Many services are waiving late fees and data caps in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Below are the releases received from area companies that impact Eastern North Carolina...Blue Cross NC members will have zero out-of-pocket expenses for the COVID-19 test.

The American Heart Association and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) are launching a series of initiatives to improve heart health among at-risk populations in the Triad. The first took place Monday, Feb. 24 at The Hot Seat Salon at 206 Exchange Place in Greensboro.

On Thursday, Blue Cross NC announced an $8 million investment into eight programs that help people living in rural communities. Members of the health insurance company, state and local representatives and representatives of the the eight programs attended the announcement at the LeGrand Center in Shelby.

Gray has been a central figure in bringing innovative contracting solutions to the state, including negotiated two-sided risk ACO contracts with more than half of the largest health systems in the state.

Shaw University announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) has awarded a $300,000 grant to support student development and retention through the Student Retention Gap Fund and a Summer Academy Institute (SAI). Blue Cross NC representatives made the presentation to Dr. Paulette Dillard, Shaw University president, during a ceremony in the C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on Shaw’s campus before the men’s basketball game on Wednesday night.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is adding the mental health technology services of Quartet Health to its value-based care arsenal. Quartet's platform will provide Blue Cross NC with the data analytics and technology infrastructure to measure and support the delivery of high-quality mental healthcare, while Blue Cross NC will provide the payment model along with incentives through the Blue Premier Behavioral Health network.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is partnering with New York City startup Quartet to roll out a value-based payment model for mental health care. Quartet and Blue Cross NC are combining their assets to measure the quality of care patients receive, and create incentives to providers for improved patient access to in-network care, collaboration among providers, and improved patient health outcomes, the two organizations said.

United Way of the Greater Triangle recently announced that five local partners and organizations – St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, The Episcopal Housing Ministry, Blue Cross NC, Duke Energy, and Golden Corral – have made significant contributions to support 241 families who have been displaced from Durham’s McDougald Terrace housing authority complex since January 3 due to high carbon monoxide levels and mold conditions.

...Launched in 2017, Atrium’s school telehealth network has targeted small schools in areas where poverty and unemployment are high and insurance and access to primary care are scarce. Armed with grants from the likes of Kohl’s and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, the network gives students in member schools access to primary care services they might otherwise not get.

The Boys and Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties is officially open in South Durham. This 32,000 square-foot space is more than double the old facility. An estimated 110 students attend the club now, but CEO Jerome Levisy said he hopes to accommodate as many as 600 kids in 5 years. Levisy said Monday's opening was an emotional and special moment for him personally.