Since Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina last September, Lea Charlton and her husband have had to visit Blue Ridge Regional Hospital's emergency department in Spruce Pine four times, she said during an Aug. 26 press conference organized by the North Carolina Democratic Party. Most recently, Charlton, 60, visited in June, after suffering a stroke.

The state Democratic party's press conference comes as healthcare advocates and elected officials fear President Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" , which was signed into law in July and cuts about $1 trillion from Medicaid, could shutter hospitals like Blue Ridge Regional and threaten healthcare access for patients in rural America, like Charlton.

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