The North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness is owned and operated out of the University of North Carolina – Asheville. The Center is a leader in the state for promoting healthy living for all North Carolinians and the prevention of chronic health conditions. 

General About the Organization/Mission

The NC Center for Health and Wellness acts as a resource for health and wellness professionals and community stakeholders across the state, by organizing and supporting interdisciplinary research, promoting best practices in preventive health and wellness, and assessing community-based programs that focus on critical wellness issues. As a part of UNCA, the Center strives to align their work with the University’s academic program and encourages innovative collaborations throughout the entire state. 

Basic Info

Issues of Focus

The Center dedicates its principal efforts on North Carolina’s three most critical health concerns:

• Healthy weight for children, youth, and young adults
• Workplace wellness
• Healthy aging   

History of Organization

The University of North Carolina – Asheville joined the University of North Carolina system in 1969 and is designated as the only liberal arts institution within the UNC system. The University provides many different programs and organizations, including the NC Center for Health and Wellness, which benefit Asheville and the entire state. 

Programs and Projects 

Teaching Kitchen: UNC Asheville’s campus provides access to the Center’s Teaching Kitchen. The Teaching Kitchen offers hands-on, experiential education and learning opportunities to practice healthy eating.  The Teaching Kitchen has six goals (from the Center’s website):

1. To engage UNC Asheville students, other campus community members and area adults and children in opportunities to learn about, cook, taste and share health-supporting, sustainably-produced food.
2. To educate about the culinary and other skills needed for planning, preparing, serving, and evaluating customer response to healthy meals.
3. To provide a laboratory for faculty-driven research, and opportunities for undergraduate research, engaged service-learning, and internships in nutrition, urban gardening, and health promotion.
4. To use culinary education as a part of a strategy to improve food security, employment opportunities, and simultaneously improve health for at underserved individuals and communities.
5. To (re-)connect a positive food experience with the growing of local, whole, and more sustainably produced food.
6. To demonstrate viability of hands-on experience with healthy food preparation and tasting for improving eating habits and working towards a more just, sustainable food system.

 To learn more about the Teaching Kitchen, click here. https://ncchw.unca.edu/teaching-kitchen

Workplace Wellness at UNC Asheville: In collaboration with the Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of Human Resources, the Center hosts UNC Asheville’s Workplace Wellness Program. The program is guided by an online, point system for managing personal health and wellness. Enrollment into the program happens quarterly, click here to learn more and join! Additionally, the program offers health coaches, for a more personal health and wellness management system.

For Health & Wellness Providers: The Center strives to provide connections and information sharing between community-based health and wellness providers and organizations and the academic departments at UNCA. The University recently joined some of the larger universities across the state in the Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina University Collaboration. The group works to increase their impact by sharing resources and knowledge and partnering on grant proposals and research studies.

For Policy Makers: With the amount of interdisciplinary research happening, the Center has become a key facilitator in the collection and distribution of significant data that identifies best practices and informs state policy relating to health and wellness. The Eat Smart, Move More NC University Collaboration also has a program, which focuses on current policy issues and advocacy efforts. 

Partners and Frequent Collaborators

• The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
• YMCA of Western North Carolina
• Pioneering Healthier Communities
• Girls on the Run WNC
• Buncombe County Department of Health
• Appalachian Sustainable Development Project
• The City of Asheville
• Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council

For the complete list of partners, click here. 

Future Developments for This Wiki

• Research partnership between Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council, Bountiful Cities, and CHIP