On Wednesday, Oct. 28th, the Health Policy Research Consortium (HPRC) will meet all day at Leon Levine Hall. The meeting will convene researchers from App State, East Tennessee State University, Western Carolina University, UNC-Asheville, and WNC Health Network—along with the HPRC advisory board and leadership from Dogwood Health Trust.
The HPRC, funded by Dogwood Health Trust, has a mission to leverage research and evaluation resources, nurture capacity and innovation, and find creative solutions with community partners to inform policies that improve health outcomes for the people of Western North Carolina.
Ongoing research projects include:
- evaluating the impact of cash transfers after Helene
- understanding and addressing opioid misuse in Western North Carolina
- examining emergency department burden of mental health and substance misuse after Hurricane Helene
- conducting a community survey to determine caregiving disparities after Helene
- studying housing challenges in the post-Helene landscape
- surveying Helene volunteers about mental health impact
The App State team is led by Dr. Adam Hege, Dr. Martie Thompson and Jennifer Schroeder Tyson, and includes faculty scholars and fellows from across campus. For more information, contact Dr. Hege, associate dean for research and faculty development in the Beaver College of Health Sciences at hegeba@appstate.edu.