Our Mission: Ensuring communities have access to the care and resources they need to be healthy.

Our Vision: Communities working together for the well-being of everyone.

More about CareReach here.

Dear CareReach Supporters,  



As I reflect on 2025 and ring in the holiday season with gratitude and the spirit of giving, I remain incredibly inspired and motivated to share the story of our work with you, especially now as we approach the end of the year. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve western North Carolina across 5 primary programs this year that include: McDowell Access to Care and Health, Toe River Project Access, McDowell Impact, Hepatitis C Bridge Counseling, and the Hot Springs Health Program (more information below!). 

It is clear to me that when we meet individuals in the community and serve them with compassion in collaboration with our wonderful partners, funders, and donors, we are making a difference that goes beyond the initial reward of what we see when we are providing a direct service.  I have been humbled by this awareness, as the significant long-term impact of our work on the lives of those we serve can be challenging to quantify and yet deeply felt! From financial savings to access to resources, transportation, and patient advocacy, the influence of our services and the care of our team helps shape the everyday quality of life for our neighbors.  

While we have this moment in time with our clients and consumers -insurance and bridge counseling services, peer support, outreach programs, and other offerings - the lasting impact reaches wide and far, going with them as they get back to their lives at home, at work, and in their communities. Just like the "magic" of the holidays, we believe in this priceless, ongoing, and often unseen result as part of the bigger picture of the value of care received by those we have the privilege to work alongside. 

Akin to the simple meaning of an orange as a holiday gift (good health, practicality, sharing, and appreciating the simple things as a luxury), CareReach and its partners center our work around health and well-being with the understanding that together with neighbors like YOU, we can make a big difference in the lives of those we serve in programs that provide support, access, and recovery resources throughout our region. 

We could not give the gifts of health to our communities without you! We wish you and yours the same dignity, respect, and compassion we aim to bring through our work – and the happiest of holidays, no matter how you celebrate and honor the traditions of generosity and selflessness! Thank you for believing in our mission! 

Many thanks,

CareReach stewards its resources across a variety of health and safety net programs. Every gift given throughout the year provides support, access, and recovery resources across programs. We have the honor of serving Avery, Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, and Yancey counties - meeting people where they are and connecting them to the care they need, supporting healthier communities throughout the region.

Here are a few highlights from our programs:

• CareReach was named an official Recovery Friendly Workplace through the Foothills Recovery and Employment Ecosystem (FREE) program. RFW certified employers receive training to better support employees in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), strengthening the individual's recovery and helping the employer maintain a productive workforce.

• Through the McDowell Impact Peer Support Service Program, Julie worked with an unhoused individual, or "peer", facing challenges with their mental health and substance use disorder. Julie located an apartment for her peer and coordinated community resources to furnish the space. Since doing this, the team has provided ongoing support that includes connecting the client to behavioral health support for medication adjustments and overall stabilization.

• Through Toe River Project Access (TRPA), Miki recently worked with a client who was on Medicare and paying over $1500 a year out-of-pocket for his medications. After reviewing his options, we helped him enroll in a plan that covers all of his medications for just $749 a year - more than half the cost he was paying before! This is just one of many big wins for this program this year, for people of all income levels faced with the daunting task of ensuring they have the best (personalized/unbiased) Medicare option for them.

• In the McDowell Access to Care & Health (MATCH) program, Amy and team have been walking alongside a neighbor who lost her car during Hurricane Helene and has been facing several medical and storm-related challenges. With transportation quickly becoming one of her biggest barriers to keeping doctor's appointments, picking up medications, and taking care of daily needs, we acted to connect her to a vehicle. Through our partnership with the McDowell County Community Care Paramedic Program and a generous donation from Divine Disaster Relief, she received the donated car this month! For many in our community, reliable transportation isn't a luxury...it's a lifeline to stability, health and independence.

• As part of the Hepatitis C Bridge Counseling program in Buncombe County, Christine has been working with the Buncombe County Detention Center to bring hep C treatment appointments in-house for detainees. Of the 80 cases we have managed thus far, 42 have already received confirmations of a cure with more on the way! The setting for this work is cutting-edge and is made possible through partnerships with the detention center, WNCAP, Appalachian Mountain Health, and MAHEC.

• Through the Hot Springs Health Program, Community Health Worker, Jacque, helped the daughter of a woman who had been out of work for six months due to a life-threatening illness. Through the coordination of resources, the family gained access to healthy food through a collaborative food box program and received financial support for grocery needs from the program. Jacque continues to provide transportation services for doctor's appointments and utilizes local resources and partners to support all of their patients! The most vital beginning to successful support begins with trust.



Thank you again to CareReach staff and supporters.

You certainly do give us a reason to believe!