Submitted by Center for Native Health
For many non-profit entities, building and expanding infrastructure, like hiring staff, can be a significant challenge due to a lack of resources. The Center for Native Health (CNH) has announced that thanks to support from Dogwood Health Trust, they will be able to strengthen their capacity as an organization through the hiring of a full-time staff member. The grant will provide for significant funding over three years to hire and retain a director of programming that will oversee all programs from logistical support to strategic planning and implementation.
Madison York Leatherwood, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been hired as the director of programming for the Center for Native Health. (Photo contributed)
Madison York Leatherwood, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been hired to this position. She graduated from Western Carolina University in May of 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Health Science and a concentration in healthcare management. She hopes to return to school to obtain her Master’s degree in Business Administration and bring her knowledge back to her community. As an EBCI tribal member, she seeks to be a positive influence and role model for upcoming youth and college students particularly in the Center’s flagship Medical Careers and Technology (MedCAT) program.
This grant furthers Dogwood Health Trust’s goal to support capacity building that will help improve the WNC nonprofit sector.
According to the Executive Director of the Center, Trey Adcock, Ph.D., “The capacity building funds from Dogwood Health Trust will significantly increase our ability to offer programs that positively impact Native communities and households throughout Western North Carolina. This is a significant development for us as an organization in building a sustainable future.”
The Center for Native Health 501(3)c was founded in 2009 with the vision of reducing health disparities for American Indian communities through the integration of community-based knowledge into all facets of Native healthcare & education. The Center’s work is organized into four general areas: Community, Education, Preservation, and Mentorship and includes partnerships with Wake Forest School of Medicine, Western Carolina University, UNC-CH Gillings School of Public Health, the National Center for Public Montessori in the Public Sector, The Kituwah Equestrian Program, Cherokee Choices, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Conserving Carolina, and the Public Health and Human Services Department of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
