Buncombe County: One Path Toward a Resilient Community

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Translational Science
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Growing national recognition of social determinants of health (SDOH) impact on population well-being.
• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) identified as a significant public health challenge.
• Need for innovative approaches to address long-standing health disparities.

Discussion:

• Cross-sector collaboration in Western North Carolina initiated in 2010.
• Exploration of factors contributing to the success of this collaborative initiative.
• Analysis of unexpected positive outcomes stemming from the project.

Key Insights:

• Collaborative efforts can yield significant, unforeseen benefits in public health.
• Addressing ACEs requires multi-faceted, community-wide strategies.
• The intersection of translational science and social change is vital for tackling complex health issues.

Outlook:

• Identifying essential future work to sustain and expand upon successful interventions.
• Recommendations for scaling collaborative models to other regions.
• Leveraging advances in science for effective SDOH interventions.