Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas

Access to healthy foods, a place to exercise, and a safe environment all contribute to health outcomes. We’re helping build strong communities and reduce the rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

About

Where we work or go to school, how we spend our free time, whether we have access to fresh food and whether we can exercise in a safe environment all determine our overall health and well-being. To improve the health of a community, we have to address these factors on the local level. The Duke Endowment launched its Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas initiative in 2015 to help communities in North Carolina and South Carolina address the root causes of chronic health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In South Carolina, the South Carolina Hospital Association partnered with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health to do this work.

Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas supports community coalitions in their efforts to improve population health through the collective impact model, and to enhance a community’s capacity to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs).

Did you know?

Two-thirds of South Carolina’s residents are overweight, and in rural communities, rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease outpace the national average. But it’s not all just a matter of genetics.

Communities Served

Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas is working with diverse coalitions within ten regions across South Carolina:

First Cohort began 2017

  • Fairfield Forward
  • LiveWell Greenville
  • LiveWell Kershaw
  • Northeastern Rural Health Network
  • Tri-County Health Network

Second Cohort began 2019

  • Eat Smart, Move More Barnwell County
  • Eat Smart, Move More Spartanburg County
  • Healthy Tri-County
  • Impact York County
  • LiveWell Georgetown County

Services Provided

SCORH provides technical assistance to help these community coalitions:

  • Build capacity
  • Improve evidence-based intervention implementation
  • Apply continuous quality improvement practices
  • Plan for sustainability
  • Translate data into communication messages that catalyze action
  • Onboard and develop HPHC coordinator staff

Program Contact

Darlene Lynch joined the South Carolina Office of Rural Health in 2017 as the director of the Community Health Transformation team.  In this role, Darlene provides technical assistance and supports local partner coordination for the Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas program funded by The Duke Endowment.

Contact Darlene

Meet our community team