Behavioral Health The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing behavioral health issues, significantly impacting the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of individuals and families, notably children and adolescents. Through our Healthier Together initiative, we have grown a network of grassroots and nonprofit organizations that have become essential in connecting communities to healthcare resources. NC Counts Coalition is building an initiative that prepares our member organizations to be community resources to address behavioral health challenges among BIPOC and LGBTQ+ children, adolescents and adults.
HealthLit 4 Wake Our Health Lit4Wake initiative is a partnership between Wake County Human Services (WCHS) and NC Counts to advance health literacy to enhance equitable community responses to COVID-19 in 35 census tracts in urban areas throughout Wake County. In line with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s (ODPHP) Healthy People 2030, WCHS and NC Counts are leading a coalition of diverse organizations, government agencies and individuals to: advance health literacy among racial and ethnic minorities, and other socially vulnerable groups most impacted by COVID-19; expand complimentary services to address social determinants of health; and utilize data for decision making.
As a young and growing nonprofit organization, operating multiple initiatives across North Carolina, we face decisions about which initiatives to add or expand, which to improve, and which to scale back or potentially exit. We also grapple with empowering employees to develop new initiatives. The right type of growth is critical for ensuring mission focus and community needs. While we need systems that provide guidance on expanding our programs, we are not interested in being confined to a single issue area, as community needs are diverse and cannot be neatly categorized. We are focused on building an infrastructure invested in genuine, transformative relationships with our communities, and that comes from earning trust and being responsive to community needs.
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