Foundation's diverse success reviewed

David Shelton, chairman of the Health Foundation board, opened the meeting by thanking supporters and reporting that the foundation remains in a sound financial position and recently received its usual clean audit report.

Shelton recognized the foundation board for effective governance and foundation staff for effective execution of its body of work. He said the foundation staff have “the soul of those who care about the health and well-being of those in our community, the intellect of scholars, the acumen of business leaders and the energy of cheerleaders.”

Child advocacy center

Heather Murphy, the Health Foundation’s longtime executive director, announced the establishment of the Safe Spot Child Advocacy Center, a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit with accreditation from the National Children’s Alliance. Cindy Hartley is its executive director.

Safe Spot conducts forensic interviews with children who have survived sexual abuse or extreme physical abuse. Murphy said this specific interview protocol is designed to gather information from a victim for use in a legal setting, such as a court hearing. Safe Spot also provides support to victims through counseling and medical exams, if necessary.

Safe Spot began as a child advocacy program of Sheltered Aid to Families in Emergencies (SAFE) Inc., which permanently closed and declared bankruptcy about two years ago when it lost state funding as a result of noncompliance with laws governing nonprofits.

SAFE also provided emergency housing for domestic violence victims 24/7. Domestic violence victims in Wilkes needing emergency housing and related services are now referred to Domestic Abuse is Not Acceptable (DANA), an agency in Alleghany County with emergency housing there.

Murphy said Safe Spot’s funding and programming were solid, but it needed a new parent organization. The Safe Spot team, including attorneys and professionals in the fields of law enforcement, mental health, child protective services and others, formally requested that the Health Foundation board manage Safe Spot until it could become its own agency over 2 ½ years ago. The foundation helped launch Safe Spot over a decade earlier.

Hartley was Safe Spot program director when she joined the foundation staff to continue her work with Safe Spot while preparing to become its executive director with staff under a two-year plan for becoming a stand-alone non-profit. Murphy said it was a challenging undertaking but “Cindy’s accomplishments during this time are nothing short of amazing.”

Hartley thanked numerous people and entities for assisting Safe Spot. These included Tim Murphy, founding member of the Safe Spot multidisciplinary team.

Hartley said Tim Murphy “has written protocols, policies and procedures with precision. He has interviewed children with kindness and professionalism. He has been an advocate for children, families and our team. He is so wise that even our state chapter has called upon him for his expertise. He is so dedicated to this cause that he has worked without pay multiple times, the most recent being when the health foundation adopted the CAC as a program,” said Hartley, adding that the Health Foundation and grantors have anti-nepotism policies prohibiting hiring relatives. (Tim and Heather Murphy are husband and wife.)

Outdoor economy

In 2019, the Health Foundation brought local people together for a two-day workshop about health and economic benefits of building on natural assets in Wilkes. This led to formation of the Outdoor Economy Work Group, with representation from the Health Foundation, Wilkes Economic Development Corp., Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority, Wilkes Health Department, Yadkin River Greenway Council and governments of Wilkes County, Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro.

The work group hired Boone-based Destination by Design to develop a 15-year action plan to guide efforts. Town and county elected bodies are in the process of adopting this countywide plan, with existing and potential new recreation sites and more.

Murphy said the Health Foundation convenes the Outdoor Economy Work Group monthly to ensure progress is made with plans and priorities.

The Outdoor Economy Work Group is in the second of a seven-month technical assistance engagement as a result of the Made X Mtns. Partnership selecting Wilkes as one of five counties to be best prepared for funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and other federal sources, she said.

This includes technical support from Appalachian State University for developing an economic impact toolkit to quantify return on investment and economic value of improving outdoor amenities. “ASU is helping us both determine what to measure and how best to measure so we can make economically sound decisions on our work. We are doing this work while progressing on our top priorities, which are identified in the action plan,” said Murphy.

The Made X Mtns. Partnership includes Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC, Mountain BizWorks, NC Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, regional universities and economic development and conservation organizations. It is funded by the ARC and Dogwood Health Trust.

Other initiatives

Murphy said the COVID-19 pandemic made work of the Health Foundation’s many initiatives even more important, but with new challenges.

She recognized its Healthy Wilkes Action Team for addressing basic needs. This includes working with Wilkes Recovery Revolution on Wilkes Fresh Mobile Market, which makes fresh locally-grown produce available for sale at different rural communities from Ferguson to Ronda.

She cited the Resilience Collaborative, with a variety of actions but coming up an “Address the Stress” conference on Nov. 4 at Camp Harrison in Boomer focused on providing helpers the support they need. Jenn Wages, assistant director of The Health Foundation, leads this. The foundation also offers a 14-hour training program called “Reconnect for Resilience,” with practical strategies promoting a culture of resiliency in a school, healthcare organization or community. For more information or to register for a class, contact Wages at jenn@healthywilkes.org or at 336-838-1949.

As opioid addiction continues to ravage Wilkes, Murphy said the Health Foundation continues to lead the Community Opioid Prevention and Education (COPE) team. The Wilkes Health Department, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Wilkes Medical Center and other entities are part of COPE.

Kirstin Roberts was hired to lead the Health Foundation’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) initiative, funded by the Governor’s Crime Commission. Roberts is a certified CIT coordinator. Local law enforcement officers are being paired with mental health/addiction specialists and people with addiction experience to help those with mental health crises get treatment. She said benefits include fewer arrests of people with mental illness, fewer law enforcement injuries and better officer morale.

The Wilkes Sheriff’s Office, Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro police departments, Vaya Health, Wilkes Recovery Revolution and other COPE partners are part of the CIT initiative.

CareNet Counseling, through a grant provided by the Health Foundation, is offering “Mental Health First Aid training” classes. To register for a class, contact Belinda Smithey at bwsmithey@gmail.com or at 336-838-1644.

Murphy said Boone-based Hospitality House, a homeless shelter serving people in Wilkes, is working with the foundation to open an office in Wilkes to help coordinate efforts of service providers with Wilkes residents.

The Health Foundation was formed in 1991 “to improve the health and well-being of our community. And our organizational lifetime’s body of work — the work each of you has supported these many years — from the dialysis center to West Park, the dental clinic to adult day health center — and so much more that your generous, loyal and dedicated support has made possible — that is what has built our capacity to take on this level of work,” she said.