WHAT WE DO

Each week, the WNC Health Policy Initiative, co-hosted by the NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), brings together policy makers, industry experts, clinical and public healthcare professionals, community leaders, researchers, and others engaged in regional health practice to discuss some of the most challenging issues related to improving the health of Western North Carolinians.

OUR MISSION

To inform strategies for improving the health and well-being of all people of WNC through scholarship, collaboration, policy development, and advocacy.

WNC HPI Logo

The WNC Health Policy Initiative was created to serve as a convener of and conduit for information, resources, and coalition-building between 5 core groups:

  • Policy Makers

  • Healthcare Leadership and Professionals

  • Community-Based Service Organizations

  • Educational and Research Institutions

  • Community Members

Our shared goal is to work together to come up with solutions to address our region's unique challenges. In particular, we seek sustainable pathways to:

  • Improve equitable access to care for everyone in WNC.

  • Reduce the overall cost of care and financial burden to our communities, businesses, and institutions.

  • Improve the overall health of our community members.

AREAS WE SERVE

The Health Policy Initiative represents 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina.

SOCIAL DRIVERS
OF HEALTH

Conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes. An area of focus for the HPI is looking for ways for rural WNC residents to be better able to access reliable transportation, nutritious food, economic opportunities and safe and affordable housing.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Doctors, nurses and other health and social care workers are in short supply in WNC. An area of focus is developing and supporting pathways for people from WNC to train and succeed in these careers.

MATERNAL
& CHILD HEALTH

Mothers and their health care providers in WNC experience barriers to receiving and administering care that are unique and complex due to the rurality of the landscape. An area of focus is coordinating efforts to establish synergistic working relationships between interested parties across the region.

FRIDAY FORUMS

Come for the bagel bites, stay for the conversation.

Learn more about the topics we cover at WNC Health Policy Initiative’s Friday Forums. WNC HPI meets Friday mornings to discuss topics related to health, healthcare, and health policy that impact individuals, communities and organizations in WNC.