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2026 WNC Regional Rural Health Convening
October 1, 2026Deerwoode ReserveBrevard, North Carolina

Where ruralhealth comestogether.

Join rural health leaders from across Western North Carolina for a day of connection, collaboration, and shared learning—with the Rural Health Field Simulator at the center.

Date
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Time
8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Place
Deerwoode Reserve · Brevard, NC
Register nowMeet the simulator
System map · not to scaleDistance here is burden, not miles
The Rural Health Field Simulator connection map, showing trusted doors, waiting gaps, warm handoffs, crisis points, and the Resilience Hub connected across a rural health system.
The Connection Map makes the invisible network visible: every door, every delay, and the route a family actually travels.
Presented by
UNC Health PardeeTransylvania Regional Hospital
Pisgah Health Foundation
Transylvania TDA
Dogwood Health TrustVaya Health
In partnership with

One day. A stronger rural health network.

The convening brings together people working across care, community, philanthropy, and government to see the system together and strengthen the relationships that help rural communities thrive.

Connect across rolesBuild relationships that bridge organizations and communities.

Walk the systemExplore rural health access through the Field Simulator.

Carry insight forwardLeave with clearer connections and practical next steps.

What to expect · October 1 program

A historic moment for rural health in North Carolina.

North Carolina’s rural health community is calling this a historic moment—and on October 1, Western North Carolina steps into it together. The day brings a statewide briefing from NCDHHS, a special regional update on NC ROOTS, a first look at how story collection is helping us understand and connect our community, and the participatory Rural Health Field Simulator.

What you’ll experience

  1. Rural Health Briefing

    A short statewide update from Maggie Sauer, NC Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Rural Health.

  2. Special Regional Update

    Laurie Stradley, CEO of Impact Health, on the NC Rural Health Transformation Program (NC ROOTS) and what it means for Region 1.

  3. Story Collection: Listening to Build Connection

    How SparkPoint uses story collection to understand our community and strengthen the connections between us.

  4. Rural Health Field Simulator

    Step into the system rural families navigate every day—see it, walk it, and talk through what you find.

Gather with the people building rural health from the ground up.

A day for healthcare providers, nonprofits, public and behavioral health professionals, funders, government partners, and community leaders to connect, collaborate, and learn together.

Date
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Time
8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location
Deerwoode Reserve395 Riversedge Rd, Brevard, NC
Registration
$65 Standard Rate or $40 Impact Health-Supported Inclusive Rate
Included
Light breakfast and full lunch

The room becomes the rural health system.

The Rural Health Field Simulator puts participants in the path of fictional composite families navigating real access barriers—time, transportation, paperwork, cost, trust, and the distance between one door and the next.

The Rural Health Field Simulator trailhead screen, where participants can begin a live simulation or enter demo mode.
01 · Enter the systemBegin with a family, a need, and the first choice on the path.
A simulator journey screen directing a fictional household to a trusted first door at the county schools.
02 · Walk the pathMake each handoff and feel what distance, delay, and trust change.
The simulator results screen showing the combined cost, time, work hours, care delays, and human outcomes across completed journeys.
03 · See the systemBring every journey together to reveal the burdens and connections no single organization can see alone.

  1. Carry the story

    Step into a fictional family’s circumstances and make the choices they face.

  2. Walk the system

    Move through the doors, delays, and handoffs that shape whether care is reached.

  3. Read the map together

    See what each journey reveals about burden, trust, and the connections a stronger system needs.

Connection isn’t a nice-to-have.It’s infrastructure.

Built for this convening. Designed to keep learning.

After October 1, the simulator will continue as a SparkPoint program for facilitated learning, partnership-building, and rural health systems insight.

Explore the simulator at the convening

A convening built through partnership.

Rural health changes when the people closest to the work can see the system together, learn across roles, and leave with stronger connections.

Summit sponsors

UNC Health PardeeTransylvania Regional Hospital

UNC Health Pardee and Transylvania Regional Hospital are Summit sponsors of the 2026 WNC Regional Rural Health Convening, providing lead support for a day of connection and shared learning.

With Ridgeline support from

Pisgah Health Foundation

With Highlands support from

Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority

Make a little more of your time in Transylvania County. Plan your visit with Explore Brevard

With Foothills support from

Dogwood Health TrustVaya Health

Hosted in partnership by

Hosted by SparkPoint in partnership with the North Carolina Rural Health Association, a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation.

Join us on October 1.

Come ready to listen, share, and see the rural health system from a new point of view.

Register now