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Dogwood Health Trust Announces the Addition of Two Board Members

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (December 5, 2018) – Dogwood Health Trust is pleased to announce the addition of two members to its Board of Directors. The Board has confirmed Vivian Bolanos (Henderson County) and Jacquelyn (Jackie) Shropshire Simms (Buncombe County) as new members.

Vivian Bolanos has lived and worked in Henderson County since 2000, first working at Roper Insurance Agency in Hendersonville and serving as a General Education Development Instructor at Blue Ridge Community College. Currently, Ms. Bolanos is Vice President and Business Development Officer for First Bank, a position she has held since 2013 and includes responsibilities for the development of business relationships for Banking Centers in Henderson, Transylvania and Buncombe Counties. Her eighteen-year experience in management in the service and banking sectors includes leadership positions with Mountain 1st Bank & Trust in Hendersonville & Etowah, NC and Asheville Savings Bank – now First Bank – in Hendersonville, NC. She held several positions at Carolina First in Hendersonville.

Ms. Bolanos is a committed community advocate and volunteer and serves as a board member for the United Way of Henderson County, Safelight (formerly The Healing Place/Mainstay), and Pardee UNC Health Care. Recently, she was appointed by Governor Cooper to serve as a member of the Blue Ridge Community College Board of Trustees. Ms. Bolanos attended the University Estatal of Cuenca, Ecuador – Law School, and she is currently attending the North Carolina School of Banking at Chapel Hill.

“I recognize the incredible responsibility of this Board appointment and feel honored and grateful to serve,” said Vivian Bolanos. “I will give western North Carolina and Dogwood Health Trust my very best.”

Jackie Simms has been a passionate advocate for education and children with hearing impairment for over 50 years. As a teacher in the State’s Early Intervention Program for Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, she has worked with families of children who were deaf or hard of hearing and with county interagency coordinating councils in all 18 of the westernmost counties of North Carolina. She served as Director of the Preschool Satellite Program of the Western North Carolina School for the Deaf. Ms. Simms is an Ethical Culture Officiant and Humanist Celebrant with the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville and serves as the current Vice President of its Board of Directors.

Ms. Simms holds a Master of Education of the Deaf (M.E.D.) degree from Smith College (Northampton, Massachusetts) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Langston University (Langston, Oklahoma). Born in Missouri, she grew up attending segregated schools and moved to Oklahoma at a young age when her father, who himself had to seek higher education outside of his home state due to Jim Crow laws, accepted a job and later became Director of the Division of Education at Langston University, an historically black college. Ms. Simms has volunteered for Building Bridges of Asheville for the past twenty-five years and has filled various volunteer positions for the American Ethical Union since 1978. She also has been a member and correspondent for the Mountain Area Interfaith Forum. In 2016, Ms. Simms was presented with the Martin Luther King, Jr. award by The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County. In 2018, she was honored for having served on the Board of the Ethical Society of Asheville from its founding in 2001.

“Serving on the Board for Dogwood Health Trust is such a wonderful and unique opportunity,” said Jackie Simms. “I am truly grateful to have this opportunity to be a part of a team that is charged with making real and positive change in the lives of western North Carolinians.”

“From the beginning, Dogwood Health Trust made an intentional pledge to the entire 18-county region of western North Carolina, and we have continued to evolve to more closely reflect, fully understand, and meaningfully serve the region,” said Janice Brumit, Board Chair of Dogwood Health Trust. “We are honored to add Jackie and Vivian and to now have a group of 11 extraordinary leaders, all of whom have demonstrated their commitment to serve as an engaged, thoughtful and strategic Board that will lead Dogwood Health Trust in its important work.

Dogwood Health Trust has a bold purpose, to dramatically improve the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. With the completion of the contemplated transaction between HCA Healthcare and Mission Health, Dogwood Health Trust will focus on the social determinants of health. It is now well understood that our health is impacted by myriad factors independent of the delivery of medical care. The Trust will partner with others including nonprofit leaders, state and local government leaders, other funders, and academicians to understand and meaningfully enhance the known drivers of health and well-being in our region.

