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From rural McDowell County to urban Forsyth, emergency services departments statewide say the labor shortage paired with high call volumes might mean it’ll take longer for an ambulance to arrive at your door.

One day Mary K was speaking with her case manager at WellCare, the company that manages her Medicaid plan. She told the woman she’d been getting most of her food from pantries, but she could only get there when she had a ride. Once there, the food bank workers usually only offered shelf stable goods, such as peanut butter, pasta or beans, foods that didn’t help her keep her diabetes or weight under control.

Since 2004, Vecinos, a community health organization in western NC, has served Latino farmworkers. A new multi-million dollar project and partnership with other organizations will mean all low-income Latinos in the region will soon have easier access to care.

A new CDC study found more than 75% of counties don’t have anywhere residents can get methadone, and 30% of counties lack a buprenorphine provider. In North Carolina, rural communities with many Black and Indigenous residents often lack access to care.