UNC Asheville Hosts
2024 WNC LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS
Event Information
March 15, 2024 | UNC Asheville - Blue Ridge Suites
Highsmith Student Union, 1 University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804
Emerging Issues and Opportunities for WNC Healthcare & Health Policy
2024 PANEL TOPICS
This year's event focused on current and future upstream solutions to reduce costs, improve outcomes, expand economic opportunities, and strengthen systems related to health and healthcare in WNC. Panel topics included:
Impacts, opportunities, and challenges relating to Medicaid expansion
Strengthening workforce related to health and healthcare in WNC
The successes and future promise of the NC’s innovative Impact Health/WNC Healthy Opportunities Pilot
The WNC Legislative Caucus is hosted annually by the WNC Health Policy Initiative. These events bring together members of the NC General Assembly, individuals working in policy development and advocacy, regional health and healthcare leaders, and community service organizations to learn about key health policy priorities for Western North Carolinians, make connections, and share their own concerns and questions about these issues.
Event Resources
Special Report: Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Healthcare Policy for WNC: Social Care Delivery Systems, NC Medicaid Expansion and Workforce Development
This paper was produced in conjunction with the 2024 WNC Legislative Caucus: Emerging Issues and Opportunities for WNC Healthcare and Health Policy to provide additional context and information relating to these topics for those wishing to explore the issues and potential strategies for addressing them more deeply, as well as how these issues intersect with the broader goals of improving life expectancy and overall quality of life for Western North Carolinians.
Other Resources
Emerging Issues Executive Summary:
Addressing Healthcare Policy Issues in Western North Carolina
WNC Health Policy Initiative
Fact Sheet
Community Health Worker Videos
Opening Speakers
Event MC
Dionne Greenlee-Jones, MPA
Sr. Director of Innovation and Equity Development, Impact Health
Opening Speakers
Kimberly van Noort, PhD
Chancellor, UNC Asheville
William Hathaway, MD
Chief Executive Officer, MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center)
John (Jack) F.A.V. Cecil, MIB
President, Biltmore Farms
Board Chair, Dogwood Health Trust
Speaker Resources
Opening Remarks Transcripts:
Dionne Greenlee-Jones
Chancellor Kimberly van Noort
Dr. William Hathaway
Jack Cecil
Opening Speaker Photo Gallery
Panel Presentations
Panel 1: Impact of Medicaid Expansion in WNC and Upstream Solutions
Moderator
Jaclyn Kiger, JD, MSW
Chief Operations Office, Pisgah Legal
Panelists
Casey Cooper, BSN, MBA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, Cherokee Indian Hospital
Tara Larson
President & Managing Principal, CCR Consulting, Inc.
Amy Russell, MD
Chief Medical & Population Health Officer, MAHEC
Linda Hyder, IMS II
Sr. Medicaid Eligibility Determination, Swain County DSS
Medicaid Expansion Panel Photo Gallery
Panel 2: WNC Healthcare Workforce Needs and Opportunities
Moderator
Alex Howard, DrPH
Vice President, Health and Wellness, Dogwood Health Trust
Panelists
Rachel Bemis, MS
Administrative Director, Department of Community and Public Health, MAHEC
Richard Hudspeth, MD
Chief Executive Officer, Blue Ridge Health
Brianna Lombardi, PhD, MSW
Deputy Director, Carolina Health Workforce Research Center
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
Lori Anderson, PhD, RN
Dean of College of Health and Human Sciences, Western Carolina University
Melissa Hyatt, MHS, MT(ASCP)
Dean of Health Sciences, Southwestern Community College
WNC Workforce Panel Photo Gallery
Panel 3: WNC HOP: A Model for the Future of NC Health and Healthcare
Moderator
Laurie Stradley, DrPh
Executive Director, Impact Health
Panelists
Pam Peak, BS (Human Services)
Care Navigator, Impact Health
Rev. Blake Hart, PhD
Executive Director, Haywood Christian Ministry, Inc
Sonya Jones, PhD
Executive Director, Caja Solidaria
HOP WNC Panel Photo Gallery
