September Newsletter

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our organization, and our work in the region to support people and organizations to improve community health. Do you have feedback or suggestions to share? Reach out! 

In this Issue:

• The Messenger Matters: #ViewFromHereWNC Stories
• New & Updated Data Stories
• WNC Health Communicators Annual Gathering
• Upcoming Events
• Funding Opportunities
• …and more!

The Messenger Matters! This is true for all types of communications but is especially relevant to the field of public health communications in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. During a series of community listening sessions, participants made it clear that they wanted the View From Here WNC campaign to focus on the stories of our region, handing the mic to our residents and giving them the opportunity to share their experiences with their neighbors.

In response to this feedback, WNC Health Network partnered with regional story-tellers to begin collecting resident stories about Substance Use, Mental Health, and Healthy Eating / Active Living. While the stories address a wide range of topics, each one inspires hope and a sense of connection.

This community driven approach has caught the attention of residents all across the region. We’re only halfway through our 6 week cycle and already our reporting shows a total reach of nearly 300,000 residents, 845,000 video plays, and a total engagement of 331,000; a big win for health communications in WNC.

All View From Here WNC materials are available for use by organizations and individuals that are working to address at least one of our key health topics listed above. Use the link below to access our materials and be sure to:

1. Use the #viewfromherewnc hashtag when posting our material(s).
2. Tag your partners and local health departments in your posts!

Link to everything you’ll need to join the View From Here WNC below.

Join our Canva team to access the materials free from watermarks.

New and updated data stories are now available on the WNC Health Network website at wnchn.org. Included in this round of updates are data stories about ACES, Substance Use, Health Inequities in WNC, and much more. In addition to releasing brand new data, you’ll also notice that we have made some website upgrades to make our data stories more engaging and easier to understand. You can now interact with the data story and add topic specific story data (what’s helping and what’s hurting the health issue) and resources to help inform the data stories and local community health improvement processes. Be sure to take advantage of this function as you explore the new data stories so we can create a comprehensive resource for our region.

Thank you to all of our community and hospital partners and funders who support this essential work in our region. We are always looking to improve this resource. If you have ideas about how we could improve the WNCHN Data Stories, please contact Jo Bradley at jo.bradley@wnchn.org.

Left to right: Lisa Allen, Southwestern Commission; Rebecca Williams, UNETE; Johanna Cano, Buncombe County HHS; Oscar Molina, Regional Storyteller; Adrienne Ammerman, WNCHN; Andrew Mundhenk, Henderson County Department of Public Health

“The WNC Health Communicators Collaborative works so hard to make our region a better place to call home. It’s great to take a few hours out of our day to celebrate a job well done,” reflects Adrienne Ammerman, communications specialist at WNC Health Network after hosting the WNC Health Communicators Collaborative Annual Gathering.

The WNC Health Communicators Collaborative was formed by WNC Health Network in 2019 in response to the regional need for clear, concise, consistent, and reliable health information. We work together to co-create regional health communications initiatives with an understanding that together, with one voice, we can make a big difference. This group has created a communications environment that is unique to WNC. We have developed systems that allow us to communicate effectively, respond to emerging needs quickly, and build our capacity as a region to continue improving the health of our residents.

It can be easy to lose the people behind the incredible work being done. But during the annual gathering, we take the time to celebrate one another, strengthen our relationships, and fuel our passion that makes this work possible.

Podcast- Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond

We invite you to tune in for a podcast focused on perinatal and community health. In an effort to raise awareness and start a conversation about perinatal health, our hosts at the Health Policy Initiative have joined forces with doulas, midwives, nurses, lactation consultants, physicians and more from across North Carolina to share best practices, lived experiences, and lessons learned.

Listen Now Here

Data Gap Resource

The North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS) is a CDC- funded statewide surveillance system that collects detailed information on deaths that occur in North Carolina resulting from violence: homicide, suicide, unintentional firearm deaths, legal intervention, and deaths for which intent could not be determined. NC-VDRS is a multi source incident based system that gathers legislators, and community interest groups in the development of public health prevention strategies to reduce violent deaths. NC-VDRS began collecting data in January 2004.

Check It Out Here

NC-VDRS Suicide Fact Sheet– updated 7/2023

Data Jargon Decoder– Be sure to submit other words you would like to see defined!

