What We've Done
A History of Collaborative Success
1999-2003 | 2004-2007 | 2008-2011 | 2012-2015 | 2016 and beyond
1999 – 2003
1999: Partnered with the United Way to complete the 2000 Community Needs Assessment.
1999: Established a Dental Task Force, an organized efforts among dentists and other community partners to address the issue of access to dental care. Within two years, over 2,000 children were provided dental exams and fluoride varnish through the generous support of donated care from 22 local dentists.
2001: Development of the Community Care Plan, a partnership between public, private, and non-profit health providers to provide donated healthcare for almost 9,000 uninsured residents in the span of four years. Cabarrus received $2.5 million in federal funding to initiate this program.
2001: Approximately 400 low-income children receive NC Health Choice Insurance due to premiums paid by $19,000 in donations sought by Healthy Cabarrus. Created a 24-hour teen telephone health hotline called Teen Talk.
2003: Coordinated a local system and provided $205,000 worth of prescription medications in response to the needs of displaced Pillowtex workers.
2003: Successfully sought $353,000 in grant funding to support the establishment of comprehensive dental services for nursing home residents and special needs populations in Cabarrus and neighboring counties.
2003: Give Kids a Smile established in Cabarrus County with the goal of garnering donated dental care (free dental cleanings) for uninsured children.
2004 – 2007
2003: Partnered with the United Way to complete the 2004 Community Needs Assessment.
2004: Advocated for the transportation needs of the underserved. Established and disseminated a Transportation Position Statement. Provided technical assistance in grant writing to support the development of a public transit program, CK Rider.
2005: A local 24-hour ACCESS/Crisis Line was created (1-800-939-5911) and remains in operation through Cardinal Innovations. A Crisis Recovery Center was established for the community. In addition, a two-year pilot project began to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of depression for patients in primary care offices.
2005: Established Men for Living, a volunteer advocate group of over 40 African American men to promote prostate cancer screening and provide educational trainings, including awareness breakfasts and barber shop outreach.
2006: Increased the number of pediatric dentists in Cabarrus County from 0 to 2. Established dental services in the hospital operation room to provide specialized dental treatment for low-income children, the elderly, and special needs residents. Expanded the Cabarrus Health Alliance dental clinic’s capacity from 6 chairs to 12 chairs.
2006: Gathered baseline data on substance use among Cabarrus County middle and high school students. Established Teen Task Force, a youth-led coalition that has implemented local health campaigns in Cabarrus County over the past ten years, including Hands on the Wheel (no texting and driving), Kick Butts 5K (smoke-free lifestyle), Feeding Frenzy 5K (hunger action), and antibullying messages.
2006: Cabarrus Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center, opened to provide primary healthcare to a high-need community.
2007: Expanded local medication assistance programs to assist uninsured, low-income residents in getting prescription medications. Received 3 grant awards from Health & Wellness Trust Fund. Developed a local resource guide for medication assistance. Cabarrus Senior Center and other community partners created a Medicare Part D information to help seniors access prescription medications.
2008 – 2011
2007: Partnered with the United Way to complete the 2008 Community Needs Assessment.
2008: Created a smoke-free dining guide for Cabarrus County, including 150 local restaurants that were 100% smoke-free. Teen TRU Crews established at local high schools to build support for tobacco-free policies. Implemented a tobacco prevention curriculum in all Cabarrus County middle schools. Cabarrus County Dental Society hosted an educational training on the oral health effects of spit tobacco.
2008: Established a broad safety-net system for providing primary healthcare for low-income/uninsured residents. Safety-net providers include: Cabarrus Community Health Center, Community Free Clinic, Southern Piedmont Community Care Plan, Cabarrus Health Alliance, CMC-Northeast, private medical providers, Cooperative Christian Ministry, and DSS.
2008: Community partner PBH (now Cardinal Innovations) establishes Community Lunch & Learn sessions, offers Cultural Competency trainings, and provides Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement officers. A new mobile crisis service is established.
