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

October 1, 2026 · A full house

Where ruralhealth cametogether.

Rural health leaders from across Western North Carolina filled the room at Deerwoode Reserve for a day of connection, collaboration, and shared learning—with the Rural Health Field Simulator at the center. Thank you to everyone who came, listened, and left with new people to call.

Date
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Attendance
A full house
Place
Deerwoode Reserve · Brevard, NC
See photos from the dayMeet 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 HealthFirst Citizens BankHendersonville Pediatrics
AdventHealthUnitedHealthcareComporium
In partnership with

From the day · October 1, 2026

Every door, every handoff—and the people at each one.

A full house at Deerwoode Reserve, mapped the way the simulator maps a rural health system: the regional briefing at the center, and the connections that formed around it. Hover a point to trace its route; select it to read the plate.Tap a point to read its plate; drag the map sideways to explore.

Connection map · October 1, 202627 plates · one full house

With thanks to our sponsors

The partners who held the day up.

A flight over Deerwoode Reserve, the convening’s home for the day, with each sponsor who made it possible. See every sponsor and partner

Deerwoode Reserve · Brevard, NCSponsor flyover

One day. A stronger rural health network.

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

  • Two attendees in conversation across a round table in the event hall, one leaning in to listen.

    Connected across roles

    Relationships that bridge organizations and communities, started at the same table.

  • A small group gathers around a tablet as one participant points to the screen while working through the Rural Health Field Simulator.

    Walked the system

    Rural health access, explored together through the Field Simulator.

  • A hand-lettered “Connection to Action Cards” sign above rows of filled-in cards taped to a window, with the gravel patio and Adirondack chairs outside.

    Carrying insight forward

    Through the Connection to Action cards, 30 new collaborative groups formed, each moving toward better access and care for rural communities.

The 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 stepped into it together. The day brought 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.

Seen from the back of the hall, a full room at round tables faces a speaker at the podium beneath wagon-wheel chandeliers.
The program, from the back of a full hall.

What the day held

  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.

A full house, and a room full of new connections.

Healthcare providers, nonprofits, public and behavioral health professionals, funders, government partners, and community leaders filled every seat—and spent the day meeting the people on the other side of the handoffs they navigate every week. Those connections are what the convening was built for, and they are where the work goes next.

Date
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Time
8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Location
Deerwoode Reserve395 Riversedge Rd, Brevard, NC
Attendance
A full houseCare, community, philanthropy, and government in one room

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.

The simulator now continues as a SparkPoint program for facilitated learning, partnership-building, and rural health systems insight.

Bring the simulator to your organization

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. Thank you to every sponsor and partner who made the day possible.

Summit sponsors

UNC Health PardeeTransylvania Regional Hospital

UNC Health Pardee and Transylvania Regional Hospital were 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

Come back and spend more time in Transylvania County. Plan your visit with Explore Brevard

With Foothills support from

Dogwood Health TrustVaya HealthFirst Citizens BankHendersonville Pediatrics

With Friends support from

AdventHealthUnitedHealthcareComporium

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.

Attendees gather under a SparkPoint tent whose banner reads “Every connection makes us stronger,” with the mountains behind them.

Thank you for filling the room.

The connections made on October 1 are where the work continues. Stay close for what comes next for rural health in Western North Carolina.

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