Click on each program/ strategy below to find and review updates in the "Progress in 2022-2023" note tabs. 

Mental Health/Substance Abuse/Domestic Violence

•   New Freedom Life

•   Restart Appalachian Youth to Youth (PATH)

•   New Media Campaign

Access to Care/ Use of Services

• New Leadership Conference for Mitchell County Resources 

• New Comprehensive Community Media Campaign

• New Utilization of 211 Resources 

Chronic Disease, Obesity, & Healthy Lifestyles   

• New New recreation center in Bakersville  
• New New YMCA in Spruce Pine
• New MANNA Backpack Programs 
• Walk with Ease Program

Mortality rates in Mitchell County, North Carolina are generally higher than the state and regional averages.

• Drug overdoses and accidental deaths are among the leading causes of death in Mitchell County. Causes of death in Mitchell County Drug overdoses:
  • In 2012–2019, the average drug overdose death rate in Mitchell County was 21.2 per 100,000 people.
• Accidental deaths: The accidental death rate in Mitchell County is 81.5 per 100,000 people.
  • Vehicle crash fatalities: The vehicle crash fatality rate in Mitchell County is 10.7 per 100,000 people.
• Other health information The cancer incidence rate in Mitchell County is 456.7 per 100,000 people.
  • The preventable hospital admissions rate in Mitchell County is 2,762 per 100,000 people.
  • The airborne cancer risk in Mitchell County is 22.34.
  • The air quality hazard in Mitchell County is 0.27.
• See Mitchell County Opioid Planning Needs Assessment Report: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Mitchell-County-Opioid-Assessment-Report_FINAL_9-1-23_with-appendices.pdf

The leading causes of death in Mitchell County, North Carolina are heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease. 

• Heart disease: The leading cause of death in Mitchell County. The mortality rate for heart disease in Mitchell County increased between 2012–2016 and 2015–2019. 
• Cancer: The cancer incidence rate for Mitchell County is 456.7 per 100,000. 
• Chronic lower respiratory disease: A leading cause of death in Mitchell County. 

Other health conditions in Mitchell County include: 

• Preventable hospital admissions
• Airborne cancer risk
• Air quality hazard
• Drinking water violation rate
• Public safety
• Accidental death rate
• Vehicle crash fatality rate

In North Carolina, heart disease, cancer, and accidents were the leading causes of death in 2022. These three causes accounted for 45% of all deaths in the state that year.

• Wages idling in neutral, middle-class living standards increasingly out of reach, and economic gains bypassing everyone except those at the top.  Citizens continue to suffer from social inequality and income gaps.
• Vaping and underage drinking become prevalent among adolescents with more teens needing medical attention for the health consequences both behavior addictions bring
• Severe housing issues emerge from the effects of the insufficient funds to support the housing market 
• Youth behavioral health spiraling out of control from childhood trauma leading to a variety of health problems, including mental health conditions, substance abuse, and chronic diseases
• Families and children in need of daily necessities (food, clothing, eye exams/glasses, dental and health services) in order to function in everyday life 

• Construction on the county’s new school in Ledger is moving at a fast pace. The school, which is made possible through $40 million in needs-based capital grant funding from the state, will have two sides— an elementary wing for grades 3-5 and a middle school wing for grades 6-8.  The school will be across from the Mitchell County Schools Central Office in Ledger, down the road from Mitchell High and the Mitchell County Senior Center.  The project began with preliminary conversations about eight years ago. Over the course of the past few years, the location, scope and details of the project have shifted several times.

• Broke ground on a new student athletic complex that include plans for a new softball field, a road to go behind Mitchell High School for bus pickup and drop off, and various projects to improve the track and baseball field.  The entire complex is expected to be completed within a year of breaking ground with the building expected to be finished late this fall and the softball field hopefully ready for the next season in the spring of 2025.  The complex has been fully funded by a $14.5 million grant. KC Electric, a local Mitchell County business, won the bid to complete electrical work on the athletic complex.  The plan to construct an athletic complex has been talked about for around 20 years but that they have been working hard to get funding for the project within the past five years.  One of the main reasons for constructing the athletic complex is to increase safety for student-athletes during basketball season. These safety concerns mainly surround the fact that basketball practices often end up running late into the night due to having limited space for the boys’ and girls’ teams to practice in. In the past, this has caused students to have to drive home as late as 11 p.m. in variable mountain weather.

  The athletic complex will include an indoor practice field of 30 yards for football, a basketball court, a golf simulator, a wrestling area, drop-down baseball nets, and a weight room. This will allow many sports teams as well as school bands to utilize the space and practice rain or shine.  Any middle or high school student will also be able to use the space during open gym events or when areas have not been scheduled for use. The complex will also have restrooms and an area for concessions that can be used in the case of hosting tournaments.

• Mountain Community Health Partnership, a leading healthcare provider in Mitchell and Yancey Counties, announces the acquisition of 105 acres for its expansion project. The newly acquired land will be the future site of an integrated health clinic providing expanded primary care, behavioral health, and dental services and will serve as MCHP's headquarters.  Anticipated to break ground in later 2025, the 20,000-square-foot building will mark a milestone in MCHP's commitment to providing healthcare services in the region. The expansion will enhance MCHP's capacity to serve the community's growing needs and contribute to the overall improvement of healthcare infrastructure in the region.

• Launched "View From Here" media campaign in Western North Carolina (WNC), which is a collaborative effort by various health organizations in the region to promote important health topics and share personal stories from local residents, focusing on issues like mental health, substance abuse, healthy eating, and active living, all through a social media-driven approach to encourage positive lifestyle changes within the community; essentially, it aims to highlight the unique perspective of WNC residents on their health concerns and how they are addressing them.