2009: Implemented a childhood obesity prevention program throughout Cabarrus County with 12 month funding from NC Department of Health & Human Services. Resulted in the establishment of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Partnership, including 25 community partners seeking to reduce childhood obesity in Cabarrus County; low-fat milk policy change at childcare centers; administering the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey among high school students. Trained 20 health providers as childhood obesity advocates within the school systems with funding from NICHQ.
2010: Partnered with Cabarrus Health Alliance to implement the ACHIEVE grant. During the two-year project, community agencies adopted 21 policies and made 18 environmental changes.
2011: Local municipalities (Cabarrus County, City of Concord, and City of Kannapolis) pass tobacco-free policies in all parks, which led to a domino-effect of many other campuses going smoke-free.
2012 – 2015
2011: Facilitated the county’s 2012 Community Needs Assessment with community partners.
2013: Established Triple P Cabarrus, a population level approach to train Cabarrus workforce on positive parenting strategies, with aims to reduce out-of-home placements, reduce substantiated child abuse cases, and reduce ER visits for child maltreatment injuries.
2013: Founded the Cabarrus Wellness Coalition to address reduce obesity rates and prevent diabetes. Launched the Cabarrus County Southeastern Diabetes Initiative, a service-oriented community-based program designed to support individuals living with Type 2 diabetes. Began offering healthy cooking classes to the general public at CHA’s Wellness Kitchen.
2013: Hosted a community forum of 90 participants on prescription medication safety. Founded the Substance Use Coalition to address prescription medication safety. Co-hosted with Safe Kids Cabarrus and the Cabarrus County Sherriff’s Office a prescription drug take-back event. Administered a Youth Substance Use survey across all middle and high schools in the county. Teen Task Force members worked to create a billboard campaign targeting teens and substance use.
2014: Received CDC funding to carry out REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health). Currently providing support to Cabarrus Wellness Coalition to implement local strategies to reduce health disparities in chronic disease.
2015: Facilitating a local team of community partners interested Community Centered Health Homes, an upstream approach to healthcare that bridges the gap between medical services and community prevention. Other team members include: Community Care of Southern Piedmont, Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Centers, Community Free Clinic, and Cabarrus Partnership for Children.
2015: Facilitating the county’s 2016 Community Needs Assessment with community partners.
2015: Participated in the County Health Challenge, a 12-month catalyst initiative to implement rapid change within the community surrounding food recovery. Other partners included: National Association of Counties, County Commissioner, Cooperative Christian Ministry, and Cabarrus Health Alliance.
2016 & Beyond
2016: Joined community partnership in the Cabarrus Photovoice, a youth-led photography research assessment identifying what makes youth feel safe, unsafe, healthy and unhealthy. Other partners included: Cabarrus Arts Council, Sundae Arts Gallery, local artists, Leadership Cabarrus, and Carolinas HealthCare System Northeast.
Substance Use Coalition
2015-2016: Purchased and installed (2) medication drop boxes at Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office and Concord Police Department.
2016: Purchased 150 Naloxone kits from the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.
2016: Provide Naloxone kits and Good Samaritan Law information at 2 McLeod prevention days. This is schedule to happen every 3 months.
2016: Implemented CHA standing order for Naloxone.
2016: Hosted Naloxone training for CHA clinical staff.
2016: Provided Naloxone kits to Daymark Recovery.
2016: Provided safe storage and disposal information at multiple community events.
2016: 15 High School and Middle School teachers trained in the WRECKED curriculum.
2016: 7 Elementary School teachers trained in Too Good for Drugs curriculum – After School.
2016: In partnership with STARS, we provided Community Resilience Model (CRM) training to select school staff.
2016: Provided funding for A.L. Brown to purchase “stress free” activities for the stress free zone.
Substance Use Coalition
2016: Adopted 5-2-1-0 messaging to be used within 4 newly established coalition workgroups: community design, early childhood, school age, and clinical.
2016: Trained in 5-2-1-0 Toolkit usage in August 2016.
2016: Attended and completed the Physical Activity for All Summit in May 2016.
2016: Each workgroup is addressing “providing opportunities to get physical activity every day” in their respected organizations.
2016: Created an inventory of all programs and policies of Cabarrus Wellness Coalition members and their rate of completion.