Mission Health Announces Nearly $1 Million in Community Grants

Mission Health’s Community Investment Program is awarding more than $965,000 in funding to a diverse group of 24 Western North Carolina agencies in a joint effort to improve the health and well-being of our 18-county region.

The 2019 focus areas for the grants are based on the top priority needs identified through the Community Health Assessment process, which takes place locally in each of the 18 counties in Mission Health’s service area of Western North Carolina:

  • Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse, recognizing the connection to interpersonal violence
  • Chronic Disease
  • Social Determinants of Health, focusing on homelessness and food insecurity

Importantly, social determinants not only impact the first two categories, but many others.

“Mission Health’s partnerships with community organizations are essential to our work in meeting the regional needs of our communities’ most vulnerable members,” said Sonya Greck, MSN, RN, Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health, Safety Net, Community Investment and Facilities. “Improving the health of our region is the mission of Mission Health. Addressing the complex needs of people in need in our region’s communities requires partnerships and collaboration. We are pleased to work with these organizations and see the regional impact this work will have in improving the quality of life for many in our communities.”

Each of the grantee organizations have proven histories of creating effective partnerships with other agencies that are impacting at-risk populations in one or more Western North Carolina communities, and successfully tackling community health challenges.

The agencies and programs funded by Community Investment grants are:

  • All Souls Counseling Center
  • Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA)
  • Bountiful Cities
  • Council on Aging of Buncombe County
  • Family Services of McDowell
  • Green Opportunities
  • Haywood Street Congregation
  • Helpmate
  • Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina
  • Macon County New Beginnings
  • Madison Community Learning Centers – Woodson Branch Nature School
  • MANNA FoodBank
  • MemoryCare
  • Mitchell County SafePlace
  • Mountain Child Advocacy Center
  • MountainWise Public Health Partnership
  • PATH (Partners Aligned Toward Health)
  • Pisgah Legal Services
  • Sunrise Community for Recovery & Wellness
  • Transylvania Christian Ministry
  • Toe River Aggregation Center Training Organization Regional (TRACTOR)
  • WAMY Community Action, Inc.
  • YMCA of Western North Carolina
  • YWCA of Asheville

“Grant funding through Mission’s Community Investment program is just one of the many ways Mission Health works to impact the health and well-being of Western North Carolina residents,” said Ronald A. Paulus, MD, President and CEO of Mission Health. “Listening to the unique needs of our community members and partnering with these wonderful organizations is essential to creating solutions that help and support the people and communities in the region we serve.”

For more information on Mission Health’s Community Investment program, visit www.mission-health.org or contact Nancy Lindell, public and media relations manager, at 828-775-4716 or [email protected].