Catawba County Health Partners; Substance Abuse; Access to Care;

Health Partners Celebrates its Successes at Annual Meeting

Catawba County Health Partners (CCHP) recently held their annual Spring meeting at Holiday Inn Select where Dr. Leah Devlin, state health director was the keynote speaker. Dr. Leah Devlin spoke about the health priorities across North Carolina and the importance of having Healthy Carolinian partnerships to address these concerns.

CCHP has grown rapidly and is focusing on three priority areas after conducting a community health assessment, studying data from the Catawba County Public Health Report Card, and analyzing the community’s input. The three areas identified for greater focus are: access to healthcare, childhood obesity, and substance abuse. Committees meet monthly to assess the needs, identify the gaps, and create solutions for each of these health areas.

“Good health among our people is a means for achieving a high quality of life and economic prosperity in our county,” said Dr. William Pekman, President of the Catawba County Health Partners Board. “This partnership represents all of the sectors and interests in Catawba County who, working together, will make community-wide health related improvements a reality.

Dr. Pekman has been President of the CCHP board since 2004 and is one of the founders of the partnership. His term is up in June 2006 and Dr. Tom Foster, a retired physician from Graystone Ophthalmology Association has been elected as the new President of CCHP. The 2006-2007 board members will include: Susan Witherspoon, Vice President; Gloria Hemphill, Secretary; Kevin McIntosh, Treasurer; Louise Ackerman, Linda Swift, and Rosemary King.

Two volunteer awards were given for outstanding achievement for addressing the health priorities in Catawba County. Sara Horvath a Newton Conover High School intern for CCHP received the Youth Excellence Volunteer Award of 2006. Dr. William Pekman of Hickory Orthopaedics and CCHP board president received the William Pekman Volunteer of the Year Award for 2006 for his dedication and service to the partnership.

Some of the accomplishments for CCHP include providing micro-grants for neighborhood associations, securing grant funds to provide nutrition and physical activity curriculums to local schools, and educating the community on the efforts that are addressing the health priorities. For more information on the committee work and achievements of CCHP call Christina McNally, Healthy Carolinians Coordinator at 695-5818.