The majority of the June 2 CIBO meeting focused on plans for the Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center, a 120-bed hospital that will provide behavioral health services.
Author: Jessica Wakeman
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Asheville firefighters roll out community responder team pilot
Four firefighters compose the team — two primarily reaching out to people who may be unhoused or experiencing a behavioral health issue, and two primarily meeting with downtown business owners to address their needs and concerns.
Fighting sex trafficking takes multipronged approach
Sex trafficking doesn’t look like the plot of the 2008 film “Taken” starring Liam Neeson as a father who dramatically rescues his daughter from Albanian gangsters.
Citizen group coalesces around police support
Shared concerns about crime and an understaffed Asheville Police Department fostered an unusual alliance in today’s partisan times. An advocacy group called Asheville Coalition for Public Safety formed in October, bringing together community members of all political stripes who are concerned about crime, mental health, drug use and the unhoused population.
Wellness roundup: Buncombe County reveals next steps for opioid settlements
According to the Opioid Settlement Strategic Planning Report, goals for fiscal years 2024-26 include reductions in overdose-related visits to area ERs, the jail population incarcerated for substance use-related charges and the number of behavioral health-related EMS dispatches.
Keep Asheville weird: Businesses try to maintain uniqueness amid city’s rapid growth
Small-business owners recognize that they not only add value but are a driving force behind the popularity of this quirky city.
Experts tackle misunderstandings about Hep C treatment
In 2016, Maia Hughes decided to begin recovery after 13 years of substance abuse. But it wasn’t only substance use disorder she needed to address. She had also tested positive for hepatitis C, a virus that spreads through blood.
Grant offers job training for low-income young adults after incarceration
When Phillip Cooper completed a prison sentence in 2010, he spent months applying for jobs that he was told would be available to those with a criminal record. But no one would give him a chance.
MAHEC program expands dentists’ capabilities for low-income patients
MAHEC’s program is geared toward general dentists who are likely to encounter patients with a range of issues that stem from the lack of dental care. Many patients don’t see dentists because they can’t afford it.
Teens discuss participation in ‘The Hour of HOPE’ podcast
Last June, Umoja debuted HOPE 4 the Future, a summer camp for children and teens. In its initial season, it served 78 youths.
Wellness roundup: Mercy Urgent Care extends hours
Mercy Urgent Care, a nonprofit urgent care network, expanded hours at two locations April 23. The South Asheville clinic, 1833 Hendersonville Road, and the East Asheville clinic, 1272 Tunnel Road, are open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Dr. Mollie Scott on contraception and public health
“Focusing on access to contraception so that women can plan their family — when and if they want to have a family — is really important,” says Dr. Scott.
Cleanup time: Local governments and nonprofits tackle WNC’s filth
“We’ve pretty much been doing cleanups for 50 years without really seeing any real changes,” says Asheville GreenWorks’ operations manager Chelsea Adams. “We go back to the same roads, in the same section of river and creek, every single year and do cleanups over and over and over.”
First responders prepare for hazmat disasters
Area residents noticed when a Norfolk Southern Railway train derailed in Ohio, spewing clouds of toxic gas and later smoke. After all, Norfolk Southern trains pass through Western North Carolina.
Q&A: Anthony Coppage of ‘Naked and Afraid’
Waynesville man shows off his bushcraft skills as a contestant on the reality show
‘Naked and Afraid.”
Gyms eye sustainability along with workouts
“Most people are really good at bringing their own water bottle,” says Kathleen Hahn from DANCECLUB Asheville.
Parents get creative to declutter kids’ stuff
According to the National Resources Defense Council, Americans are 4% of the world’s population but generate 12% of its solid waste. Parents are conscious of their families’ contribution to this literal trash heap.
Local youths learn sewing, upcycling skills
Olivia Slosiarek was struggling to sew a collar on the bodice of a dress. “Why did you choose a supercomplicated dress?” Stina Andersen asked her young student with a smile. Slosiarek’s answer was thoughtful: She explained that something about the below-the-knee dress, depicted on a 1980s McCall’s pattern she found in Andersen’s classroom, appealed to […]
New community health clinic opens in Marion
Western North Carolina Community Health Services, a federally qualified health center, will open its McDowell Health Center on April 11. Services provided include primary care, immunizations, substance abuse services, specialty referrals and other wellness resources. Family nurse practitioners Natali Cabrera and Heather Cook will staff the new location.
Schools address student anxiety over mass shootings
Technologically-connected students and their peers can be exposed to any tragic occurrence at any time, so a mass shooting at a faraway school can create terror and panic all the same.
No ‘cookie cutter approach’ for students with autism
“It takes resources to serve kids [with autism],” notes David Laxton, spokesperson for an advocacy organization called Autism Society of North Carolina. “It also takes training for the teachers and collaboration with families and other folks that are involved in those students’ lives.”