Gillings students help with Helene recovery

Students in a joint UNC Asheville/UNC-Chapel Hill Master of Public Health program are contributing to Helene recovery efforts in Buncombe, Henderson and Yancey counties. While classes at Asheville’s Mountain Area Health Education Center campus were paused or online, many of the UNC Asheville-UNC Gillings Master of Public Health program students incorporated relief work into their full-time jobs. Others volunteered.

The joint program, which combines the resources of top-ranked UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the liberal arts expertise of UNC Asheville, allows students to gain practical experience alongside health professionals and prepare for public health leadership roles.

Thanks to their classes, graduate students in the joint program knew the importance of understanding what people need and using real-time information, said Sarah Thach, program co-director and assistant professor at Gillings.

“Rapid assessment is something we talk about,” said Thach. “Listening to community members and hearing what the needs are. Not coming in assuming that you know what the needs are but, instead, drawing on local expertise.”

One of the helpers was Fabian Moreno, a first-year student in the joint program and a licensed clinical medical health counselor, who worked at a Buncombe County emergency shelter. The 250 people sheltered there included families who lost homes in flooding or mudslides and individuals with substance use disorders.

Using what they learned in class, Moreno provided mental health first aid and advocated for clients with recovery agencies. Moreno and another counselor worked with agency representatives to make substance use counseling available to those in the shelter.

“We emphasize from Day 1 the importance of listening and learning from communities and engaging with local residents to together create more just systems and promote health. I’ve been so impressed with our students’ work throughout Helene recovery and the myriad of ways they’ve enacted those principles,” Thach said.

Their work is especially impressive considering that several students in the joint program faced their own hurricane-related challenges. The public health school set up an emergency fund for students facing financial hardship because of losing their homes, jobs, cars and possessions. As of early December, donors had raised more than $3,000 for housing, transportation, supplies and more.

These public health students also contributed to Helene recovery efforts:

• Megan Burnette, employed at the Henderson County public health department, managed an emergency shelter and arranged hot meals.
• Albert Chow helped evacuate UNC Asheville students.
• Former preschool teacher Kennedy Coventry interacted with local children to give overwhelmed parents a break.
• Odele Liff volunteered with World Central Kitchen, supplying hot meals and showers.
• Nikita “Niki” Maness’ church in Yancey County’s South Toe community organized the rebuilding of a washed-out road. Through her cooperative extension job, she supported the health department’s checking of wells and septic systems and worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help people prepare for the winter.
• Elliot Patterson helped develop first aid stations and coordinated supply drop-offs to at-risk people. He will work with UNC Gillings faculty to conduct soil and water testing and examine possible symptoms from exposure to flooding dust.
• Pharmacy technician Imani Saya staffed one of the first area pharmacies to reopen.
• Christos Tsakalos cleaned debris and cleared trees with a chainsaw. He, Andrew Rainey, Meade Inglis-Jenson and others bought supplies in from Charlotte for distribution in their communities.
• Inglis-Jenson, Jimmy Mullen and Thach volunteered at a Yancey County food distribution center and delivered food to families.

The program will continue to support ongoing relief efforts and will place students with recovery organizations to help operations and look for research opportunities.