This month on the liaison committee...
Padma attended the Board of Health (BOH) meeting with Paul on 9/21/2026. She also
attended the Chronic Disease Action Team (CDAT) meeting. At the BOH meeting, Hope Coalition gave a presentation on the different forms of substance abuse. Our Public Health Department has been proactive in studying the prevalence and habits of substance abuse in the county youth. They concluded that there are unregulated substances with addictive and mind-altering properties readily available and marketed specifically to young people. The BOH made recommendations and will continue working collaboratively with schools, sheriff's department, and parents.
For more information: www.hendersoncountync.gov/health/page/behavioral-health-
resources or www.elementsofhope.org
At the Chronic Disease Action Team meeting they went over a program from earlier in
the summer which focused on programs, resources, and strategies that are currently
supporting chronic disease prevention and healthy living in Henderson County. They
also discussed what might be beneficial to add to the Community Health Improvement
Plan (CHIP), what data they may want to better understand, and several programs and initiatives of interest.
During the meeting someone from the YMCA shared information about several of their
initiatives that support the priorities discussed at the CDAT meeting. This was an
opportunity to learn more about what is already happening in our community, and also
to think about how existing programs, evidence-based strategies, community needs,
and measurable data can connect to CHIP work.
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Paul continues to attend the Henderson County Housing Coalition (HCHD) meetings.
He plans to ask how the two tax-related NC constitutional amendments may affect
affordable housing services, if they pass. He is one of the three leaders of PERSIST,
who took the first steps to plan and organize the upcoming No Kings 4 rally. Indivisible
HCNC, is now taking the lead on this event. He attended the recent City Council and
County Commissioners meetings to support the opposition to Flock surveillance
cameras.
Paul is also connected to Siembra, NC. Most recently they've held a Zoom call to
discuss was to support the Latina/Latino community in voting and voter protection. He's also working with the League of Women Voters Henderson County's Immigration
Committee to address immigrant protections and immigrants' rights issues.
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Betsy is staying connected with the younger (under 50) progressives in the area and
has been following and writing about the polypartisan/nonpartisan issue of Flock
surveillance cameras in our community as well as the County farmland preservation
bond. You can find Betsy's writings about various local events and issues at https://
themoreyouknowhendo.substack.com/.
Betsy also recently attended (as a concerned observer) and wrote about the One Year
Charlie Kirk Vigil, held on September 10th at the Hendersonville Historic Courthouse.
Betsy believes it's a priority to keep our communities informed about the rise of
Christian Nationalism.
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Chris was delighted to attend the rally-kickoff of campaigners for the County farmland
preservation bond, which would offer subsidies to farm and forest landowners wanting to forestall development on their property for commerce, industry, or any non-
agricultural use. Betsy will soon write more about this cross-partisan effort.
Chris attended an NAACP meeting when (many of) the members decided to vote early as a Souls to The Polls walk-in, to vote en masse on Oct. 19. Indivisible Henderson
County plans outreach to its members to encourage early voting, with rush hour
advocacy street presence around three entryways to Hendersonville.
