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Dogwood Health Trust Announces Board Member Appointments, Departure

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Asheville, N.C. – Dogwood Health Trust is pleased to announce the addition of three members to its Board of Directors. The Board has confirmed Rear Admiral (ret.) Richard Houck (Transylvania County), Mr. Fred Jones (Macon County), and Bishop José McLoughlin (Henderson County), as new members. John Ball, M. D., J.D., rotated off the board, as his term ended in 2020. 

“There is a wealth of talented leadership in Western North Carolina from which to select our directors, and these three are all great examples,” said Dogwood Health Trust Board Chair Janice Brumit. “Each of them brings a great deal of community knowledge, innovative thought, and demonstrated service to their roles, and we are delighted to welcome them to Dogwood’s board. We have no doubt that they will eagerly and effectively live into our purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities in Western North Carolina.” 

Richard Houck, who previously served on the Covenant Compliance Committee for Dogwood Health Trust, was one of only 30 officers at the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard. In his time with the Coast Guard, his responsibilities have included defending and executing an $8 billion budget to support all Coast Guard missions, working as the executive director of the Coast Guard’s Transition Team to move the Coast Guard from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security, commanding Coast Guard forces in the Pacific Northwest, and coordinating ground-breaking joint exercises between military, federal, state and local law enforcement forces following September 11, 2001.

Fred Jones is an attorney with Jones, Key, Melvin & Patton, P.A. in Franklin, North Carolina. His practice areas include civil litigation, mediation, real estate transactions, corporate law, and estate planning. Jones was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts in economics and philosophy, as well as a Juris Doctorate degree. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.

Bishop José McLoughlin, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, previously served on the Nominating Committee for Dogwood Health Trust. He was consecrated as the seventh bishop, and first Hispanic, of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina on Oct. 1, 2016. Ordained in 2005, McLoughlin earned his Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Central Florida. Prior to his call to the priesthood, McLoughlin worked in the criminal justice field serving as a police officer in Florida and in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Bishop McLoughlin is committed to being fully engaged in the church’s ministry with youth, minorities, and underserved populations and is passionate about raising up a new kind of leadership for the church. 

Director Dr. John Ball rotated off the Board at the December board meeting. “We are appreciative to Dr. Ball for his dedication and commitment to Dogwood Health Trust,” said Janice Brumit, chair of the Board of Directors. “He has been a mentor and source of guidance for the board over his entire term and we are grateful for his leadership.” 

Dr. Ball’s retirement and the new board appointments are in keeping with Dogwood’s commitment to the North Carolina Attorney General to ensure broad geographic representation on its board. The full Commitment Letter is available on Dogwood’s website. 

Dogwood Health Trust is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust became operational upon the sale of Mission Health’s assets to HCA Healthcare and is the recipient of the net proceeds of the sale. To learn more, please visit www.dht.org.

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Erica Allison
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[email protected]

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Hendersonville, NC 28792

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Health & Wellness | Goal 4

Increase Access to Behavioral Health and Substance Use Prevention and Treatment

Support programs and networks that reduce deaths, treat addiction, and prevent first use

Objective 4.1: Reduce opioid overdose mortality throughout the region

Objective 4.2: Reduce untreated behavioral health and substance use disorder in disproportionately affected communities

Objective 4.3: Prevent and reduce behavioral health issues and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs) in youth

Health & Wellness | Goal 3

Address Health Disparities

Help reduce disparities based on race, location, education and income factors

Objective 3.1: Improve health outcomes for women and infants in rural and low-income communities and communities of color

Objective 3.2: Reduce the prevalence of common chronic health diseases in disproportionately affected communities

Objective 3.3: Increase effectiveness of health care through delivery of culturally aligned services

Health & Wellness | Goal 2

Increase Access to Whole-Person Health Care

Invest in integrated heath care with seamless connections to supportive services

Objective 2.1: Increase the number of people with affordable health insurance coverage

Objective 2.2: Increase the available workforce for primary and allied health care services

Objective 2.3: Increase access to comprehensive and integrated care

Objective 2.4: Increase access to community-based services in low-income, elderly and rural communities

Health & Wellness | Goal 1

Support and Build Healthy Communities

Support communities that promote healthy living and resiliency and help mitigate the impact of trauma, isolation and stress on individuals and families, especially those experiencing poverty

