News & Events
N.C. Center for Health & Wellness hard at work to improve health for all throughout North Carolina
November 8, 2011
Since moving to its new home in the Sherrill Center in early August 2011, the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness (NCCHW) has been very busy working to make North Carolina healthier. The NCCHW has hosted over 20 events including Well-a-bration, a week of health and wellness activities on UNC Asheville’s campus. More than 1,000 individuals have taken part in NCCHW hosted and sponsored conferences, meetings and trainings focused on making North Carolina a healthier place to live.
UNC Asheville began hiring full-time staff for the NCCHW in July 2010 and named Dr. David Gardner as founding executive director. Three staff members were added between July 2010 and Janurary 2011 including Dr. Rebecca Reeve, director of research programs, Laurie Stradley, director of state and community collaborations and Andrea Fiedler, administrative support associate.
The center’s three areas of focus are on healthy aging, worksite wellness, and healthy weight for children, youth and young adults. The first order of business for the NCCHW was to adopt an Outcomes Framework and set the Targets for 2011 in each focus area.
During 2011, the center has surpassed its targets for worksite wellness and healthy weight for children and youth. The NCCHW is on track to achieve the targets for healthy weight of young adults, and healthy aging by December of this year.
The NCCHW coordinates with its partners to conduct applied research and facilitate training that can replicate best practices for prevention throughout North Carolina. The center’s partner list is made up of 37 organizations, and includes groups such as the Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project, YMCA of WNC, WNC Healthy Kids, N.C. Prevention Partners, and Eat Smart, Move More N.C. The staff of the NCCHW not only consults and holds trainings with their partners, but also serve in leadership roles as board and committee members for 15 of these organizations.
Even though its staff may be small, the impact of the North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness is steadily spreading across the state. While focusing its work mainly in Western North Carolina in 2011, the NCCHW plans to expand its positive influence across North Carolina in 2012.
For more information on the N.C. Center for Health and Wellness please visit ncchw.unca.edu.