We’re beefing up coverage of health care
The Ledger is teaming up with North Carolina Health News to hire a reporter dedicated to the delivery of health care in Charlotte
Dear Ledger reader:
I have some exciting news to share: The Ledger is growing, again.
Today, I’m thrilled to announce that through a unique partnership, we’re going to provide stepped-up local coverage of health care and the companies and institutions that deliver it in the Charlotte region. As a Ledger reader, you can look forward to more articles examining our city’s major health care systems and their tens of thousands of workers, the development of the new Charlotte campus of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the emerging medical technology industry, consumer trends and much more.
We’ll cover that topic the way we cover everything else: honestly, fairly and accurately. And we are bringing aboard an experienced health care writer to specialize in this important area.
This is a big need: Health care is a huge and growing sector in Charlotte — and one that affects how the 2.7 million people in our region access medical services. Having a smart and resourceful reporter working alongside experienced editors can help shine a light on this vital topic, at a time when many legacy media have scaled back.
The new wrinkle, though, is how we are making it happen: We’re teaming up with North Carolina Health News, a highly regarded statewide nonprofit newsroom, to fund a part-time reporter. We’re both small, scrappy news organizations dedicated to independent, original journalism, and teaming up is a creative way to cover health care in Charlotte and the institutions that provide it.
North Carolina Health News is a nonprofit funded by grants and individual donations. The Ledger is a small business funded primarily by reader subscriptions (memberships).
If you believe, as I do, that independent and objective reporting on the delivery of health care in Charlotte is important, please consider donating to support this effort. The contributions are tax-deductible, and they will go toward making this venture sustainable and long-lasting.
We will of course be transparent about the major sources of money supporting our health care reporting, and donations will not influence our editorial decisions. (The Ledger and North Carolina Health News have strong track records on this topic.)
The other exciting piece is I can tell you the identity of the reporter whose work will regularly appear in The Ledger: Michelle Crouch. She’s an award-winning writer and former newspaper reporter and editor with more than 20 years of experience in journalism. She has written frequently on health topics, including articles that have appeared in national publications such as AARP, WebMD and Reader’s Digest. She has also written on health care and other issues in Charlotte for The Ledger, including a piece on hospital billing practices — called “The case of the $10,000 colonoscopy” — that this year won a National Health Information Award.
If you have tips or ideas for Michelle, feel free to shoot her an email at mcrouch@northcarolinahealthnews.org.
How this will work: Michelle’s articles will appear in The Ledger and on the website of North Carolina Health News, and we will make them available to any news organization interested in running them. Decisions made in Charlotte reverberate throughout the state and through the rest of the health care industry, and having someone on the ground in Charlotte paying attention is vital.
At some point in the next few months, we will hold an in-person fundraiser, as well as a panel discussion on a Charlotte health care issue. We’ll let you know those details as they develop.
The bigger picture: Nowadays, a lot of people are pessimistic about the future of local news, which has suffered from repeated cutbacks and diminished service. To be sure, it is challenging to figure out a business model in which good journalism is also good business — but both The Ledger and North Carolina Health News are finding ways to get it done. We innovate, experiment and grow. This collaboration is an outgrowth of that shared approach — we are trying something new, with optimism that we can help fill a void that has been created in independent local health care coverage.
We recorded a 22-minute-long podcast episode, in case you’d like to hear more about our plans for covering health care in Charlotte:
Thank you for reading, and for your support. As always, feel free to contact me with your questions and thoughts.
—Tony Mecia, The Charlotte Ledger
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Michelle Crouch’s previous health care articles in The Charlotte Ledger:
“I fought my sky-high Atrium bill — and won” (Sept. 23, 2019)
“The faithful are flocking to health insurance alternative” (Dec. 9, 2019)
“At home births draw new attention” (April 9, 2020)
“The doctor won’t see your newborn now” (June 11, 2021)
“The case of the $10,000 colonoscopy” (Oct. 20, 2021)