NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville

11/20/2025

Excited to share insights from our recent presentation at the WNC Health Policy Initiative: A Focused Policy Scan of the North Carolina General Assembly 2025–2026 Legislative Session & Spreadsheet Demo.

Last Friday highlighted the incredible work of one of our regional MPH graduates, Albert Chow, MPH, CHESⓇ, who led a comprehensive scan of legislative activity shaping health policy across North Carolina. His analysis provides an early look at where lawmakers have been focusing—or may soon focus—their attention in the General Assembly.

🔎 By creating a Ranked Policy Scan Spreadsheet, Albert found:
• ~1,800 bills filed
• 315 bills included in the preliminary review
• 276 bills contained at least one health policy topic (HPT)
• The most frequently occurring HPTs were Housing, Mental Health, and Child Care

📊 Top Policy Topic Occurrences
Housing: 137
Mental Health: 82
Child Care: 45
Substance Use: 38
Health Insurance Coverage: 32
Helene-related legislation: 27
Food Security: 12
Social Determinants of Health: 2
Graduate Medical Education: 1

These findings underscore the interconnected nature of health and policy—and the importance of monitoring how state-level legislation may shape community well-being across North Carolina.👏 A huge thank you to everyone involved in the WNC Health Policy Initiative for creating space to translate analysis into action and for supporting emerging public health leaders.

🔗 If you’re interested in health policy tracking, cross-sector collaboration, or legislative analysis tools, check out the Health Policy Updates page:

Check in for weekly updates on state-level health policies relevant to the WNC Health Policy Initiative and Western North Carolina.

11/18/2025

🪴 Hands-On Public Health: Volunteering at Verner Center

A couple of our NC Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at UNC Asheville staff had the pleasure of volunteering at the Verner Center for Early Learning garden and outdoor classroom this week! 🙏Thanks for representing, Michenna Livengood and Katie Cox!

As University of North Carolina Asheville employees, we’re grateful for community service leave, which allows us to support local nonprofits doing important work. Being outdoors, planting, and caring for a garden is not just rewarding—it’s also a reminder of how nature, fresh air, and hands-on activity support both physical and mental health.

Thank you also to the Verner Center for letting us contribute to a space that nurtures children, families, and the broader community. If you’re interested in volunteering or learning more about their programs, you can reach out directly to the Verner Center to get involved.

🥗 https://vernerearlylearning.org/verner-info/verner-experiential-gardens/

08/21/2025

El Centro de Salud y Bienestar de Carolina del Norte (NCCHW) se ha asociado con Smart Start del Condado de Transylvania para aprender más sobre la experiencia de personas que cuidan niños como familiares, amigos o vecinos en el oeste de Carolina del Norte — ¡y queremos escuchar su opinión!

El cuidado FFN (por sus siglas en inglés) se refiere al cuidado de niños que se brinda en el hogar del niño o en el hogar del cuidador, y lo ofrecen personas de confianza como abuelos, tías, tíos, amigos o vecinos. Este tipo de cuidado suele ser informal, pero es muy importante para muchas familias.

Los resultados de esta encuesta se usarán para apoyar mejor a quienes ofrecen este tipo de cuidado y para promover acceso a cuidado infantil de alta calidad para todos los niños.

La encuesta toma entre 10 y 15 minutos, y todas las respuestas son completamente anónimas. Al terminar, podrá participar en un sorteo para ganar una tarjeta de regalo Visa.

Si tiene preguntas sobre la encuesta o cómo se utilizarán sus respuestas, puede comunicarse con Alex Mitchell (anielson@unca.edu).
Enlaces a la encuesta:
Si usted cuida niños como familiar, amigo o vecino – https://forms.gle/jUYDzyqmKgJch4UB6
Si usted es papá o mamá de un niño que recibe este tipo de cuidado – https://forms.gle/92tYGG8ukAucbYNB9

08/21/2025

The North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness has partnered with the Smart Start of Transylvania County to research the experience of Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care providers in Western North Carolina, and we want to hear from you!

FFN care refers to childcare arrangements provided by relatives, friends, or neighbors within the child's home or the caregiver's home. It's often an informal arrangement, where the caregiver may be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other trusted individual. Results of this research will be used in advocacy efforts to better support FFN providers to offer high quality childcare to all in their care.

This survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes and all responses are anonymous. At the end of the survey, you will have the chance to enter a raffle drawing for a Visa Gift Card. If you have any questions about the survey or how your data will be used you can reach out to Alex Mitchell (anielson@unca.edu).
Survey Links:
If you are a provider of FFN Care- https://forms.gle/jUYDzyqmKgJch4UB6
If you are the parent of a child in FFN care- https://forms.gle/92tYGG8ukAucbYNB9

06/16/2025

Training the next generation of health professionals and supporting regional health partnerships are crucial to our community’s health and well-being. Engaged with both, the NC Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at UNC Asheville is proud to introduce our new intern, Emma Hoosier!

Emma, a junior at the University of North Carolina Asheville, is working with us to better understand our healthcare workforce shortage and access issues across WNC and potential policy solutions.

The WNC Health Policy Initiative is a partnership between the NC Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at UNC Asheville, Mountain Area Health Education Center - MAHEC, with generous funding from the Dogwood Health Trust, and works to inform strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of all people of WNC through scholarship, collaboration, policy development and advocacy. Learn more about WNC HPI at www.wnchealthpolicy.org

UNC Asheville Career Center

06/13/2025

NCCHW is pleased to announce a new and comprehensive resource “The Social Bridging NC Toolkit: Promoting Social Connectedness and Expanding Awareness about Social Isolation and Loneliness.” This toolkit was developed by the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at the University of North Carolina Asheville in partnership with the NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Aging. Click the link to view the toolkit: https://socialbridgingnc.org/toolkit

This toolkit was developed to raise awareness about how social isolation and loneliness can negatively impact health, share evidence-based practices for improving social engagement and connectedness, and provide resources and guidance to help others create similar programs for their communities.

04/30/2025

UNC Asheville is doing our annual fundraising drive, and you can contribute directly to our critical NCCHW programming by donating now and designating Other-> NC Center for Health and Wellness. Your support can help us continue to serve communities across the state in addressing chronic diseases, preventing falls, and other critical services.

Make your gift now!

11/26/2024

We asked our amazing NCFPC Partners to tell us their best tips for a fun and safe Thanksgiving gathering. Here are their responses! You can always find tips throughout the year on StandingStrongNC.org

Tip #4 link for Safe and Sturdy Footwear:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64c7f39261414e37b0c3d914/t/66df9a4939ccce6c2f85ce72/1725930057554/STEADI_Feet_Footwear_Guide_O.pdf
Tip #8 link for the Home Safety Guide:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/64c7f39261414e37b0c3d914/t/64cbefcc99f0b84d2e04f8ec/1691086798721/STEADI-Brochure-CheckForSafety-508+%281%29.pdf

11/09/2024

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the NCCHW and Social Bridging NC has compiled a short list of regional, long-term resources that support mental and emotional health, provide general aid, and protect against scams/fraud.

Hurricane Helene Relief Resources In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness has compiled a short list of regional, long-term resources that support mental and emotional health, provide general aid, and protect against scams/fraud. Ge...

10/24/2024

Volunteers created a mutual aid hub in the small community of Barnardsville after Hurricane Helene. The experience, residents say, has forged a bond between generations living here.

10/17/2024

We know many in our community have been affected by Hurricane Helene, and our hearts go out to all who are facing challenges in its aftermath. We stand together in support of those impacted, and our thoughts are with you as we navigate this difficult time. Thankfully, our staff is safe and we are now gradually getting back online. As we come together to recover, we will be sharing more resources to support our community in the days ahead. Please see some links below for hurricane related relief and assistance.

Public Safety Information: https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management/hurricane-helene
Mental Health Resources: https://www.vayahealth.com/helene-recovery/
NC DHHS Hurricane Recovery Resources: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/hurricane-helene-recovery-resources

Find resources below related to Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts. This information will continue to be updated as recovery moves forward.

09/10/2024

Join us for the first Annual Health is Wealth Summit on Saturday, October 5th 2024! All community members are welcome to attend for free. Register here: https://mahec.net/home/event/74082

The Health is Wealth Summit will bring together community members, medical and public health professionals, policymakers, and community-based organizations to increase awareness and engagement in local efforts to mitigate and disrupt poverty and its effect on health and wellness across Western NC.