Dogwood Health Trust grant promotes mental health & well-being for Western North Carolina college students, faculty and staff

ASHEVILLE, NC – January 18, 2023 – The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and well-being of college students, faculty and staff at colleges while bringing its importance to the foreground. In response, a health promotion program, called the Student Health Ambassador (SHA) program, was created more than a year ago to provide education and support locally. The program was led by the University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) and involves Brevard College, Mars Hill University, Montreat College, Warren Wilson College and Western Carolina University.

The project has been funded by 2 grants from the Dogwood Health Trust private foundation. The initial grant for the 2021-2 academic year was nearly $490 thousand. The most recent grant for this academic year is for almost $175 thousand. Dozens of students have served as public health ambassadors at the 6 college campuses. The program is run jointly by the NC Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) at UNCA and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC).

The program uses peer support, peer education and other outreach methods to promote student health. It started out by teaching best practices for reducing the spread of the coronavirus. During the height of the pandemic, the student ambassadors were involved in COVID testing, delivering meals and providing human connection to classmates in quarantine and isolation. Sometimes, this meant hand-written notes and at other times workout guides. Now the program has to deal with the after effects of the lockdowns on campus and the disruptions in learning. The mental and emotional health of students, faculty and staff have been impacted by isolation. As told to the WNC magazine last month, Amy Lanou, executive director of the NCCHW at UNCA, said that the program will “support the achievement of each individual’s full health potential, build resilience, and support well-being among students, employees, and their communities.” In addition, health disparities in the adjacent communities will be addressed.

The new grant will fund a new Community Health Needs Assessment for each of the 6 college campuses. This will be known as the WNC Collaborative Network for Campus-Community Peer Support and Health Education project. By using the surveys, the SHA will be able to better prioritize the community’s needs and address any gaps.

The SHA program will continue to support the student’s mental health and well-being through health promotion and public health endeavors such as building community resilience and expanding the workforce.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC – January 25, 2022 – There is a trend downward to the pre-holiday season COVID-19 community levels. The CDC reports that the community level for Buncombe County is low for the week ending January 16th. Almost one-half of the counties in North Carolina are medium. Most of the counties in the U.S. are at a low level with about 6% of the counties at a high level down from almost 14% last week.

The Buncombe County COVID-19 metrics are on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard. Data from the week ending on January 14th indicate:
• Last week’s total cases are down 31% from the previous week.
• 68% of the total population have received their initial vaccination series.
• 31% of people with their initial vaccination series have had the updated booster. An increase of 1% from last week.
• The seven-day daily average of COVID-19 hospitalizations is unchanged since last week, and of ICU patients increased by 25% from the previous week.

An updated COVID-19 booster is now available for eligible persons 6 months and older. It is more effective at protecting against severe illness and death from the new variants. Eligible persons must have the initial vaccination series and be at least 2 months after any prior COVID-19 shots. The CDC advises delaying the booster 3 months for people who recently had COVID or after a positive COVID test if they were asymptomatic.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends:
• Stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines and the updated booster.
• People with any COVID symptoms should get tested
• People who are positive for COVID-19 or do not feel well should stay home

For a county at a low community level, like Buncombe County, the CDC recommends:
• If you are at high risk for getting sick, wear a high-quality mask in a public indoors space and take additional precautions.
• If you plan being with someone at high risk for getting sick, consider self-testing for COVID-19 infection and wear a high-quality mask when indoors with them.

Vaccination sites and testing sites can be located through the North Carolina and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

The updated booster shot is available at the Department of Public Health Coxe Avenue vaccination clinic, pharmacies, community health centers and rural health clinics.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]