About Community Health Council of Rutherford County
The Community Health Council of Rutherford County provides the structure for the leadership of major organizations to work effectively together to address Rutherford County’s key health concerns. The Council serves as a catalyst to improve the health of residents by fostering collaborations between agencies to identify key needs and then develop, launch, and maintain projects that resolve Rutherford County health issues. The Council membership of 35 community leaders meets monthly as a whole. Council members include representatives from health care, non-profit organizations, social services, the school system, law enforcement, and all facets of health.
The structure for the Council includes an Executive Committee, an Active Living Committee, a Cancer Services Committee, a Substance Use Committee, a Healthy Eating Committee, and ad hoc committees that are developing plans to address opioid mis-use and transition from substance abuse to recovery. Jill W. Miracle serves as the part-time Executive Director, and Joannie Jolley serves as the Council’s facilitator.
The Community Health Council was incorporated in March of 2000. Since the beginning, the Health Council has worked on projects such as tobacco prevention among middle and high school students. The Council helped to establish the Community Clinic, which is now known as Blue Ridge Health in Spindale. The Cancer Resource Center in Forest City began during Health Council meetings. Safe Kids of Rutherford County began as a Health Council project, and work was done to establish a senior pharmacy and a program to conduct free sports physicals for area middle and high schools. In recent years, the Council has organized and hosted Healthy Kids Night with the Forest City Owls and Walk with a Doc and helped support the 5-2-1 Almost None program to teach elementary students about making good food and physical activity choices.
Contact the Executive Director for the Community Health Council online or at 828-202-4630. We receive mail at 288 S. Ridgecrest Avenue, Rutherfordton, NC 28139.
