The WNC Health Policy Initiative (HPI) Podcast

In Episode 5 of the WNC Health Policy Initiative Podcast, we continue our deep dive into language access in Western North Carolina.
We're joined by Buncombe County’s Language Access Coordinator, the Health Access Programs Manager at the WIN Interpreter Network, and a co‑founder of the Cenzontle Language Justice Cooperative to explore what language access actually looks like in WNC — who’s affected, what’s working well, and where barriers persist in healthcare settings.
This second installment of the language access series shows how communication challenges intersect with health outcomes and the ongoing efforts to improve services for multilingual and limited‑English‑proficiency communities, especially with the support of Community Health Workers! 

In Episode 4 of the podcast, we kick off a multi‑part series on language access in health care — a critical yet often overlooked factor in health equity in Western North Carolina. We speak with regional experts, including Buncombe County’s Language Access Coordinator, the Health Access Programs Manager from the WIN Interpreter Network, and a co‑founder of the Cenzontle Language Justice Cooperative.
Together they unpack why language access matters for patient safety, legal rights, quality care, and communication across the health system. From spoken languages to American Sign Language and literacy barriers, this episode lays the foundation for understanding how language intersects with health outcomes in WNC.

In Episode 3 of the WNC Health Policy Initiative Podcast, we sit down with Rita Sneider‑Cotter, Executive Director of OurVOICE, to explore the complex intersection of sexual violence and human trafficking in Western North Carolina.
We discuss how social determinants like housing, transportation, and substance use shape risk and vulnerability, what trafficking looks like in rural communities, and strategies for prevention, support, and survivor‑centered care.
This episode highlights the importance of community education, coordinated responses, and trauma‑informed services as part of a broader public health approach to these critical issues.

In Episode 2 of the WNC Health Policy Initiative Podcast, we talk with Marianne Weant and Alecia Sanders of the North Carolina Alliance for Health about the School Meals for ALL NC campaign — a policy effort to expand access to free, nutritious school meals across North Carolina.
They discuss how food insecurity affects children’s health and educational success, why school meals are a critical social driver of health, and the challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition and equity in Western North Carolina and beyond.
Listeners learn about school meal access, what lessons were learned from recent federal policy changes, and how this strategy fits into broader efforts to strengthen community health.

In our very first episode, we sit down with Region 1 Perinatal Nurse Champion Katlyn Moss (BSN, RN) to explore healthcare access and the challenges and opportunities around maternal, infant, and child health in Western North Carolina. From the realities of “maternal healthcare deserts” and transportation barriers to hospital closures and care continuity, we dig into how access to prenatal, birth, and postpartum care affects real families across the region.
Tune in to learn what collaborative efforts, community strengths, and policy ideas are emerging to improve outcomes for moms, babies, and children in WNC.
Learn about Workforce Development Opportunities for perinatal providers with Katlyn's Podcast, Just Us: Before Birth & Beyond