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.

Home to over 70 different languages and high levels of illiteracy, communication barriers in healthcare facilities make accessing healthcare difficult for a large portion of Western North Carolina.

To learn more about language access in our region, NCCHW's audio producer Andrew Rainey speaks with Buncombe County’s Language Access Coordinator, Aaron Vidaurri, the Health Access Programs Manager at the WNC Medical Society Interpreter Network, Rosalia McHattie, Dr Leah Karliner, professor of medicine at the University of CA, San Francisco, Maggie Woods and Gretchen Ramirez from NC’s Division of Broadband Access & Digital Equity, and co-founder of the Cenzotle Language Justice Cooperative, Monse Ramirez, in 'Part 3' of this WNC HPI podcast miniseries.

On May 30, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services, through its Administration for Community Living, released its “Aging in the United States: A Strategic Framework for a National Plan on Aging” report, which “lays the groundwork for a coordinated effort…to create a national set of recommendations for advancing healthy aging and age-friendly communities that value and truly include older adults.”

North Carolina, like the rest of the United States, is facing a massive healthcare workforce shortage. With the state in need of nurses, caregivers, behavioral health specialists, physicians, and public health workers, a number of initiatives across the state are seeking to increase our healthcare workforce. 

While some collaborations are looking big picture…in WNC…other initiatives are exposing students to the healthcare field and are building pathways for those students to enter that workforce. One program led by the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness (NCCHW), Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), and the Dogwood Health Trust, in partnership with a number of universities in that region, have connected students to the critical field of healthcare with the Student Health Ambassador (SHA) program.

Home to over 70 different languages and high levels of illiteracy, communication barriers in healthcare facilities make accessing healthcare difficult for a large portion of Western North Carolina.

To learn more about language access in our region, NCCHW's audio producer Andrew Rainey speaks with Buncombe County’s Language Access Coordinator, Aaron Vidaurri, the Health Access Programs Manager at the WNC Medical Society Interpreter Network, Rosalia McHattie, and co-founder of the Cenzotle Language Justice Cooperative, Monse Ramirez, in 'Part 2' of this WNC HPI podcast miniseries.

Home to over 70 different languages and high levels of illiteracy, communication barriers in healthcare facilities make accessing healthcare difficult for a large portion of Western North Carolina.

To learn more about language access in our region, NCCHW's audio producer Andrew Rainey speaks with Buncombe County’s Language Access Coordinator, Aaron Vidaurri, the Health Access Programs Manager at the WNC Medical Society Interpreter Network, Rosalia McHattie, and co-founder of the Cenzotle Language Justice Cooperative, Monse Ramirez, in 'Part 1' of this WNC HPI podcast miniseries.

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed January as Radon Action Month to raise the public’s awareness of radon, promote testing and mitigation for radon, and reduce the risk of lung cancer from radon. Testing is the only way to know if you or your family is at risk, and residents can order a free test kit, while supplies last, at radon.ncdhhs.gov. Read our featured blog post and radon PSA to learn how you can reduce your risk in WNC.

A lack of reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food can have significant impacts on health and wellbeing. And this is especially true when it comes to children who need a steady intake of nutritious food to grow healthy bodies and develop healthy minds.

In North Carolina, however, one in six children are food insecure, and over 1.6 million North Carolinians live in a food desert - areas where healthy foods are not accessible. And since 2012, the number of food deserts in NC has only increased.

In this installment of the HPI Podcast, we speak with Marianne Weant and Alecia Sanders of the NCAH about food insecurity, the School Meals for All Campaign, and what we learned from implementing a similar program in NC during COVID, along with the political challenges and both state and local considerations for a more permanent implementation of this program.

Learn more about the Community Health Workers who help keep WNC strong, resilient and healthy.

Radon occurs naturally all across Western North Carolina, and can pose serious health risks. Learn more about your radon risks by visiting the North Carolina Radon Program website.

Radon isn't just a problem for homes with basements - it can show up almost anywhere. Learn more about your risks and steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Learn how innovative programs like MAHEC’s Maternal Health Innovations Grants and Medicaid’s Healthy Opportunities Pilot are addressing WNC’s “maternal healthcare deserts,” high maternal mortality rates, and resulting increased healthcare costs. Featuring the Region 1 Perinatal Nurse Champion, Katlyn Moss (BSN. RN).