Harris Regional Hospital hosted the “Healthy Horizons” summit today, gathering community leaders and partners to address health challenges in Jackson and Swain counties. This event is part of the hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) process, aiming to develop strategies for community health efforts over the next three years.
The summit took place on the hospital campus, bringing together stakeholders from across the region to review data from recent CHNA surveys conducted for both Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. The findings highlight critical areas such as chronic disease, access to care, mental health concerns, food insecurity, and other social determinants of health.
“Our goal with Healthy Horizons was to ensure that the voices of our communities were not only heard but that they help shape the direction of our implementation strategies moving forward,” said Ashley Hindman, CEO of Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. “By bringing together local leaders, we can align efforts and strengthen our impact across the region.”
Attendees included representatives from public health, local government, education, nonprofit organizations, and other essential community sectors. Through guided discussions and breakout sessions, participants identified priority focus areas and began exploring collaborative approaches to address them.
“This work is about more than identifying challenges; it’s about building solutions together,” Hindman added. “We’re proud to serve as a catalyst for this important dialogue and look forward to translating today’s conversations into measurable action.”
The CHNA process occurs every three years as part of the hospitals’ mission to make communities healthier. Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital continue their shared vision of being places where patients choose to come for care, providers want to practice, and employees want to work.
For more information on the CHNA process or reports, visit MyHarrisRegional.com or MySwainCommunity.com.
