Focus Area: Access to Healthcare

Overview

The things that make Western North Carolina special - the sweeping mountain vistas, vibrant mountain culture and towns, and strongly-held attitudes of independence and self-sufficiency within its communities - can also be the source of some of its greatest challenges. Patients and care providers in WNC experience barriers to receiving and administering care that are unique and complex due to the rurality of the region's physical, cultural and socioeconomic landscape. Whether it’s navigating the sometimes treacherous mountainous terrain, the critical gaps in healthcare, public and other infrastructure, or the cautious attitudes of those who have often felt left out of the conversations about their health and wellbeing happening “down the mountain,” these barriers require a combination of creative problem-solving, iterative innovation, and broad collaborative effort to overcome them. Luckily, these are all things that the people and communities of the WNC region excel at.

Part of our mission is to coordinate efforts and voices from across the region to ensure that all WNC residents have access to high-quality, affordable and supportive care. This work is vitally important for understanding WNC’s challenges, as well as for identifying solutions and opportunities for growth and improvement as we work toward the goal of providing of equitable, affordable, and quality healthcare access to all Western North Carolinians