Facilitation Resources:

• Ice-breaker Generator– 175 Best Check-In Questions for Meetings in 2023
• Tools for better thinking– Collection of thinking tools and frameworks to help you solve problems, make decisions, and understand systems.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

University of North Carolina at Asheville

The deadline to apply is October 1st

• Public Health Specialist of Evidence-Based Programs
• Public Health Advisor of Clinical Partnerships 

UPCOMING TRAININGS

Presented byToP®:

ToP® Facilitation Training – Approaches to Environmental Scanning (AES)

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 – Asheville (Biltmore Village)

Explore 10 tools for assessing your organization’s current reality during this one-day training.

Description: Before planning for the future, groups need to understand their history and the current dilemmas they face, as well as anticipate shifts and trends in their larger environment.

Environmental Scanning provides a way to quickly understand customer, staff or community perceptions and needs, delve into relevant data, and get groups on the same page to launch their work, but one size doesn’t fit all!

In this one day course, participants will explore 10 dynamic and creative ways to conduct group assessments, and then engage in hands-on practice to select the right approach for various situations. You’ll go back to this extensive “recipe book” of techniques again and again!

You will learn how to:

• Set a broad context
• Increase understanding and awareness of relevant trends, and
• Create a snapshot of your team’s current state.
• No previous ToP training needed.

Presented byToP®:

ToP® Facilitation Methods (TFM)

Oct. 4-5, 2023 (Wed.-Thurs.) – Asheville (Biltmore Village)

Gain skills in three foundational facilitation methods that have unlimited, practical applications. No previous ToP training needed.

Description: Do you struggle with circular conversation in meetings that don’t seem to go anywhere? Are you anxious about what to do when conflict arises or someone dominates the conversation? Do you feel like a used car salesman trying to get people to stay committed and motivated to group projects?

In this engaging course you will learn three simple, universally applicable approaches to help you confidently move any group from conflict or confusion to consensus and commitment.

• Focused Conversation
• Consensus Workshop
• Action Planning

Immersive demonstrations, hands on practice, peer coaching, and real life application opportunities will ensure you leave with confidence to immediately put your new skills to use.

Testimonial: “The most comprehensive, informative and applicable facilitation training I have ever taken.”

Presented by ToP®:

ToP® Facilitation Methods (TFM)

Nov. 2-3, 2023 (Thurs.-Fri.) – Kernersville

For local and state government folks in the NC Piedmont Region, contact José Colon to register: jcolon@ptrc.org or 336-904-0300, ext. 3015. This in-house course hosted by the Piedmont Regional Triad Regional Council (PTRC), only a few seats still available. No previous ToP training needed.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Community Engagement Studio: Maternal & Child Health Mapping Tool

October 5, 2023 3-5pm – Lake Junaluska

East Tennessee State University’s CARE Women’s Health is partnering with Smart Start of Transylvania County and Western Carolina University on a research project that aims to uncover how income, and underexamined social determinants of health, such as transportation and broadband access impact maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes throughout Western North Carolina through a community-engaged approach. They are seeking partners to participate in co-developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) Dashboard that will map key MCH measures throughout the region.

To gain your insights on how a mapping tool can be used to improve MCH outcomes – they are hosting a Community Engagement Studio on Thursday, October 5 from 3 to 5 PM at Lake Junaluska. If you’re interested, please complete this registration form. Please let Liane Ventura know if you have any questions about the research study or community engagement studio (email: ventural@etsu.edu; phone: 423-439-4734).

American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo

November 12-15, 2023 – Atlanta, GA

APHA’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo is the premier public health event where attendees engage with public health experts, collaborate with other advocates and grow professionally. This year’s theme is Creating the Healthiest Nation: Overcoming Social and Ethical Challenges. We must build public health capacity and address the social and ethical challenges that threaten the nation’s health. With a stronger public health infrastructure, we can expand essential prevention and health promotion efforts at the community, state, and federal levels to tackle threats from communicable diseases, substance misuse, climate change, and health disparities. Learn more.

