NC’s First Female Physician Statue Added To The Charlotte Trail Of History
Along one of Charlotte’s most popular walking trails is the Trail of History. The Trail of History is a collection of sculptures along Sugar Creek Greenway. Each sculpture is of…

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Getty Images/Kruck20Along one of Charlotte's most popular walking trails is the Trail of History. The Trail of History is a collection of sculptures along Sugar Creek Greenway. Each sculpture is of a person who helped to shape the history of Charlotte.
This past weekend, a new sculpture was added to the Trail of History; Dr. Annie Lowrie Alexander. According to the CharlotteTrailOfHistory.com, Dr. Alexander was the first license female physician to practice in North Carolina in 1885. "Dr. Annie" opened doors for women in the medical field.
Her statue was unveiled on the Sugar Creek Greenway this past weekend. You can now see it next time you are on a walk or bike ride. You should really check out the entire Trail of History, but Dr. Annie's statue is located near the intersection of Elizabeth and Kings Drive on Little Sugar Creek Greenway.
No one likes going to the hospital. Personally, I have always had a fear of hospitals.
Proper outpatient management and treatment can prevent some hospital admissions resulting from chronic or acute illnesses. Preventable hospitalizations are the result of overusing the hospital as a primary source of care and lack of access to primary care for outpatients.
What This Matters for North Carolina
In some cases, preventable hospital stays can occur when patients with certain pre-existing conditions are initially seen in an outpatient setting. However, they don't receive the appropriate care, which may lead to unnecessary admissions which are often lengthy. Taking a look at preventable hospital stays by the state, research has found that some states are better than others.
Taking a deep dive into county health rankings, Weiss and Paarz analyzed the rate of hospital stays for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions per 100,000 Medicare enrollees. North Carolina residents will find it pleasing to know that we ranked high on the list. Check out the full study here.
Number of Preventable Hospital Stays in the U.S. by Region

Maryland: Ranked #28
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,134
West Virgina: Ranked #2
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees):
Delaware: Ranked #11
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,871
Virgina: Ranked #25
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,269
Kentucky: Ranked #5
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 5,615
Tennessee: Ranked #8
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,915
North Carolina: Ranked #21
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,539
South Carolina: Ranked #24
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,295
Georgia: Ranked #12
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,835
Mississippi: Ranked #3
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 5,702
Alabama: Ranked #6
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 5,466
Florida: Ranked #19
Rates Per Stays (Per 100K Medicare Enrollees): 4,684
U.S. States with the Most Preventable Hospital Stays
