A Message From Our Executive Director
How can we improve the health and wellness of the Greater High Point community? It’s the question that guides the work we do at the Foundation for a Healthy High Point – and the question that has occupied my thoughts since I started here six months ago.
Thanks to all for welcoming me to the community. It has been my pleasure to get to know many of you, work together in response to our spring CFP, and support efforts to address an urgent need to get our neighbors vaccinated.
I have been impressed with how folks have come together to address the impact of COVID-19 while remaining passionate and committed to finding solutions that tackle long-term issues that undermine our health. With the commitment, passion, and forward-thinking I have seen, we will no doubt find ways to improve conditions that impact our individual and collective health.
Grantmaking
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point was established in 2013 as a result of the merger of High Point Regional Hospital and UNC Health Care. Our Board of Directors are thoughtful stewards of our resources and ensure we carry out our mission to encourage, support, influence, and invest in efforts that improve health and wellness. This year, we have invested $356,799 in local efforts focused on early childhood and youth development, community empowerment, and capacity building for local nonprofits.
Our Fall 2021 Call for Proposals is now open. We are accepting grant applications from nonprofits and public agencies within or serving the Greater High Point community – including Trinity, Archdale, and Jamestown. I hope you will consider applying if your organization’s project meets the criteria. The deadline is August 1, 2021.
Complex challenges
In light of our collective 2020 experience, many of us who have been working in the community feel called to address the inequity that results in poor health outcomes for too many of us. The underlying social and economic factors that affect our health became even more apparent. While access to quality clinical services is critical, only a small percentage of community wellness is attributed to direct medical care.
- We know that 40% of well-being and health is influenced by education, employment, income, family and social support, and community safety.
- Another 30% is determined by individual behaviors such as tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol and drug use.
- The physical environment, such as air and water quality, housing, and transportation, is an indicator of 10% of our health.
This summer, the Foundation began strategic planning to consider how best to confront these complex challenges. We started by reviewing the impact of our previous $11.5 million community investments since our first award in 2015. We are also examining various community needs assessments to identify new and emerging needs.
Next, we want to hear from you. How do you think our regional needs have evolved? What new barriers and opportunities have emerged? What do you see as the most pressing concerns and promising solutions going forward? Please sign up to learn about our upcoming listening and learning sessions. Your voice matters, and we hope you will participate.
The answer to improving the health and wellness of the Greater High Point community will come from intentional collaborative and collective action to tackle the root causes of illness and poor health. Our community is well resourced in many ways and highly motivated. I pledge to work in collaboration and support initiatives that improve the long-term health of our community
With best regards,
Curtis Holloman, Executive Director