North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Annual Meeting Promoting the Mental health and Well-being of Children and Youth in North Carolina: Solutions for a Brighter Future

November 14, 2023 – Raleigh, NC

Join colleagues and partners from across the state to network, reflect, and work toward health policy solutions in North Carolina. The 2023 North Carolina Institute of Medicine Annual Meeting, Promoting the Mental Health and Well-being of Children and Youth: Solutions for a Brighter Future, will highlight the factors that influence the health and well-being of our state’s children, from social drivers of health to protective supports at the family, individual, and community levels. The 2023 NCIOM Annual Meeting will provide an opportunity to examine the causes of rising prevalence of mental health and substance use issues and encourage innovation in how we care for children, youth, and families in our state. Learn more.

National Summit on the Social Determinants of Health: Making Permanent the Promise of Health Equity

December 3-5, 2023 – Kansas City, MO

The Root Cause Coalition’s Annual National Summit brings together key stakeholders from health systems, hospital associations, foundations, businesses, national and community nonprofits, health insurers, academic institutions, local government and policy centers convene to share best practices. To achieve health equity for all we believe we must work together, across sectors, to address systemic racism and the social determinants of health.

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The 2023 National Summit will be held at the Loews Kansas City Hotel on December 3-5, 2023. Focusing on the theme, Working to Make Good on the Promise of Health Equity, the agenda will feature nationally recognized experts in health equity, plenary panels, breakout sessions, poster presentations and more. Learn more.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Women for Women (Community Foundation of WNC)

Letters of Intent due October 6, 2023 5pm

Full Applications due from Selected Semi-finalists January 11, 2024 5pm

The mission of Women for Women (WFW) is to improve the lives of women and girls in Western North Carolina through women’s collective giving. WFW seeks to contribute to a region of shared prosperity and belonging where all who identify as women and girls benefit from equitable opportunities and outcomes. To that end, WFW is committed to focusing our grantmaking on work that will reduce inequities in our region, address racial and other biases, and dismantle discriminatory systems that disadvantage marginalized members of our community.

For the 2023-2024 grant cycle, WFW will invest in programs that help economically disadvantaged women become more self-sufficient. Proposals might include, but are not limited to: workforce training; mentorship programs; access to safe, affordable housing; access to reliable transportation; access to quality, affordable childcare; financial education and empowerment initiatives; services or supports to age in place.

In this grant cycle, WFW will make grant awards as follows:

• One grant of $125,000 to support a new or expanded project
• Two to six grants of $15,000-$60,000 to support a new or expanded project, to support the ongoing operation of an existing project, or to support general operations
• Applicants can request that funds be distributed over one or two years.

Learn more.

Blue Cross NC Foundation: Strengthening Community Capacity to Advocate for Health Food

Applications due October 27, 2023

As part of an overall commitment to increase access to healthy food for those most food insecure and to grow the network of community organizations working to achieve this, the Blue Cross NC Foundation is issuing a three-year, $300,000 ($100,000 per year, per organization) grant opportunity to support up to 14 organizations to enhance their ability to affect the policy and systemic changes needed to address the root causes of food insecurity for those most impacted. Learn more. 

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Sabbatical Program

Applications due November 1, 2023

Nonprofit leaders in North Carolina work tirelessly to improve their communities and often face burnout. To continue their critical work, leaders need a chance to rest, restore their energy and find renewed inspiration. Our sabbatical program offers $40,000 to up to five nonprofit leaders for three- to six-month sabbaticals for the purpose of personal rejuvenation. Learn more.

North Carolina Office of Rural Health: North Carolina Rural Health Centers Capital Grant

Applications due December 29, 2023

The North Carolina Rural Health Centers Capital Grant provides funding to support state-designated rural health centers with developing innovative strategies for improving access, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare.

Funding may be used for investment in healthcare infrastructure, including the construction, renovation, and expansion of rural healthcare facilities and the purchase and installation of major equipment and technology. Learn more.

Life Comes From It: Restorative and Transformative Justice Movement Building

Applications ongoing – Learn how to introduce yourself HERE

Life Comes From It is a grantmaking and movement-building circle that supports grassroots work led by people of color in the United States. Funding is provided for projects and collaborations led by people of color that focus on restorative justice, transformative justice, Indigenous peacemaking, and land-based projects. The aim is to support work committed to replacing criminalization and incarceration with alternative approaches to address violence and repair harm, and prioritizing peacemaking development and Indigenous initiatives led by Native people. Grants are typically unrestricted and for general operating costs. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. Learn more.