A new state law will give the public a glimpse behind the curtain at state psychiatric hospitals and other mental health facilities when a patient dies.

The legislature gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that will require state mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse facilities to publicly report the deaths of patients in their care. Read more here …

Recent events further accentuate the need for keeping Dorothea Dix hospital open, and not just for a year or so. The severity of the budget cuts being “squabbled about” indicate that our severely mentally ill population is getting less service than ever.

To the argument that the cost for remodeling the Dix hospital is prohibitive, I say shame on us for allowing Dix to crumble and decay in the face of surging need for mental health services. We would not treat our hospitals that handle physical ailments this shabbily. Read more here …

Burke County native Tom Brittain has received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award from the governor’s office.

The award is given in recognition of a proven record of service, of having given something or created something that has left a lasting mark on this state. Read more here …

More at Four, the kindergarten readiness program introduced in 2001, needs more funding rather than less, local officials and educators say.

And yet as the House budget nears completion, educators are collectively holding their breath that programs like the kindergarten-preparation classrooms will be able to remain intact and keep pace with the expanding needs. Read more here …

Daisy Messer understands the pain of Alzheimer’s disease.

Her husband of more than 50 years, Charles, has been afflicted with the disease for 10 years, and Daisy has served as his primary caregiver throughout his illness. For her, knowledge of the disease and how to cope is empowering. Read more here ...

Blue Ridge Community Health Services announced plans for a new 30,000-square-foot facility on its campus at Highway 64 and Howard Gap Road in Hendersonville. Read more here …

We have been hearing much about the proposed health care changes from the Obama administration over the past few months. Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain – the health care industry in Henderson County plays a critical role in both the quality of life for our residents and the vitality of our local economy. Read more here ….

Since money is the currency that finances the ways we spend our time, and time is the substance of life, probably nothing says more about a person, a family, a community, a state, or a nation than the way they spend their time and their money.

In these difficult days of budget cuts and belt tightening, families, communities, states and nations are all feeling the sharp side of the knife as more and more dreams are pared down to a sliver of their original bright hopes. Read more here …

Gov. Bev Perdue put pressure on legislative leaders yesterday to approve a final budget for the new fiscal year as soon as possible with a tax plan that will prevent more job losses or furloughs.

Perdue told reporters that the legislature’s two-week stopgap spending bill she signed into law Tuesday still prevents state government from realizing several million dollars in expected tax increases and cost savings every day. Read more here >>>

It seems that almost every week brings another jarring revelation from this state’s flawed mental health-care system. Last week brought news that the State Bureau of Investigation has been asked to review allegations that employees of Central Regional Hospital in Butner used a cell phone to take partially nude photos of at least one patient, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. Legislators should put enough money in the state budget to begin to fix the system. Read More Here >>>