• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Care4Carolina

Care4Carolina

Expanding access. Enhancing prosperity.

  • About
    • Overview
    • Member Organizations
    • Steering Committee
    • Business Advisory Council
    • Business Leader & Business Owner Supporters
    • Civic Leaders
    • Faith Community & Leaders
  • Updates
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Submit Event to the Community Calendar
  • Resources
    • Browse All Resources
    • In the News
  • Map
  • Act Now
  • Donate

Sign as a Business Leader

As a North Carolina business leader, I endorse the following statement:

We, as North Carolina business leaders, understand that a strong economy and a thriving workforce require healthy families. Right now, too many hard-working families are uninsured. In fact, about two-thirds of all uninsured adults in North Carolina work. They are construction workers, farmers, child care providers, and even veterans. We urge the North Carolina General Assembly to achieve a bi-partisan solution to close the health insurance coverage gap. Now is the time to act. There are proposals on the table that would require no investment of state tax dollars and closing the gap would create an estimated 37,000 jobs and billions in economic activity. Much of this economic activity would benefit our rural communities and other areas most in need of an economic boost. Closing the health insurance coverage gap is a good deal for the health of North Carolina families and for our economy. We urge you to work together and achieve a policy solution that closes the health insurance coverage gap.

Business Leaders for Closing the Coverage Gap

By signing this statement you are granting permission to Care4Carolina to publicize your endorsement. Your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this public endorsement statement and will not be shared with any other entity. Personal contact information will not be shared in endorsement statements listings or ads. Employer affiliation will be used for identification purposes only. For example: “Mr./Ms./Mrs. John Doe, CEO, ABC Corporation*; Anytown, NC”.

  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will be published
  • Will be published
  • Only your CITY will be published. All other address information will NOT be published or shared.
  • Will not be published.
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as an Individual

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as an Organization

  • Will be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as a Civic Leader

  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as a Faith Community

Faith Leaders Addendum

As a North Carolina faith leader/ community of faith, I/we endorse the following statement:

We, as people of faith in North Carolina, believe that the Lord brings good news to the poor, binds up the broken-hearted, and comforts all those who mourn. We believe that when we work to ease the burdens of our neighbors who are struggling the most, we are caring for God. And, we believe we are called to follow our God by doing good, not only in the halls of our congregations, but by seeking justice in the wider world.

That means we cannot stand silent when presented with the opportunity to provide healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters. We understand that a community cannot flourish while its people lack access to affordable, quality healthcare. Healthy families are the bedrock of our communities of faith and of our local economies. Uninsured North Carolinians include members of our congregations, pastors, child care providers, farmers, construction workers, small business owners, neighbors, and friends. We urge the North Carolina General Assembly to work together across bi-partisan lines to close the health insurance coverage gap for all of these children of God.

Signing Disclosure

By signing this statement you are granting permission to Care4Carolina to publicize your endorsement. Your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this public endorsement statement and will not be shared with any other entity. Personal contact information will not be shared in endorsement statements, listings, or ads. Employer information will be used for identification purposes only. For example: “Rev. John Doe, Pastor, ABC Church, Anytown, NC.”

  • Will be published
  • Will be published if signing as individual
  • Will be published if signing as individual
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as a Grassroots Group

As legislation progresses to enact a North Carolina solution to close the health insurance coverage gap, it is critical that we have a grassroots team ready to mobilize. By signing up as a member of the Care4Carolina Grassroots Action Network, you agree to activate your group/organization when action is requested during the campaign. Action requests may include but are not limited to reaching out to legislators, sharing posts on social media, and relaying information to other contacts.

Your work as a grassroots group/organization is essential to our efforts, and Care4Carolina appreciates your support in ensuring that our mission is achieved. Together, we will find a North Carolina solution to close the health insurance coverage gap.

*By signing on as a member of the Care4Carolina Grassroots Action Network, your group/organization’s information will not be shared externally. The information collected through this form is for internal use only.

  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our State Needs and Deserves Equitable Access to Care

June 8, 2021 by Hailey Gutzmer Leave a Comment

Elias Berhanu, MPH, Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cancer has affected so many either directly or indirectly. This is a group of diseases that we all can agree must be cured. This year, almost 64,000 North Carolinians will be diagnosed with cancer. Through my community outreach work, I have had countless conversations with community members regarding cancer prevention and screening.

While cancer can affect anyone, at any time, the Office of Cancer Health Equity at Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center believes that everyone should have an equal chance of surviving cancer. 

Cancer treatment is very expensive, but without insurance, it is unreasonably so. People without insurance coverage are more likely to wait to see a physician, only when they can no longer ignore their symptoms (and more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer). 

Some cancers have few or no symptoms or warning signs. Timely screening provides an opportunity for early detection, where treatment can be more successful and less costly with greater chances of survival. 

A colonoscopy, the gold standard screening method, can actually prevent colorectal cancer by finding and removing precancerous polyps before they develop into cancer. Research has shown that recommended colonoscopy screenings can prevent at least 60% of colorectal cancer deaths. 

Since cancer is a disease of progression, any delay in detection can have detrimental effects. All four of the most deadly cancers in North Carolina (lung, colorectal, female breast, and prostate) have reliable screening methods. Individuals without health insurance are less likely to seek out recommended cancer screenings such as colonoscopies, mammograms, and cervical cancer screenings. They are also less likely to have a primary care doctor and have annual wellness visits.

While we have a lot more work to do when it comes to increasing all screening rates among the insured and uninsured, closing the coverage gap will have a tremendous effect on improving access and reducing cost barriers statewide. 

A quote from the late, great Representative Elijah Cummings from Maryland directly applies to North Carolina and the 11 other states that have yet to close the coverage gap: “the cost of doing nothing isn’t nothing.” Our leaders must unite, negotiate, act and learn from the devastating lessons of COVID-19. The essential workers that delivered our groceries, worked at our hospitals, and got us through the worst of the pandemic deserve this. Your neighbor deserves this. Our great state deserves this. 

During June, which is National Cancer Survivors Month, I would urge you to contact our office or Care4Carolina to learn how you and your loved ones can use your voice and story to join the movement and close the coverage gap. 

For a realistic look at the issue in our state through the power of storytelling, I encourage you to watch the documentary from the ACS Cancer Action Network: “Left Behind: Health and Hope in North Carolina”.

Category iconGuest Blogs Tag iconCancer,  Coverage Gap,  Prevention

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Care4Carolina

Footer

Contact

5001 S Miami Blvd
Suite 300
Durham, NC 27703
Email: info@care4carolina.com

Key Links

  • About
  • Updates
  • Resources
  • News Articles

Act Now

Care4Carolina believes that access to quality, affordable health care helps build a healthier, stronger North Carolina.

Act Now

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Care4Carolina · All Rights Reserved

Website by Tomatillo Design