-15/nc-voices-gene-testing Since experts mapped the human genome, the continuous flow of new information has affected decisions people are making about their health. As part of our… Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:57:00 GMT /health/2007-10-15/nc-voices-gene-testing Susan Davis /health/2007-10-15/nc-voices-diabetes-part-4 Type-2 diabetes may be the plague of this century. Just 20 years ago, about 30 million people in the world had the disease. Today, it’s more than five… Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:54:00 GMT /health/2007-10-15/nc-voices-diabetes-part-4 Emily Hanford /health/2007-10-12/nc-voices-diabetes-part-3 This week we're focusing on health care and the rise of diabetes in northeastern North Carolina. Yesterday we met Miranda Cofield, a 50 year old woman who… Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:13:00 GMT /health/2007-10-12/nc-voices-diabetes-part-3 Emily Hanford /health/2007-10-11/nc-voices-greener-hospitals This week we’re examining the health care system and asking whether it actually promotes good health. Today, we look at health care facilities themselves.… Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:39:00 GMT /health/2007-10-11/nc-voices-greener-hospitals Katy Barron /health/2007-10-11/nc-voices-diabetes-part-2 Today our look at diabetes in eastern North Carolina continues."Good morning, how ya doin? My name is Miranda Cofield. I live in Rich Square, NC and I am… Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:36:00 GMT /health/2007-10-11/nc-voices-diabetes-part-2 Emily Hanford /health/2007-10-10/nc-voices-health-disparities If you’re a white North Carolinian, you’re statistically likely to be born stronger, live healthier, and die later than your African American or Latino… Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:50:00 GMT /health/2007-10-10/nc-voices-health-disparities Laura Leslie /health/2007-10-10/nc-voices-diabetes-part-1 Today, as part of "North Carolina Voices: Diagnosing Health Care" we begin a series of reports looking at the rise of diabetes and its impact on the… Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:50:00 GMT /health/2007-10-10/nc-voices-diabetes-part-1 Emily Hanford /health/2007-10-09/nc-voices-traditions-converge Standard-issue Western health care isn’t delivering what some people want or need. They're looking for more than just another pill or procedure and… Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:46:00 GMT /health/2007-10-09/nc-voices-traditions-converge Melinda Penkava