Western North Carolina Community Health Services

09/03/2026

NC Medicaid rules are changing. Some changes affect people who are not U.S. citizens. Some affect adults ages 19 through 64. You may need to act now to keep your Medicaid. Find out what applies to you and what to do next: medicaid.nc.gov/changes

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Las reglas de NC Medicaid están cambiando. Algunos cambios afectan a personas que no son ciudadanas estadounidenses. Algunos cambios afectan a adultos entre 19 y 64 años de edad. Tal vez debas actuar ahora para conservar tu cobertura de Medicaid. Aprende qué cambios te aplican y qué debes hacer: medicaid.nc.gov/cambios

09/02/2026

WNCCHS has opened Dental on Livingston, a new dental site created in collaboration with Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry, to expand access to urgent dental care in Buncombe County.

Located within ABCCM’s Medical Ministry Clinic at 155 Livingston St. in Asheville, Dental on Livingston began seeing patients Aug. 25. The WNCCHS dental team will provide urgent dental care three days a week at the new site.

On Sept. 1, WNCCHS marked the opening with a ribbon cutting attended by representatives from both organizations, as well as board members, leadership and staff.

“Access to affordable dental care is one of the greatest unmet needs in western North Carolina,” said Anita Case, CEO of WNCCHS. “Oral health is critical to overall health and well-being. Through collaboration and creative partnerships, the safety net community can address barriers to care, expand access to care and create a healthy and thriving western North Carolina.”

The site was made possible through a multiyear $667,673 grant from The Leon Levine Foundation. WNCCHS expects to provide an additional 1,040 urgent dental visits during the first year of the project and 1,440 in the second year.

Care at Dental on Livingston will focus primarily on extractions and other urgent dental needs, with the goal of connecting patients to ongoing, comprehensive dental care at Minnie Jones Health Center in Asheville.

WNCCHS is a nonprofit community health center that provides medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and supportive services across western North Carolina.

Visit wncchs.org for more information.

08/26/2026

WNCCHS McDowell Health Center had a great time at the 5th Annual Back to School Bash in Marion last week.

Our team joined local organizations and community partners at West Marion Community Park on August 20 to connect with families, share information about WNCCHS services and help celebrate the start of a new school year.

Thank you to MATCH, West Marion Inc. and everyone who helped bring the community together to provide backpacks, school supplies, food, activities and other resources for McDowell County kids and families. We were glad to be part of it!

08/22/2026

We’re proud to share some exciting news about the quality of care at WNCCHS!

WNCCHS has earned two 2026 Community Health Quality Recognition badges from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), recognizing our performance based on 2025 data:

🥈 Silver Health Center Quality Leader: placing WNCCHS among the top 11–20% of health centers nationwide for overall clinical quality performance.

💻 Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality: recognizing our use of technology to support high-quality care, including telehealth, electronic exchange of clinical information, patient engagement and collection of data on patients’ health-related needs.

These national recognitions reflect the work happening across WNCCHS every day to provide high-quality, coordinated and patient-centered care to our community.

Congratulations to our entire team for making this achievement possible!

08/21/2026

WNCCHS is hiring an Integrated Behavioral Health Therapist to join our team in Asheville, NC.

In this role, you’ll provide evidence-based therapy and crisis support within a fully integrated, team-based primary care setting — working alongside medical, nursing, and care management teams to support whole-person care.

Learn More: https://recruitingbypaycor.com/career/CareerHome.action?clientId=8a7883d0843a56f501845879ab4f0ef7

08/20/2026

WNCCHS has once again been recognized as a Patient-Centered Medical Home!

This recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) reflects our continued commitment to putting patients at the center of their care— coordinating services across care teams, supporting patients with complex health and socio-economic needs, and continually working to improve the quality of care we provide.

Earning PCMH recognition requires strong systems, teamwork and a commitment to continuous quality improvement. We’re proud of our staff across WNCCHS whose work every day makes this recognition possible and helps our patients access coordinated, whole-person care.

08/18/2026

Earlier this month, a few WNCCHS team-members traveled to Washington, D.C., for the 2026 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment.

Hosted by HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau, the biennial conference brings together Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program providers and partners from across the country to share best practices, learn from one another and strengthen access to high-quality HIV care.

We were especially proud to see WNCCHS represented among the conference speakers! Sierra Forest, our Region One Ryan White Administrator/Program Director, joined national partners for a session focused on strategies for linking and reengaging people with HIV who are newly diagnosed or out of care. Sierra shared WNCCHS’s experience as part of a national quality improvement collaborative working to improve linkage to and retention in HIV care.

We’re grateful for opportunities to learn from colleagues across the country -- and proud to have WNCCHS contributing to the conversation.

08/15/2026

Last week, WNCCHS joined Community Health Centers across the country in celebrating National Health Center Week 2026.

Throughout the week, we welcomed state legislators and community partners, learned together, celebrated our staff, recognized our patients, and highlighted the relationships that help make whole-person care possible across Western North Carolina.

This year’s theme, “Building Innovative Care Where It Matters Most,” was a fitting reminder that innovation in community health isn’t always about something new or high-tech. Often, it means listening closely, responding to changing needs, building stronger partnerships, and finding practical ways to make care more accessible.

Take a take a look back at the full week — and the patients, staff, partners and supporters who made it special: https://www.wncchs.org/blog/nhcw-2026

Celebrating the patients, staff and partners at the heart of community health.