Community Outreach
The Community Outreach Department provides the vehicle for “Responsiveness” of the hospital to the health care needs of the community. It does this in a variety of ways including staff and support for the Ashe County Healthy Carolinians Task Force, the coordination of community driven health education programs, and grants development and administration.
Recognizing that it can only be responsive if it is actively involved with community organizations and links, the hospital has chosen to support the office of the Ashe County Health Council, “A Healthy Carolinians Task Force.”
The Community Outreach Office communicates and coordinates the efforts of the 356 members of the Task Force. The Task Force has been active for the past 14years and has been certified and recertified as a NC Healthy Carolinians Task Force since 1995, winning the William G. Anlyan Award in 1999 for: “Exemplary commitment and performance in working on a common vision with diverse populations developing innovative projects that improve health outcomes.” The Office of Healthy Carolinians was established in 1992 upon the recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Health Objectives for the year 2000. To date, 82 counties have established local Healthy Carolinians task forces, and are certified. These local task forces share the common mission of improving the health and safety of citizens of North Carolina. The local task forces serve as the umbrella for all programs to assure effective use of resources, building a community’s consensus to mobilize and respond to health risks and establishing public/private partnerships. In Ashe, the local Task Force is guided by its vision of an Ashe County that shows values for all by providing a social, physical, economic, emotional and spiritual environment that supports health, healing and happiness through open, active collaborative communication with all its people.”
The Task Force has been very successful and has been recognized by the community for its ability to identify issues, garner resources and mobilize the community to address those issues. Several of the projects and programs implemented include: A.S.H.E. (A Safe Home for Everyone our Domestic Violence Program), The Ashe School Based Health Center, Sunshine Sunday and the ASAP (Ashe Suicide/Depression Awareness and Prevention) Task Force, The Winners Circle in the Schools, Smoke Free Dining Days, ACT Against Cancer, Women-In-Touch, an endowment fund that provides financial assistance to needy community members in accessing cancer detection and treatment services, the Annual Pink Ribbon Campaign, CHATs (Community Health Action Teams), Low Cost Monthly Cholesterol and Lipid screening, Annual Prostate Cancer Screening, the Ashe Volunteer Initiative, The Ashe Latino Center, The Mt. Family Care Center, and working with the Duke Endowment Program for the Rural Carolinas on Economic Development issues, the development of an ongoing program for child safety seats, and the coordination of English as a Second Language Classes in the community. Several projects involved garnering funding which provided the means for the community to have access to various opportunities to increase physical activity. Some of these projects include Foster-Tyson Park walking trail, the Downtown West Jefferson Locomotion Trail, the walking trail at Ashe Middle School and this coming year, a climbing wall at the Middle School, and a paved trail at the Lansing Town Park. As one of the key organizations supporting the work of the community through the Task Force, all of the above projects are supported in various ways by the staff and financial resources that Ashe Memorial Hospital, commits to the Community Outreach Department. The Task Force completed a comprehensive community wide assessment and will be focusing on the issues of housing, mental health and obesity in the coming year.
In recognition of this innovative support from the entire hospital, Ashe Memorial was named Outstanding Rural Health Organization of the year in 2006 by the National Rural Health Organization. Other key organizations include Ashe Services for Aging, The Ashe Partnership for Children, Ashe County Schools System, The Appalachian District Health Department, New River Behavioral Health, Ashe County DSS and the Ashe Unit of the North Carolina Extension service. The Task Force has also been named the 2006 NC Prevention Award for Coalition Excellence from the NC Prevention Partners Organization and received recertification in 2007 as a Governors Task Force for Healthy Carolinians.
In addition, the Community Outreach Department coordinates The AMH Community Health Education Program, which includes a Safe Sitters Course each year, Childbirth Education programming, facilitation of support groups, a Camp Med for students that exposes them to the various and diverse career opportunities in health and other health education programming to meet community needs.
The Community Outreach Department also serves as the grants administration office of the hospital. In the past it has facilitated the building of the Mt. Hearts Facility, Renovation of the Outpatient area, Renovation of the 2nd floor nursing station, Renovation of MBU, Renovation of the Pharmacy and Laboratory, Renovation of the Labor and Delivery Department, Medication Patient Safety project, the renovation of Segraves Care Center, the sprinkler system, expansion of the Diabetes Self-Management Program and a primary care registry system.. The Grants Administration office also serves as fiscal agent for several community grants and oversight of several programs including the Ashe and Alleghany Farm Workers Health Program, the Ashe Medication Assistance Program, The Fit Community grant, and The Comenzando Bien Prenatal program for Latino Families. There is no administrative charge to non-profit services agencies and organizations for this service.
Janet Braithwaite, joined department in late December and brings a multitude of talent and skills to the many projects and programs planned and executed by the department for the benefit of the community.
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