North Carolina’s hospitals and health systems provide more than just healthcare services. They also blend medical know-how with community engagement and technology to help prevent and manage chronic conditions and to address factors affecting health like access to healthy food and transportation. Learn how health systems and hospitals work with local employers, schools, faith organizations and other partners to build healthier, vibrant communities.

Five healthcare leaders from across the state recently came together for a virtual town hall to discuss how their hospitals and health systems are creating healthier communities. This program is part of a series hosted by the North Carolina Healthcare Association.

ICYMI: Watch part 2 of this conversation, focused on rural communities. 

Here are some key takeaways from the conversation:  

Hospitals play many different roles within the community  

Hospitals provide more than just health care. They are often anchors in their communities – providing jobs, driving the economy, and partnering with local entities to make community members healthier.  

Debra Jones, Associate Vice President for Community Health for Duke Health, discussed how hospitals also support economic mobility of hospital employees, small and minority businesses, and affordable housing. “It’s really important to think about those other roles as they match to the needs in our community that we learn about through community health needs assessments and other listening sessions,” said Jones. 

Dr. Theresa Amerson, Chief Medical Officer, Population Health for WakeMed touched on the role hospital’s play as an employer in the community and the importance of building a strong health care workforce. She stressed the need for, “partnering with local schools, universities, and technical colleges to really firm up a pipeline of earlier education”. Dr. Amerson also emphasized planning workforce programs with the future in mind to create a “clear pathway of advancement for folks who might choose to stay in our area and contribute.” 

Being integrated into the community allows hospitals to better understand the barriers to health care access that community members face. Equipped with this information, hospitals can work to develop solutions to solve these challenges. 

“One of the things that’s important is to understand what the community needs are as well as the individual person’s needs. It’s really a way to co-create together what those relevant programs need to be. And in order to do that, we really need to be in the community,” expressed Dr. Chere Gregory, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer for Novant Health. 

It is also important for hospitals to be seen as a trusted, reliable source in the community. Dr. Olu Jegede, Vice President, Clinical Care-Health Equity for Cone Health talked about how it is essential for the community to trust their health care providers, follow prescribed treatment plans, and engage in preventative care. “We want to be there to earn that trust so they can come to us and seek health care services,” said Dr. Jegede. 

Dr. Gregory also noted that “the best way to improve and advance health equity is to be a trusted partner in healthcare delivery. Hospitals and health systems really need to be involved in the communities because it’s the best place to connect and create those most trusted relationships.” 

Partnerships push communities forward 

Collaboration between hospitals and community organizations produce impactful partnerships. Organizations and leaders active within their communities keep the pulse on the challenges and needs of the people they serve, often building trust with community members who frequently seek their resources, services, or guidance. They bridge a gap of trust and understanding when they partner with hospitals, helping hospitals craft an innovative, productive approach to address the community’s greatest needs.  

Ms. Jones, spoke about Duke’s Health Equity Advocate Liaisons (HEAL) Partnership, which works with AME Zion pastors across North Carolina, which have historically been a strong presence within the African American community. The mutual partnership helps researchers understand cultural knowledge, while community members look to pastors for education on health resources the system provides.  

“When we talk about any type of partnership, it’s important to really look at reciprocity,” said Jones. “We are sharing knowledge with 17 pastors as a part of the HEAL program, but they are sharing their cultural knowledge with our researchers enabling them to be far more effective and more respectful of community members as they are approaching them soliciting and recruiting their participation and clinical trials.” 

Collaboration and innovation are strengthening our pipeline of mental health providers, creating greater access to much-needed mental health care.  

Dr. Gregory mentioned Novant Health and UNC Health’s partnership with the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune. The new psychiatric residency program will include civilians and military personnel training to become mental health care providers. Gregory says historically, about 50% of residents in Novant Health’s programs choose to stay and practice in North Carolina.  

“This will help us to create the next generation of mental health specialists in our areas,” she said. “We’re hoping to be able to continue to increase that pipeline. For our military colleagues, they will be able to care for patients globally. This will really impact urban areas, rural areas and also have a global impact.” 

Communities shape the hospitals that serve them. Dr. Gregory mentioned Novant Health includes community members of different backgrounds in decision-making conversations which reflect in policies and processes within hospitals. Patient and family advisory boards, individuals with disabilities and LGTBQ+ community members have their voices heard to create better care practices.  

It is important to meet community members where they live 

Hospitals are developing new initiatives and infrastructure to provide care no matter where a patient lives. In response to seeing the community’s immense need for behavioral health services, WakeMed recently announced a new 150-bed mental health and well-being inpatient facility that will focus on whole person health. “Whole health includes chronic disease states and physical health as well as mental health,” explained Dr. Amerson.  

Centers like this one will help to curb the behavioral health crisis and provide much needed care to communities in crisis. “In 2022, our emergency departments admitted 4,000 adults and children with suicidal ideation. That’s a 15% increase from the previous year,” said Dr. Amerson. “We’re really focused on bringing to the town of Garner, and our local areas, a campus that really re-conceptualizes mental health care.” 

Kinneil Coltman, Executive Vice President, Chief Community and Social Impact Officer for Advocate Health, which Atrium Health is part of, touched on the success of their mobile care unit. Drive to Thrive is presumed to be the first initiative in the nation to bring women’s health services directly to underserved communities. Coltman talked about this model reaching past the walls of the hospital, where providers are administering reproductive health care and assessing patients for social determinants of health in a culturally appropriate way.  

“We’re so pleased with the impacts of this model that we’re actually looking to expand it to the Midwest. It’s a tool for urban communities, but we also think for rural communities as well,” she said.