Jan Calder, chief health and wellness officer at the Asheville YWCA, plans to take a new boxing class this year and try spin bikes. She advises setting health goals with an end date to provide a concrete target.
Sleep consultants share advice for getting infants and toddlers to bed
Sleepless nights are expected when it comes to newborns. But for some parents, the endless evening hours can sometimes stretch long beyond a child’s early days.
News briefs: HCA completes acquisition of Mission Health; Dogwood Trust established
As a result of the HCA acquisition of Mission Health, proceeds of the sale created the Dogwood Health Trust, a nonprofit foundation whose purpose is “to dramatically improve the health and well-being of all people and communities in Western North Carolina,” according to a press release from the trust.
Resolutions: Dr. Lisa Lichtig’s advice is to courageously and honestly get to know yourself
Dr. Lisa Lichtig says the best things she’s done to boost her own health lately are doing yoga with others and paying closer attention to what she feeds her body.
Punching through Parkinson’s
A novel approach to slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease incorporates an unexpected modality — boxing.
Resolutions: Care providers also need to attend to their own health, says Hillary Brown
Steady Collective harm reduction advocate and activist Hillary Brown says her job aiding people who are experiencing drug addiction and other problems can sometimes make it hard to remember to prioritize her own health.
Resolutions: Ameena Batada intends to disrupt bias in the new year
Racism is a major influence on health, says UNC Asheville associate professor of health and wellness Ameena Batada, and she plans to be more intentional about recognizing and disrupting bias when she sees it in 2019.
Resolutions: Alex Suder says keep it simple
Alex Sluder competes in three sports and serves as an assistant baseball coach at North Henderson High School. “Make time for music and dancing, watch what you eat and get a good night’s sleep or rest,” advises the Special Olympian.
Local nonprofits tackle social determinants of health
“Health is not just about food: It’s also all of these other things that add into a person’s health and well-being,” explains Ali Casparian, founder of the nonprofit Bounty & Soul. “If you’re not addressing pieces of the system in a collective way, then you’re just treating the symptoms.”
Resolutions: Acupuncturist Aimée Schinasi prescribes chill time, seasonally appropriate eating
Aimée Schinasi, co-owner of The People’s Acupuncture of Asheville, advises patients to avoid raw and cold foods at this time of the year.
Area practitioners offer different takes on cause, treatment of leading foot complaint
Conventional and alternative practitioners differ on the causes, treatment and even the best name for common heel pain. But whether they believe the problem should be known as plantar fasciitis — indicating an inflammation of the tissues — or plantar fasciosis — a name that points to insufficient blood supply and resulting tissue deterioration, local practitioners agree that it’s the No. 1 reason people seek professional foot care.
Emergency CDC funding beefs up WNC response to opioid crisis
Harm-reduction efforts and addiction treatment are two of the main strategies public health agencies are using to address the crisis. Buncombe County, Haywood County and the Mountain Area Health Education Center are deploying over $660,000 in federal funds as part of that effort.
New report examines health care disparities among transgender populations
Asheville-based nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality, along with Western North Carolina Community Health Services, released a study last month detailing the health care experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. Transgender Health in the South centers on the experiences of a diverse focus group of people from transgender communities across six Southern states, including North Carolina. […]
Attorney general approves ‘rearticulated’ Mission-HCA deal
Josh Stein announced that his office had developed a new agreement after months of “extensive negotiations” involving Mission, HCA and the Dogwood Health Trust. He explained that the changes would strengthen HCA’s community commitments, make the DHT board more representative of its service area and ensure greater accountability for both organizations.
Wellness briefs: Grants boost nonprofits, January health events
Major grants to Western North Carolina health care institutions and nonprofits offer promise of health benefits for vulnerable populations, while the Mountain Area Health Education Center reaches out to local government leaders to propose a collaborative effort to boost community health.
Local author shares mindfulness strategies in new book
Bryan Robinson, a licensed psychotherapist and professor emeritus at UNC Charlotte, wrote #Chill to leverage his expertise on work addiction for a broader audience. “[The book is] not just for workaholics by any means; it’s [about] how all of us can chill, take the time to take care of ourselves and pay attention to the knee-jerk reactions that we make,” he says.
2018 in review: 10 WNC health and wellness topics that mattered
Health and wellness are always important topics in the life of our community, and this year was certainly no exception to that rule. Though developments in the proposed acquisition of Mission Health by for-profit HCA Healthcare of Nashville garnered a share of attention equivalent to the potential sale’s importance to the region, plenty of other wellness stories also made news.
Local agencies keep up fight to house veterans experiencing homelessness
According to the nonprofit Homeward Bound WNC, close to half of those experiencing homelessness in Buncombe County are veterans, a figure that also includes people benefiting from long-term transitional housing programs.
Wellness in brief: New urgent care clinics, local WIC program receives breastfeeding honor
Which local hospitals made the grade in The Leapfrog Group fall ratings? Plus, new urgent care clinics, breastfeeding program wins award and a new pet loss grief support group continues in January.
American Alpine Club hosts veterans event at Chimney Rock
At a recent event in Chimney Rock hosted by the Hill to Crag climbing initiative, veterans of the armed forces explored how climbing can serve as a way to recapture the excitement and camaraderie of deployment without the anxiety of working in a combat zone.
Mission Health’s approach to Dogwood Health Trust worries local nonprofits
“There’s real fear among nonprofit organizations that not supporting the current iteration of the board could mean retaliation in the form of being cut from the $1.5 billion that DHT will control once the sale is final,” wrote Asheville-Buncombe NAACP President Carmen Ramos-Kennedy. “In order to truly build trust, citizens and organizations must feel free to speak their hearts and minds without fear.”