WNC Health Network

Tomorrow and Friday Pisgah Legal Services, FEMA, and Operation Gateway are having a special FREE legal event for people with FEMA challenges – with application, appeals, insurance denial, benefits enrollment, debt, bills, etc. Lawyers can discuss many different issues with our neighbors including: -Housing concerns for renters and homeowners -Consumer fraud & scams -FEMA appeals -Insurance denials -Bills & debt -Public benefits -Employment & unemployment?

A great opportunity with the de Beaumont Foundation to support early-career professionals as they transition into governmental public health. Apply for the next cohort by Aug. 15.

?? Scholarship Opportunity for Rural Health Leaders! ?? UC Berkeley’s Online MPH program is thrilled to announce an amazing opportunity through the Rural Health Innovation Program. Thanks to the generous support from the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation, we're offering 25 fully paid scholarships to eligible students who work and reside in the US. ?????? ?? Application Deadline: August 8, 2024. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gZngKeSw #OOMPH #publichealth #OOMPHOpportunity #berkeleyoomph

On June 6, we gathered over 40 dedicated professionals from health departments, hospitals, community organizations, universities, and health centers across western North Carolina. Our goal? To strengthen health communications and collaborate on innovative strategies to enhance community health. The energy and passion in the room were incredible as we shared insights, discussed challenges, and brainstormed solutions on topics including climate & health, crisis planning, AI, social media, community health assessments, and more. Photos by Sarah Quintas. #HealthCommunication #WNCHealthNetwork #CommunityHealth #Collaboration #PublicHealth #WeAreNCPublicHealth

Registration is open for the NC Public Health Association's 2024 Fall Educational Conference hosted in beautiful Cherokee, NC. Check it out and join in!

It was a productive week in Asheville visiting and working with local news and information colleagues. I’m impressed with the regional local news/info ecosystem in our mountain region and how different types of organizations serve different types of communities in Western NC. To give you a sense of the diversity of news and information in this area, I hosted a daylong convening that was attended by representatives from public media, weekly print news, a Spanish-language media org, a health communication collaborative, FM radio, a government accountability group, a news startup, a nonprofit investigative news outlet, a nonpartisan election registration and education group, and independent journalists. We had deep discussions about collaborative journalism, elections coverage, and our statewide news hub initiative - and ways to work together to expand capacity and exchange ideas. I also facilitated a strategic planning workshop for the Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) team, and I continue to be impressed by their drive and dedication to going above and beyond in their service to this region. Thank you Laura Lee and Jeff Pope. As always, it was great to see my team member Catherine Komp, who leads the best weekly newsletter about local news in NC (sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eV642ixB). And, I love any chance I get to spend time talking to Adrienne Ammerman, who leads the health comms program for WNC Health Network and is launching an innovative startup for health comms called Arclet. Having her health communications collaborative part of our local news network has inspired new ways of providing information to rural and underserved communities. Bonus visits from Emily Bango who helped everyone learn about the resources from Listening Post Collective, and Tony Elkins, who shared insight from his work with Poynter Institute. How lucky are local news leaders that these two live in Asheville! I am heading out on my long drive across the state back home on the coast, but I’m sure I’ll be back west again soon. Thanks for all you do, WNC news/info friends! ??

The NC Public Health Data Summit kicks off today in Raleigh. Check out some of these sessions with WNCHN staff and other incredible WNC experts! Building Capacity: Regional Learnings Erica Thomas, PhD, CHES, Region 5 ARPA Workforce Director Erin Braasch, MPH,?WNC Health Network Medjatu Kuyateh, MPH, Regional Epidemiologists Data Equity in Action Jo Bradley, MS, CHES, WNC Health Network Mountain Data Equity and Engagement Partners (Deep) JéWana Grier-McEachin, ABIPA Jose Infanzon, UNETE Use of Mixed Methods Data and Targeted Sampling Strategies to Enhance the Impact of Population Heath?Assessments Patrick Baron, PhD, MSPH, MountainWise Nicole Hinebaugh, MountainWise https://lnkd.in/ehb4aPrq

?? Exciting News Alert! Our latest e-newsletter is out, and it's packed with updates and stories you won't want to miss! ?? Dive into the latest news on #ViewFromHereWNC and the WNC Healthy Impact Community Health Survey, learn about upcoming events, and more! ?? https://conta.cc/3WvHaEG ?? Don't miss out - click the link above to read now! #WeAreNCPublicHealth #WNC

We are honored to be one of 29 organizations to receive funding in this latest round from North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. “Every day, our grant partners demonstrate what a transformed, equitable news and information ecosystem can look like — one where everyone in North Carolina has the information they need to make decisions about their lives and participate in our democracy,” said Lizzy Hazeltine, Director of the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund.

Happy 5th Anniversary to the WNC Health Communicators Collaborative! Your dedication to effective, evidence-based public health communications in western North Carolina has made a lasting impact. Here's to many more years of collaboration and innovation in promoting health and wellness in our community! #HealthCommunications #WeAreNCPublicHealth