One of the questions the doctor always asks when I go for my annual Medicare Wellness checkup is, “Have you been falling recently?” — to which I always answer, “No.” And technically that’s not a lie. 

The “no” would have been true through and through in my younger years. I could walk a skinny branch in a gale. But now, a decade into Medicare, my balance has become “a diminished thing,” to borrow from Robert Frost, and I do fall from time to time.

Thursday, May 7 • 3pm-6pm

Ingles Markets — Oteen — 1141 Tunnel Road

Complimentary Samples (Limited Availability) 

Haywood Health Foundation announced its Annual Request For Proposals for Grants Pertaining to Unmet Healthcare Needs in Haywood County.

HHF’s grant program will provide grants to Haywood County non-profit organizations, government agencies and schools for healthcare initiatives, as well as educational and leadership programs related to improving healthcare in Haywood County. 

Ready to take control of your wellness? MountainWise offers the North Carolina Minority Diabetes Prevention Program to help you get ahead of type 2 diabetes. 

What’s the point of human existence if we’re not part of something bigger than ourselves? 

Our need for connection is rooted deep within our biology — as important as food, water and shelter. In fact, a 2023 report by the U.S. Surgeon General stated that the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and supersedes the negative impacts of obesity and physical inactivity. 

While our habits and hobbies outdoors may vary, it’s a point of pride for most in Western North Carolina that nature is never far out of reach. 

Cullowhee and Sylva host a wealth of recreation opportunities suited for enthusiasts and beginners alike and occupy some of the most biologically diverse wilderness in the United States. 

Western North Carolina has struggled for decades with a simple problem that produces complex consequences — not enough primary care providers practice in rural areas. Specialists often practice in urban areas, routine care gets delayed until an urgent problem arrives and options for patients are limited. The Mountain Area Health Education Center was created to address that gap, and continues to do so with a new facility in Cullowhee. 

Macon County will begin the consolidation of its county board of public health in January.

The vote to move forward with the consolidation came during the Nov. 13 board of commissioners meeting. In the months leading up to the vote, there was serious concern voiced by members of the community, as there were rumblings that commissioners intended to take over human relations and policy-setting operations for the crucial agency. 

Since Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, residents have learned countless lessons and encountered unforeseen circumstances, even long after the initially recovery phase began. 

To the Editor:

Thank you for including the article by SMN News Editor Kyle Perrotti, "COVID mounts late summer surge amid onset of flu season" in the Aug. 27 edition of The Smoky Mountain News. The article was-well written, factual, informative and encouraging.