At least one board member from each of the six counties and the Qualla Boundary was asked to serve on the NHF Board of Directors based on a number of specific criteria: his or her expertise in one or more of the social determinants of health, strong ties to the community he or she represents, willingness to commit the time required to invest in NHF well, and his or her desire to improve the health and well-being of all people in the westernmost counties of North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary.

Board members include Jane Kimsey, Chair (regional representative/Macon County); David Garrett, vice chair (regional representative/Jackson County); Sonya Wachacha, secretary (Qualla Boundary);  Lisa Leatherman, interim-treasurer (regional representative/Macon County); Alison Cochran (Swain County); Jason Johnson (Cherokee County); Angie Knight (Graham County) and Debbie Mauney (Clay County).

The current board of directors may select up to seven additional members, according to the NHF Bylaws, who bring additional areas of expertise to the board and can help to better address the priorities they will be identifying in their strategic planning process over the coming months.

NHT formed as a result of Mission Health's sale to for-profit HCA. Under Mission's nonprofit ownership, hospitals like Angel Medical Center in Franklin had a foundation board to assist the hospital with financial support.  Those foundations have to find a new purpose since the hospitals will be for-profit entities. AmC's foundation decided to expand its mission to improving the health and wellness of people in the westernmost counties of the region — Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary.

During its inaugural year, the NHF has two priorities — understanding and identifying the issues that challenge communities and create health disparities and through a grassroots approach, creating a better understanding of the inner workings of existing nonprofits in the region, investing in their strategies through capacity building, and supporting their initiatives that address the root causes of the health inequalities in our six-county region.

Dogwood Health Trust, the new foundation receiving the proceeds from the Mission sale, is now positioned to begin awarding $50 million to $75 million in annual grants to nonprofits and government agencies in 2020 for health initiatives throughout the region once they figure out criteria and the application process. The foundation will also help get the former legacy foundations up and running by providing them each with $5 million upon the closing of HCA’s purchase of Mission hospitals.

The foundations will also receive $5 million at the end of year one of operations and one more $5 million installment at the end of year two. If $15 million wasn’t a big enough gesture, DHT will also support the salaries of these foundations’ executive directors for the first two years. 

For more information, visit www.nantahalahealthfoundation.org.