What is Healthy North Carolina 2030 (HNC 2030)?

Healthy North Carolina 2030 is a 10-year plan that outlines 21 health indicators based on input from communities and experts. It highlights how factors like housing, income, education, and social conditions affect health across the state.

What is the North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan (NC SHIP)?

The North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan is the state's action plan for addressing the priorities in HNC 2030. It helps partners work together, track progress, and improve health outcomes through shared strategies.

What is the NC SHIP Community Council Annual Meeting?

The annual meeting brings together partners from across the state to share updates, reflect on progress, and align efforts for the year ahead. It supports coordination, shared learning, and collective action.

What is the purpose of NC SHIP?

The NC SHIP helps partners across sectors work together to improve health and well-being. It turns data into action by connecting policy, programs, and community-driven solutions.

2025 NC SHIP Community Council Annual Meeting- Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 10:00 to 12:00 pm, Microsoft Teams 

Note: If you are unable to access any of the links below or if any information requires correction or clarification, please contact Ashley Rink, NC SHIP Community Partnership Manager, at ashley.rink@dhhs.nc.gov.

• Healthy North Carolina 2030 (HNC 2030) and North Carolina State Health Improvement Plan (NC SHIP) landing page
  • Meeting Recording
  • Meeting Slides
• 2024-2025 NC SHIP Community Council Scorecard

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Dr. Kelly Kimple, Director of the Division of Public Health and State Health Officer, welcomed attendees and acknowledged wide cross-sector representation.
• She emphasized the importance of continued collaboration in light of evolving policy and funding environments.
• Erin Fry Sosne, Director of Strategy, reviewed the meeting purpose- to reflect on progress, recognize challenges, and renew action- and previewed the agenda.

Year in Review: Onward for Action

• Panelists discussed recent policy and program changes that have affected community health initiatives.
• Kelsey Yokovich Cervone (Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation) emphasized the importance of uplifting rural and community voices and responding to changes in Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
• Marianne Weant (NC Alliance for Health) highlighted federal policy shifts impacting school meals and public assistance programs and called for stronger unified advocacy efforts.
• Resource shared: Podcast episode on Medicaid cuts and rural health

Work Group and Collaborative Spotlights

• Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Advisory Council
  • Anne Geissinger, NC Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator & Team Lead, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
  • Led faith-based mental health training, reaching over 100 rural faith leaders.
  • Participants reported increased knowledge and reduced stigma around suicide prevention.
  • The program builds local leadership capacity to address suicide risk.
  • Resource shared: NC Suicide Prevention Action Plan- 2026-2030
• Short-Term Suspensions Work Group
  • Rev. Paul Robeson Ford, Consultant for Policy Coordination & Communication, Action4Equity
  • Shared local success in reducing suspensions for grades Pre-K through 3.
  • Working toward statewide adoption of policies limiting early grade suspensions.
  • Planning a communications campaign aligned with 'Too Young to Suspend' messaging.
  • Resource shared: Education Justice Alliance- Community Report: Too Young To Suspend
• Perinatal Health Equity Collective- Policy Workgroup
  • Belinda Pettiford, Section Chief, Women, Infant, and Community Wellness Section, NCDHHS
  • Advanced policy priorities around paid leave and access to childcare.
  • Supported Medicaid education, doula reimbursement, and safe sleep promotion.
  • Engaged with cross-sector partners to strengthen perinatal health systems.
  • Resource shared: 2022-2026 Perinatal Health Strategic Plan
• Poverty and Unemployment Work Group
  • Scottie Jackson, Program Manager, Office of Workforce Engagement and Equal Employment Opportunity, NCDHHS
  • Outlined five urgent priorities including childcare and community health workers.
  • Promoted the NCWorks system and digital access to workforce services.
  • Emphasized sustainable funding and policy alignment across sectors.
  • Resource shared: NC Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program
• Adverse Childhood Experiences Work Group
  • Dr. Wanda Boone, Founder and Executive Director, Together for Resilient Youth (TRY)
  • Focused on improving access to local trauma and childhood adversity data.
  • Promoted culturally rooted, community-based support programs.
  • Encouraged qualitative input and collaboration with existing initiatives.
• Third Grade Reading Proficiency Work Group
  • Dr. Gerri Mattson, Early Intervention Medical Director, NCDHHS
  • Identified fragmentation in literacy-related professional development.
  • Collected input from surveys and interviews to guide the next steps.
  • Developing a fact sheet to support early educators and family service professionals.
  • Resource shared: Book about early childhood for children- Some Crayons are Missing
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Work Group
  • Jayne McBurney, Steps to Health Program Coordinator, North Carolina State University
  • Led a statewide campaign promoting water over sugary beverages.
  • Used digital media and local TV to deliver messages through SNAP-Ed.
  • Shared performance metrics showing broad community engagement.
• SHIP Tobacco Committee
  • Dr. Kim McDonald, Section Chief and Medical Consultant, NCDHHS
  • Continued youth prevention and cessation programs despite reduced federal funding.
  • Maintained Quitline services and education through Juul settlement resources.
  • Stressed importance of long-term, stable funding for tobacco control.
  • Resources shared:
    • Regional Tobacco Control Funding Map
    • State of Black Health Conference (includes youth menthol advocacy track)
• Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (OPDAAC)
  • Mary Beth Cox, Substance Use Epidemiologist, NCDHHS
  • Shared updates from the state’s overdose prevention action plan.
  • Highlighted enhancements to the state’s overdose data dashboards.
  • Reported early signs of a decline in opioid-related overdose deaths.
  • Resources shared:
    • Overdose Data
    • NC OPDAAC
• North Carolina State Excessive Alcohol Advisory Committee (NCSEAAC)
  • Fisher Charlton, Alcohol Epidemiologist, NCDHHS
  • Shared alcohol-related data resources and surveillance strategies.
  • Used emergency department data to monitor alcohol-related harms.
  • Noted delays in the action plan due to federal staffing reductions.
  • Resources shared:
    • Alcohol Data
    • Alcohol Prevention
• Uninsured Work Group
  • Alice Pollard, Vice President of Operations and Strategy, North Carolina Community Health Center Association
  • Discussed Medicaid expansion rollout and future implementation needs.
  • Identified the importance of monitoring upcoming federal policy changes.
  • Emphasized the role of community health workers and uninsured clinics.
• Life Expectancy Work Group
  • Heather Carter, Dementia Services Coordinator, NCDHHS and Vicki Mercer, Professor, Division of Physical Therapy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Highlighted falls prevention and brain health as priority strategies.
  • Developed outreach and training materials linking falls and chronic disease risk.
  • Promoted coordination between clinical and community settings.
  • Resources shared:
    • North Carolina Radon Program Brochures and Resources
    • Wake AHEC > Course > CGEC Bridging the Gap: Empowering Primary Care Providers in Dementia Diagnosing, Care Continuity, and Resource Integration
• Severe Housing Problems Work Group
  • Josh Walker, Olmstead Housing Director, NCDHHS
  • Introduced the department’s 5-year Strategic Housing Plan (2024–2029).
  • Outlined goals for housing development, access, services, and partnerships.
  • Addressed the need for housing navigation, rent assistance, and eviction prevention.
  • Resource shared: NC Strategic Housing Plan

