Uncertainty is a fact of life at nonprofits, especially with regard to funding. But local organizations are increasingly attuned to another uncertainty: how to prepare for the consequences that climate change will have on their work.
Author: Jessica Wakeman
Showing 1-21 of 93 results
Waste reduction and smart design help extend landfill life
Landfills tend to fall in the “out of sight, out of mind” category — unless you’re living next to one. But Buncombe County’s recent move to prepare additional landfill space for both construction and municipal debris is a reminder that such facilities have a finite life.
Mental health nonprofit sees funding lag
For the uninsured and underinsured, local mental health nonprofits are filling the gap, but they struggle with funding.
Program seeks to improve health among Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Center for Native Health, a nonprofit focused on culturally competent health care among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the UNC Asheville-UNC Gillings Masters of Public Health Program announced the partnership April 21.
Pilot program addresses social drivers of health
The Healthy Opportunities Pilot is focusing on food insecurity during its first phase.
Community paramedics introduce medication-assisted treatment for opioid use
Buncombe County EMS has a new tool for helping an individual suffering from an opioid overdose: medication-assisted treatment, or MAT.
Controversial rule change allows bear hunting in 3 former sanctuaries
Critics of the rule change dispute that the bear population is growing uncontrollably. And they particularly oppose one of the hunting methods: using dogs to chase a bear to corner the animal, or chase it up a tree, and then it is shot.
Wellness roundup: Acupuncture clinic opens
South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness, a clinic founded by Autum Kirgan, licensed acupuncturist, opened in February.
NC-11 Republican candidates debate sans Cawthorn
The elephant has long symbolized the Republican Party. And at Rockin’ The Red, the GOP’s April 11 primary debate for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, there was indeed an elephant in the room: Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s absence.
Syringe disposal units are a ‘balancing act’
In September 2018, Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe placed its first needle disposal boxes in its bathrooms. “We were finding needles in the bathroom on the floor,” explains lead bookseller Justin Souther. Sometimes, people would open the top of the toilet tank and hide used needles inside, he says.
How local health care workers are tackling burnout
Seeking mental health support can be stigmatized in the culture at large. But for health care providers, the stigma associated with experiencing a mood disorder or feeling overwhelmed can be even more pronounced.
District attorney candidates address CIBO
Security, crime and justice took center stage during a Council of Independent Business Owners breakfast April 1. The Asheville-based trade group’s meeting served as a forum for the three Democratic Buncombe County district attorney candidates: current DA Todd Williams, prosecutor and former Assistant DA Doug Edwards and assistant public defender Courtney Booth. (Attorney Joe Bowman […]
Ramada residents leave city’s temporary shelter
Since last April, 116 people in total have found a place under the motel’s roof. Local housing agencies and nonprofits have been referring those living at the Ramada to other housing before Thursday, March 31, when the city’s contract with the shelter operator ends.
Animal welfare community prepares for another ‘kitten season’
Across the Northern Hemisphere, something is in the air. Gardeners are planting seeds. Dresses and skirts are getting shorter. As the first day of spring draws closer, Mother Nature turns her focus to the birds and the bees — and in Buncombe County, to the kittens. March to October is the feline breeding season, colloquially […]
Working families struggle to find affordable child care
Even in the best of times, working parents must strive every day to balance family and professional responsibilities. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made that already difficult situation much, much harder — and women workers have borne the brunt of it. As the pandemic closes out its second year, many working parents feel “a pretty […]
Local hospitals encourage more blood donation
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of behavioral changes and not all of them are good — for example, blood donation. Western North Carolina’s blood supply is maintained through the nonprofit The Blood Connection, which serves North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Its five mobile units travel throughout WNC taking donations in communities, and […]
125 Afghan evacuees resettled in Buncombe County
Over 125 Afghans who were evacuated by the United States amid the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan this summer now call Buncombe County home. It’s been a long journey. On Aug. 29, President Joe Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the resettlement as part of Operation Allies Welcome. While housed at military bases […]
Community doulas work toward birth equity
When Wakina Robertson birthed her twins in Buncombe County 30 years ago, it was a harder experience than it should have been. The babies arrived nine weeks early. “I wasn’t listened to,” she tells Xpress. “Did I want to have my babies early? … If I could have pushed a little longer to carry them […]
How state law restricts WNC residents’ access to abortion
Although abortion is technically legal in the U.S., access varies widely. State laws dictate which specific procedures are allowed, which health care providers can perform them and even who can get an abortion. Access is also shaped by how many facilities there are in a given area that are capable of providing this kind of […]
Local groups tackle period poverty
People who work on the issue in Western North Carolina agree that period poverty is more widespread than it may seem due to the cultural stigmas of both poverty and menstruation. And financial issues wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have made menstrual hygiene products even more inaccessible for many.
Wellness roundup: Birth control no longer requires a prescription in NC
Pharmacists in North Carolina can now dispense and administer certain medications, including some forms of hormonal birth control, without a prescription, according to a state law that went into effect Feb. 1. Both self-administered oral contraception (birth control pills) and transdermal contraception (birth control patches) are available. House Bill 96 also gives immunizing pharmacists expanded […]