“Dogwood Health Trust will focus all of its efforts on opportunities to improve both individual and community health.” Ms. Brumit said. “We are incredibly excited about the transformative capacity the Trust brings to systemically address Western North Carolina‘s most intractable barriers to health and wellbeing.”


ABOUT DOGWOOD HEALTH TRUST
Dogwood Health Trust is a North Carolina not-for-profit corporation with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities across of North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust is the successor foundation of the not-for-profit Mission Health System should the proposed transaction with HCA Healthcare move forward. To learn more, please visit https://dogwoodhealthtrust.org/.


Appendix: New Board Member Biographies

VIVIAN BOLANOS
Vivian Bolanos has lived and worked in Henderson County since 2000, first working at Roper Insurance Agency in Hendersonville and serving as a General Education Development Instructor at Blue Ridge Community College for the Spanish Community. Currently, Ms. Bolanos is Vice President and Business Development Officer for First Bank, a position she has held since 2013 and includes responsibilities for the development of relationships for businesses for four Banking Centers in Henderson, Transylvania and Buncombe Counties. Her eighteen-year experience in management in the service and banking industries includes leadership positions with Mountain 1st Bank & Trust in Hendersonville & Etowah, NC and Asheville Savings Bank – now First Bank in Hendersonville, NC. She also held several positions at Carolina First in Hendersonville. Ms. Bolanos is a committed community advocate and volunteer and serves as a Board member for the United Way of Henderson County, Safelight (formerly The Healing Place/Mainstay), a board position she’s held since 2011, and Pardee UNC Health Care. Additionally, she was appointed recently to serve as a member of the Blue Ridge Community College Board of Trustees. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Ms. Bolanos attended the University Estatal of Cuenca, Ecuador – Law School, and she is currently attending the North Carolina School of Banking at Chapel Hill.

JACKIE (JACQUELYN) S. SIMMS
Jackie Shropshire Simms has been a passionate advocate for education and children with hearing impairment for over 50 years. As a teacher in the state’s Early Intervention Program for Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, she has worked with families of children who were deaf or hard of hearing and with county interagency coordinating councils in all 18 of the westernmost counties of North Carolina. Additionally, she served as Director of the Preschool Satellite Program of the Western North Carolina School for the Deaf. Ms. Simms is an Ethical Culture Officiant and Humanist Celebrant with the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville and serves as the current Vice President of its Board of Directors. She is past President of the Final Exit Network of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ms. Simms holds a Master of Education of the Deaf (M.E.D.) degree from Smith College (Northampton, Massachusetts) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and from Langston University. Born in Missouri, she grew up attending segregated schools, and moved to Oklahoma at a young age when her father, who himself had to seek higher education outside of his home state due to Jim Crow laws, accepted a job and later became Director of the Division of Education at Langston University, a historically black college. After completing her education, Ms. Simms returned to Missouri and worked predominantly for the Special School District of St. Louis County, until relocating to Asheville in 1990. Ms. Simms has volunteered for Building Bridges of Asheville for the past twenty-five years and has filled various volunteer positions for the American Ethical Union for the past 40 years – since 1978. During the summers of 2004 and 2005, Ms. Simms worked on evaluating the written tests of candidates for National Board of Professional Teaching Standards Exceptional Needs Specialist certification. She has also been a member and correspondent for the Mountain Area Interfaith Forum. In 2016, Ms. Simms was presented with the Martin Luther King, Jr. award by The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County. In 2018, she was honored for having served on the Board of the Ethical Society of Asheville from its founding in 2001 to 2018. A widow, she along with her husband of 47 years, have one adult daughter.

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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

Support age-appropriate resources in affordable and workforce units, rental and owned

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