Communities in Action

During the past 10 years, North Carolina has faced an all too common problem: rising rates of opioid use and overdose deaths. The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) aims to reduce harm for those engaging in high risk activity, such as drug use. Their advocacy and coalition building, along with direct services and resource development, have led to changes in North Carolina’s laws,...

When fifth grade North Carolina teacher Laura Fenn faced the dual reality of dwindling P.E. and recess time and increasing pressure to maximize her classroom instruction, she got creative. Fenn developed The Walking Classroom to get her elementary school students up and moving without sacrificing their learning. Five years later, the national award-winning nonprofit program is used...

In 2011, seven rural North Carolina counties had the chance to participate in the Multipayer Advanced Primary Care Demonstration Project (MAPCP), which pays clinics care management fees for chronically ill patients. Clinics had to be certified patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) through the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) to participate, but most did not have the resources to...

There is a sense of loss in Rockingham County, NC. Historically, the community had a robust economy that was largely built on the textile and tobacco industries. In the mid-90s, Rockingham lost their tobacco industry and not long after that lost their textile industry. “We went from being a wealthy county to being a poor county very quickly...

The North Carolina Alliance for Health’s mission is to advocate for policies that promote wellness and reduce the state’s incidence of tobacco use and obesity. Its first focus was to advocate for an increase in the state’s cigarette tax, and when that was accomplished in 2005, it turned its focus to smoke-free...

The North Carolina Alliance for Health’s mission is to advocate for policies that promote wellness and to reduce the state’s incidence of tobacco use and obesity. It was one of the driving forces behind the passage of North Carolina’s smoke-free bars and restaurants law. Pam Seamans jumped on board as the coalition...