MountainWise: A Strategic Analysis of Creating Healthier Communities in Southwestern NC Through the Community Transformation Grant Project

Abstract

The North Carolina Division of Public Health Community Transformation Grant Project aims to create healthier communities by facilitating sustainable policy, systems and environmental change that increase opportunities connected to the four strategic action areas of active living, healthy eating, tobacco free living and community-clinical linkages. The evidence based practices for achieving this work in rural communities is minimal. The work of MountainWise : Region 1 Community Transformation Grant Project seeks to address this need. MountainWise serves the 8 most western counties of North Carolina which are Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, and Transylvania. The panel presentation will provide: 1) the strategic vision of the regional work; 2) the relevance and power of a customized external communications plan; 3) the integration Health Impact Assessments for creating healthy communities through improved Comprehensive Plans; and 4) the relevance of conducting a rural healthy eating assessment to improve community nutrition status. MountainWise seeks to create healthier communities by bringing traditional and non-traditional partners to the decision making process for each of the four strategic action areas. Policy, systems, and environmental change approaches are promising and essential to addressing health inequities endured by rural Appalachian communities