Youth Mental Health in Western North Carolina: Key Findings, Challenges, and Policy Solutions

On Friday, June 27th, 2026, WNC Health Network’s Meron Abebe (M.S., MBA, MPH), Director of Operations/Evaluation & Learning Advisor, along with Emily Kujawa (MPH, RD), Director of Partner Engagement, joined WNC HPI partners to share findings from the analysis. The researchers shared data across five major themes shaping youth mental health in the region—access to care, care coordination and navigation, prevention and early intervention, youth engagement and supportive spaces, and social determinants of health—and invited feedback from providers, policymakers and others regarding their experiences and insights.