Embracing the ‘New Normal’ in Higher Ed

The pandemic has stressed hospitals across the Carolinas both medically and financially. We speak with Michelle Fortune, head of St. Luke’s Hospital in Columbus, N.C., to see how one small rural hospital has fought its way through the challenges.

As executive director of Guilford Community Care Network, Lisa Duck sees firsthand how COVID-19 is exacerbating health disparities in historically marginalized communities.

Carole Swiecicki, head of the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center in Charleston, S.C., discusses how her organization has shifted to provide much-needed therapy, training and outreach services.

From providing space for telehealth counseling to delivering meals to families in need, churches across North Carolina are putting faith into action to support their communities.

Thanks to a new initiative coordinated by Read Charlotte, families now have access to free online resources to help their children gain literacy skills at home.

As director of the S.C. Department of Social Services, Michael Leach wants to take the agency to “a standard of excellence for the country.” We asked him how.

With Furman University as a partner, a statewide effort is helping doctors and lawyers work together to address the underlying causes of poor health outcomes.

What does it take for a community to thrive? Josh Yates, executive director of the Ormond Center at Duke Divinity School, says it means creating communities “where everyone can pursue a good life, well lived.”

From taking blood pressure readings to checking prescriptions, Cody Darnell is using his training as a paramedic to keep at-risk patients in Ashe County, N.C., safer and healthier in their homes.

What can six faculty members from Davidson, Furman and Johnson C. Smith accomplish in four weeks at the National Humanities Center? A lot! “It’s hard to imagine a better place for propelling scholarly activity,” says Furman’s Michele Speitz.