WNC charities receive Dogwood Health funding

WNC charities receive Dogwood Health funding D ogwood Health Trust has awarded more than $3.7 million to a diverse range of 259 nonprofit and government agencies from every county and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina through its Immediate Opportunities and Needs grant program.

Of the 492 applicants, 53 percent were awarded a grant, with the average award amount totaling $14,600. Of those funded, 34 percent of requests will advance equity or reduce disparities.

“Originally, we planned to begin funding in fall 2020, but the board was eager to begin investing in the community at the start of the year,” said Janice Brumit, chair of the Dogwood Health Trust board of directors. “The purpose of this round of funding was to meet immediate needs and build initial relationships throughout our region. We plan to use what we learned from this round of funding to inform the work we’re doing now to design our strategic initiatives. Meeting immediate needs is one thing, but what we really want to do is move the needle on key issues and make lasting change.” An initial budget of $2.5 million was allocated to the ION grant program.

“Our goal throughout the ION grantmaking process focused on awarding grants to a diverse representation and on inclusion in our 18-county and Qualla Boundary region,” said Jackie Simms, chair of the programs and grants committee. “We gave particular attention to smaller nonprofits headquartered in the counties and tribe served by Dogwood and to organizations led by people of color. Choosing recipients was a challenging and awe-inspiring task; so many organizations are doing such important work in our region.”

ION grants awarded will support affordable housing development, dependable cars for working families, a rescue mission day center expansion, cybersecurity improvements, roof repairs, and a portable X-ray device, to name a few.

The Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, located in Jackson County, and serving Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, and Transylvania counties, received an ION grant that will support a larger project to address and improve patient data security within their mobile clinics.

“This is a game changer for us as a clinic,” said Marianne Martinez, executive director for Vecinos. Martinez plans to purchase laptops and technology to support secure connections while treating patients in their mobile clinics. “Patient data security should not be sacrificed, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status,” adds Martinez. “Providing a health care system that is both standardized and secure promotes equity of care and reduces barriers to health care while increasing patient safety.”

ION grants awarded were in alignment with Dogwood’s work to improve health and wellness and address the social determinants of health in the region. To see a full list of award recipients or to learn more about Dogwood Health Trust’s grant opportunities, including the Leverage Fund, visit www.dht.org.

Dogwood Health Trust is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust became operational upon the sale of Mission Health’s assets to HCA Healthcare and is the recipient of the net proceeds of the sale.

To learn more, visit www.dht.org.

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Schools confront inequity in education Nothing represents a community’s diversity better than its public schools. Each school is a cultural melting pot of ethnicities, identities, beliefs and social classes that intersect at a single location. The challenge for educators is ensuring an equitable learning environment for every student that is free of judgment based on perceptions and stereotypes.

School districts across the nation have traditionally developed reactive instructional models that label or group students according to abilities and limitations. However, research has consistently shown that academic performance is more positively affected by high expectations than by tracking or grouping students according to a presumed level of ability.

Jackson County Public Schools recently took steps to intentionally confront inequity with a long-term plan to transform the district through a new instructional framework developed by Integrated Comprehensive Systems for Equity (ICS) at the University of Wisconsin. The ICS process seeks to maximize the learning potential of every student by shifting from a reactive deficits-based system to a proactive assetsbased system.

JCPS Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Elliott said the framework is not another program. It is a different way of thinking.

“It is a mind-shift into looking at what a child can do as opposed to what a child cannot do,” Elliott said. “We’re going to travel a different road and try to refocus and reframe how we view student success.” Dr. Jess Weiler, an assistant professor in the College of Education and Allied Professions at WCU, has conducted extensive research on equity and has seen firsthand how the ICS framework can fundamentally change a district’s perspective on teaching and learning. She is confident that local students will benefit from the process. “I think there will definitely be improvement in scores and data,” Weiler said. “But more importantly, I am hopeful that we will create environments in which students love to learn, feel supported in their learning and feel as though the expectation for their learning is high.”

Elliott is pleased that Weiler, an ICS coach, will be assisting the district with training and implementation over the next four years. “It’s a clear advantage for Jackson County Public Schools to be so close to WCU and Dr. Weiler who is leading their educational equity work,” Elliott said.

Weiler and ICS co-founder Dr. Colleen Capper led the first of several work sessions with JCPS administrators on Feb. 17. Ongoing support from ICS will include two summer institutes and quarterly meetings with district and school leadership teams.

Elliott believes change can happen, but it will take time.

“I don’t think there’s a roadmap that will get us from point A to point Z on the road to equity,” she said, “but I would like to see in four to five years every student covered by the umbrella of equal access and equal opportunity. At that point, we’ll be in a better place with equity.”

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Opening on Maggie ABC board

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen is accepting applications to be on the Maggie Valley ABC Board. Applications are due to the clerk’s office at town hall by 5 p.m. Feb. 28. Applications can be picked up from Town Hall, Maggie Valley ABC Store or on the town’s website. The terms are three years.

Health department seeks input

The Jackson County Department of Public Health is seeking input from both residents who have used its services (clinical, nutrition, environmental health, laboratory and more) and residents who have thoughts on the health needs of Jackson County.

With invaluable input from community members, JCDPH is able to improve upon services and ensure that it is meeting the needs of the community. Take a moment to give input by visiting http://health.jacksonnc.org/surveys. For any questions on how the data gathered will be used, contact Melissa McKnight at 828.587.8288.

Franklin forum discusses coronavirus “Going viral. How serious of a threat is the coronavirus?” will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2, at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, located at 58 Stewart Street, Franklin. Those interested in an open exchange of ideas (dialog, not debate) are invited to attend. For more information call 828.371.1020.

Have cake at Swain library

February is National Library Lovers month and the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will celebrate with a Customer Appreciation Day. Stop by the Marianna Black Library on the corner of Academy and Rector Street on Friday, Feb. 28, in Bryson City for cake and punch while supplies last. The library offers many services to help educate and assist the community. Along with checking out materials like books and magazines, the library offers children’s programs, a community meeting room that your group can reserve, a display case, DVD movie rentals, internet computer access, free wifi, printing, educational programs, summer music and more.

Macon Dems to talk about pretrial justice

The Democratic Women of Macon County will meet jointly with the Macon County Democratic Men at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Noah’s Play and Train 486 W. Palmer Street.

Dawn Todd will speak on behalf of the Pretrial Justice Project of Macon County. All Democrats and unaffiliated voters are invited to attend.

Haywood Cancer Center is pleased to welcome REBECCA ROQUES-DAVIS, M.D.

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Dr. Roques-Davis has joined Jennifer Heaberlin, D.O. and Charles Thomas, M.D., F.A.C.R.O.

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