DURHAM, N.C. — Memorial vigils were held across North Carolina last week to honor people who have suffered or died because they lacked health insurance. Creston resident Richard Horodyski said until last year, he hadn't seen a doctor in more than two decades.

Horodyski has worked in construction and owns a small fruit farm. He and his wife are long-time foster parents. He said many foster parents are caring for children with special needs, while not being able to see a doctor themselves.

"It's a stressful thing, especially when you're working with kids with developmental disabilities. That was who we specialized in,” Horodyski said. “After awhile, we realized that a lot of the children we were getting had fetal alcohol syndrome, so we kind of specialized in that. It was really, really hard."

North Carolina is one of 14 states that have chosen not to accept federal dollars for Medicaid expansion. It's estimated that nearly a half million people, mostly uninsured adults, would become eligible for coverage if the state chose to expand the program.

As of 2015, North Carolina had more than 10,000 children in foster care, and the state is struggling to recruit foster parents. There is little data available on the number of foster parents who lack health coverage, but Horodyski thinks having health insurance might make more people inclined to take on the responsibility of raising children.

"You can go county by county and see the demand. They are begging for foster parents and they're trying to do trainings to focus on pulling foster parents into the system,” he said.

An estimated 11% of North Carolinians are uninsured, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Among adults ages 19-64, an estimated 16% are uninsured.

BALTIMORE, Md. -- As the drive for Marylanders to get COVID-19 booster shots continues, a new poll found a huge swath of residents said they are likely to get one as soon as they can.

The poll showed 83% of vaccinated Marylanders desire the booster shots, while only 15% said they are unlikely to get one.

Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Center for Politics at Goucher College, which conducted the survey, said there was more good news for health officials: Almost 80% of residents reported they have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

"Marylanders have embraced the vaccine," Kromer asserted. "Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in the nation. And there's still some very slight vaccine hesitancy: 9% say they're not going to get the vaccine, and another 2% say they'll only get it if required."

With the latest approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Johnson & Johnson and Moderna booster shots, this week Gov. Larry Hogan clarified eligibility, pointing out almost 1.4 million Marylanders can receive one. Residents can visit covidvax.maryland.gov for more information.

Kromer noted Marylanders still are worried about contracting the virus. The survey found 59% of residents who are vaccinated said they have limited spending time with unvaccinated folks, which is a little less than back in March during Goucher's last survey.

"Fifty-nine percent is more than a majority of folks still being somewhat or very concerned," Kromer outlined. "Underneath that 59%, Democrats express a much higher level of concern about contracting COVID-19 than Republicans."

Marylanders are mixed on whether they will be able to return to their normal, pre-COVID lives: 29% say they expect it will take more than a year, 28% said within the next year and 15% said four to six months. The poll of 700 residents was conducted by telephone last week.

NEW YORK -- Although New York and the country as a whole saw some progress surrounding the health of children and women, a new report showed there is still work to be done to improve maternal and mental health.

United Health Foundation's new report found prior to the pandemic, teen birth rates and cigarette smoking among women were on the decline. From 2019 to 2020, New York state had one of the lowest rates for children living in a house with tobacco smoke exposure.

Lisa David, president and CEO of the nonprofit Public Health Solutions, said they have worked with the New York City Housing Authority to help convert 20,000 affordable-housing units to smoke-free as of last year.

"In buildings where there is smoking allowed, you find very strong evidence of smoking byproducts in the apartments of people who don't smoke," David observed. "A lot of them have young children, and it's one of many, but a key source of irritants that create respiratory problems like asthma."

Through its program NYC Smoke-Free, Public Health Solutions also works to decrease the number of teens who smoke through educational programming.

The United Health Foundation report also found between 2018 and 2019, 79% of New York women ages 18-44 had been to their doctor for a well visit, among the highest in the country.

Dr. Ravi Johar, chief medical officer with UnitedHealthcare, pointed out on a national level, many women experienced mental-health challenges in the lead-up to the pandemic.

"Shockingly, about one in five women, a little over 18% of women in the United States, said that out of the last 30 days, they did not feel mentally well for 14 of those," Johar reported. "So for more than half the month, one in five women did not feel well."

The report found some challenges for New York include limited access to adequate housing conditions and low immunization rates in young children. Other conclusions were maternal mortality rates continuing to rise nationwide, with racial disparities among Black women persisting.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Only 20% of kids nationwide are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, according to a new United Health Foundation report, which examined the health of women and children.

The report is based largely on federal data from 2019 leading into the pandemic, and looked at more than 100 measures of health.

Dr. Ravi Johar, chief medical officer with UnitedHealthcare, explained the percentage has likely worsened in the past year, putting more kids at risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes.

"It is worrisome because weight gain we know earlier in life can have consequences later in life," Johar pointed out. "It's just something that needs to be looked at closely."

The report ranked North Carolina 44th in the nation for kids' physical activity. Johar added children's mental health is also a cause for concern, noting that anxiety among kids is widespread and on the rise.

Nationwide, teen suicide has jumped 26% since 2014. The report found more than 7,000 kids ages 15-19 ended their lives in the two years before the pandemic began.

North Carolina ranks 13th in the nation for families' access to well-child visits.

Johar noted a nationwide shortage of doctors is contributing to the current dip in the number of kids in waiting rooms.

"We know there's decreased access to pediatricians and to women's health-care professionals," Johar observed. "So, maybe telehealth will be able to help with some of those things."

Jason Resendez, board member of Consumers for Quality Care, explained North Carolina kids continue to fall short when it comes to health coverage. He encouraged parents and caregivers to research plans to ensure their children can get preventive care.

"As vaccines are starting to become more readily available to children, understanding what those COVID coverage plans are in your insurance plan," Resendez urged.

The United Health Foundation report ranked North Carolina 40th in the nation for kids' access to preventive dental care.