UNC Asheville’s WNC Health Policy Initiative Hosts Legislative Summit on Childcare Crisis in Western North Carolina
Greg Borom (Director, WNC Early Childhood Coalition) delivers opening remarks to attendees
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.
In his opening remarks, Greg Borom, Director of the WNC Early Childhood Coalition, shared that, “Our mountain counties deserve great childcare options that our families can afford. Increasingly, our businesses talk about childcare as a workforce strategy. And like the infrastructure of roads, water, and bridges that keep us connected and business friendly, childcare also needs public investment. Today’s conversations help us connect dots for families, children, health and our economy.”
The summit featured two panels focused on WNC Healthcare Workforce Impacts and WNC Economic Impacts. The first panel, moderated by Nathan Ramsey from Land of Sky Regional Council, was composed of representatives from the three largest health systems in the region. Renee Klimkiewicz (Mission Health), John Bryant (UNC Health Pardee), and Victoria Dunkle (AdventHealth Hendersonville) shared insights drawn from their experiences related to recruiting and retaining vital healthcare workforce and other staff in the face of the ongoing childcare crisis. In particular, the panelists all identified access to childcare as a critical factor that enabled healthcare providers, including emergency responders, to resume functions in the immediate aftermath of Helene.
The second panel, led by Kit Cramer (Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce), featured regional leadership from the business community, including David Jackson (Boone Area Chamber of Commerce), Marcia Whitney (Verner Center for Early Learning) and Danielle Stilwell (Columbia Forest Products). The panelists presented data and stories illustrating the impacts of childcare shortages on the broader workforce and economy, noting that “childcare providers are the workforce behind the workforce” that enable parents to seek and retain employment and invest in their careers. They also highlighted a recent study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber Foundation in partnership with the NC Chamber Foundation and NC Child, which showed that the childcare shortage is responsible for over $5 billion in losses to North Carolina's economy every year due to lost workforce and over $1 billion in lost tax revenue from unearned wages.
Summit attendees included nine legislators or legislative staff representing WNC and the state, as well as regional childcare advocates, government officials, business sector representatives, healthcare leadership, and other stakeholders representing over 50 organizations in total. Members of the NC General Assembly in attendance include: WNC Health Policy Initiative Expert in Residence Senator Ralph Hise (47th District and Sen. Julie Mayfield (49th District), along with Representatives Eric Ager (114th District), Lindsey Prather (115th District), Brian Turner (116th District), Mark Pless (118th District), and Karl Gillespie (120th District). Also present were Lydia Daniel (representing NC Senator Warren Daniel, 46th District) and Justin Somers, Regional Director for the office of U.S. Senator Ted Budd.
To learn more about this event, the panelists, and the organizing partners, as well as to access event resources and materials, please visit the WNC HPI’s Spring 2025 WNC Legislative Summit event webpage.
The WNC Health Policy Initiative is a project of the NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville, with in-kind support from the Mountain Area Health Education Center and funding from Dogwood Health Trust. The Initiative gathers together health policy experts, community health leaders, and subject matter experts from across the region and beyond to discuss some of the most challenging issues related to improving the health and well-being of Western North Carolinians. To learn more about the WNC Health Policy Initiative, visit our website at https://www.wnchealthpolicy.org/
For more information about the WNC Health Policy Initiative or this event, contact Soni Pitts (WNC HPI Project Manager) at spitts@unca.edu.