Post-Meeting Work Group Highlights

The following work groups did not share updates during the live meeting. Select highlights from their 2024-2025 priorities are included below. Refer to the 2024-2025 NC SHIP Community Council Scorecard for action plans and/or additional information.

• Access to Exercise Opportunities Work Group
  • Exploring opportunities to align with statewide efforts that share similar goals related to physical activity access and infrastructure.
  • Prioritizing collaboration and information exchange with existing partners.
• HIV Diagnosis Work Group
  • Did not convene during 2024-2025; is assessing opportunities to join or support existing collaborative groups.
  • Aims to avoid duplication and contribute to collective statewide HIV response efforts.
• Incarceration Work Group
  • Considering re-engagement by connecting with other groups in the state working on incarceration-related health issues.
• Limited Access to Healthy Foods Work Group
  • Focused on maintaining a resource-sharing and networking space for partners during the 2024-2025 cycle.
  • Remained open to convening for time-sensitive or emergency-driven discussions as needed.
• Primary Care Clinicians Work Group
  • Prioritized increasing Medicaid reimbursement and simplifying administrative processes to support primary care access, especially in rural areas.
  • Recommended improving and coordinating loan repayment and scholarship programs to recruit and retain clinicians in high-need communities.
  • Emphasized expanding rural training pathways, including support for community-based preceptors and rural residency programs.

Looking Ahead: Inspiration and Action

• Michelle Ries (North Carolina Institute of Medicine) stressed the need for reliable, disaggregated data to guide long-term public health planning.
• Tish Singletary (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services) encouraged strategic, coordinated action in the face of uncertainty, using the metaphor of playing chess rather than whack-a-mole.
• Alice Ammerman (UNC Chapel Hill) called for data to demonstrate the consequences of funding losses and emphasized collaboration and shared infrastructure as key to success.
• See slides 73-87 in the slide deck for additional insights from Michelle Ries on Healthy North Carolina 2030: Current NCIOM Initiatives and Midpoint Reflections.

Closing Reflections and Next Steps

• Dr. Kelly Kimple closed the meeting by thanking all attendees and presenters for their time, insights, and ongoing commitment.
• She encouraged continued collaboration and invited attendees to carry forward the momentum generated during the meeting into the year ahead.
• The meeting concluded with an emphasis on supporting local and state-level action aligned with the priorities of Healthy North Carolina 2030.