Objective 1.1: Decrease adverse experiences (ACEs and traumatic violence) and improve individual and family resiliency

Objective 1.2: Increase access to community environments that promote healthy living and social connectedness across the age continuum

Economic Opportunity | Goal 4

Foster Entrepreneurship

Support a well-funded, sustainable, competitive entrepreneur and small business ecosystem throughout the region

Objective 4.1: Increase the number of Person of Color (POC)-led small businesses throughout the region

Objective 4.2: Increase the number of rural small businesses throughout the region

Economic Opportunity | Goal 3

Build Economic Ecosystems

Help build a regional economic ecosystem that supports increased creation/retention of jobs and business ownership

Objective 3.1: Improve access to higher-paying jobs throughout the region, targeting the lowest income populations

Objective 3.2: Increase and retain quality jobs

Objective 3.3: Stimulate economic growth, catalyzing businesses and revenue

Economic Opportunity | Goal 2

Promote Work Readiness

Help build a skilled workforce with the knowledge and technical abilities to excel in a wide range of industry employment opportunities that provide a competitive, sustainable wage

Objective 2.1: Close the educational attainment gap in WNC, staying on pace with regional and county-specific projections (myFutureNC 2030).

Economic Opportunity | Goal 1

Develop a Comprehensive Data Resource

Source, analyze and share a comprehensive, county-by-county data set that paints a full picture of work readiness, economic development and entrepreneurial needs and opportunities specific to Western North Carolina

Education | Goal 3

Support Higher Education Career Readiness

Work in tandem with Economic Opportunity Strategic Priority to invest in career readiness at the community college and university levels

Objective 4.1: Close the educational attainment gap in WNC, staying on pace with regional and county-specific projections (myFutureNC 2030).

Education | Goal 2

Improve K-12 Education

Support K-12 learning experiences with the resources and sustainability to provide an excellent academic and social-emotional education, so that all students graduate ready for college or career

Objective 2.1: Address teacher workforce challenges

Objective 2.2: Equip families of students to support academic growth and social-emotional health

Objective 2.3: Increase capacity of partners to provide supports and services, particularly for children facing challenges related to poverty, systemic racism, being differently abled or English language learners

Education | Goal 1

Improve Early Childhood Education Ecosystem

Invest in an improved early childhood education ecosystem with the resources and sustainability to provide developmentally appropriate, affordable and accessible education and care to support ages birth to five, so that all children in WNC enter kindergarten ready to learn

Objective: Address early childhood educator workforce challenges

Education | Goal 4

Develop a Comprehensive Landscape Study

Source, analyze and share a comprehensive set of publicly available data that provides a regularly updated, county-by-county picture of access, workforce and student outcomes in early childhood education and K-12 education specific to Western North Carolina

Housing | Goal 5

Use Impact Investments to Create Affordable and Workforce Housing

Loans, guarantees, and other financial tools to leverage funding opportunities

Housing | Goal 4

Create and Preserve Housing Units for Persons Below 50% of the Median Income

Increase affordable housing for lowest-income individuals and families

Objective 4.1: Create rental units for households below 50% of the median income

Objective 4.2: Help families pay no more than 30% of their income on housing

Objective 4.3: Create and preserve communities in a way that is representative of the WNC natural landscape

Housing | Goal 3

Create and Preserve Senior Housing

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Objective 3.1: Create needed rental and homeownership opportunities for seniors

Objective 3.2: Incorporate supportive services in rental housing developments

Objective 3.3: Increase use of universal design in development

Housing | Goal 2

Create and Preserve Supportive Housing Rental Units

Invest in housing with sustainable supports for physical and mental health and wellbeing

Objective 2.1: Create new supportive housing

Objective 2.2: Preserve existing supportive housing

Objective 2.3: Leverage state and federal funds

Single story home in the midst of being build with 3 volunteers helping.

Housing | Goal 1

Support Healthy and Safe Revitalization Opportunities

Support healthy and safe revitalizations that work against displacement and gentrification, preserve home ownership and create generational wealth.

Objective 1.1: Revitalize Neighborhoods

Objective 1.2: Repurpose existing structures to minimize environmental impact

Objective 1.3: Support home ownership