On Friday, March 14th, 2025, the WNC Health Policy Initiative (a project of the NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville), in partnership with the WNC Early Childhood Coalition, YMCA of WNC, and Verner Center for Early Learning, hosted a legislative summit on the University’s campus to highlight the importance of developing long-term, sustainable investments and solutions in childcare, both for our region and across the state.

On March 10th, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced an executive order establishing a new Task Force for Child Care and Early Education “to identify strengths and gaps in the current system, recommend key public and private investment in child care infrastructure, and work to recruit and retain a strong child care workforce.”

CaroNova and partners have announced the development of a major effort to ensure youth across North Carolina have increased access to the behavioral health services they need. Changing Minds: The North Carolina Youth Behavioral Health Action Plan will bring together state leaders, subject matter experts, philanthropic funders, and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan that more effectively delivers youth mental health services. On Monday, March 10, 2025, CaroNova along with partners outlined how this action plan will be developed.

A new study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrates that Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in NC’s Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) showed an overall decrease in Medicaid spending compared to non-HOP enrollees and reduced utilization of emergency services - all indicators that correlate to improved health outcomes.

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Western North Carolina faces not only the physical and economic challenges of recovery, but also the pressing need for a renewed focus on the state’s already strained early childhood education infrastructure. Childcare teachers are the workforce behind the workforce, enabling families to return to work, businesses to reopen, and vital services to resume. As communities rebuild, it is essential that legislators prioritize policies that strengthen childcare resources to support families’ and businesses’ recovery in Western North Carolina and ensure statewide economic stability and growth.

North Carolina is facing a childcare crisis, with limited access, high costs, and workforce shortages impacting families and the economy. NC's childcare gap contributes to a $5 billion annual economic loss, affecting workforce participation and local revenue. Solutions like stabilization grants and public-private partnerships are helping, but long-term investment is needed for sustainable results.

As 2024 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to look back at everything we’ve accomplished in the previous 12 months. Enjoy this roundup of HPI activities, blog posts, podcasts, events, and other highlights from our work this year, showcasing the collective impact we’ve made together. Here's to another year of sharing knowledge and sparking meaningful conversations!

In December, 2024, CMS approved a new 1115 waiver renewing funding and expansion opportunities for several programs, including the successful NC Healthy Opportunities Pilot, which uses Medicaid funds to provide social determinants of health interventions such as housing, food, transportation and other supports to Medicaid beneficiaries as a cost-savings measure to improve health outcomes and to prevent or manage chronic disease.

Dec. 1, 2024 marks the first anniversary of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which has expanded affordable health care coverage to nearly 600,000 North Carolinians. Learn how NC Medicaid expansion has impacted access to health care in your county, and join us in celebrating this landmark health policy milestone in NC.

In the wake of the hurricane, the NC Center for Health and Wellness and Social Bridging NC have produced two resources to support older adults and others affected by this event across the region, including responders and others working on the relief efforts: A webpage of curated long-term resources and a mini-guide of best practices for providing trauma-informed support through wellness checks in person or by phone.

The National Council on Aging has launched a new toolkit for community-based organizations designed to provide a roadmap for promoting and expanding evidence-based programs for health promotion and chronic disease self-management in rural communities.

The Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy has just published a Community Fact Sheet summarizing the findings of their research paper exploring the design and implementation of, and lessons learned from, the delivery of housing support services via NC Medicaid's Healthy Opportunities Pilot as a way to reduce healthcare costs and improve health outcomes and quality of life for recipients.

Western North Carolina nonprofit JMPRO Community Media has launched the WNC Hurricane Helene Audio Storyline podcast. It’s purpose is to hear what people are saying and promote solidarity, build a qualitative account of the strengths and challenges of regional disaster response, let others know what it has been like for residents, and encourage long term support of the region.

On Oct 4th, Dogwood Health Trust announced more than $30 million dollars in initial funding for Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina to support deployment of resources and response to urgent needs, assessment, navigation and legal services associated with FEMA response and maintaining critical health services across the region.

The WNC Health Policy Initiative has held several listening and working sessions relating to the needs and challenges facing aging adults, children in the foster care system, and affordable housing. Bridge Meadows, a multigenerational housing community in Oregon, offers an example of how to build intersectional, supportive environments to address these and other such issues.

Identifying and implementing a long-term plan to create a sustainable, well-funded child care system in North Carolina is critical to avoiding the severe negative impacts that losing this critical infrastructure would create, and is a priority focus area for the WNC Health Policy Initiative.

The WNC Early Childhood Coalition, a key partner in the WNC HPI’s Early Childhood Education workgroup, has launched their Yes On Child Care campaign to boost awareness of these issues and to provide opportunities for engagement and advocacy.

A new initiative launched by the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), co-host of the WNC Health Policy Initiative, offers an innovative housing solution for medical residents serving in rural Western North Carolina - purpose-built, energy-efficient tiny homes placed exactly where they’re needed most.

Across America, 41% of adults struggle with medical bills they cannot pay, a situation that comes with significant financial, emotional and even physical costs, including reduced access to necessary healthcare. On July 26th, 2024 North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Health and Human Services took a huge step toward alleviating that burden with the introduction of the Medical Debt Relief Incentive Program, which will eliminate medical debt for millions of Medicaid recipients and middle- and low-income residents across the state. 

Facing a dramatically shrinking healthcare workforce, Western North Carolina has identified innovative ways to support and expand the influence of a key role for increasing access among those most vulnerable and most often left behind - Community Health Workers.

North Carolina Community Health Worker Association President, Honey Yang Estrada talks about the role of Community Health Workers in increasing healthcare access, reducing healthcare workforce strain and improving public health at the community level.