Since 2021, BlueCross BlueShield of NC (BCBSNC) has been traveling the state on the Extra Miles Tour – a statewide listening tour with the goal of visiting all 100 counties in North Carolina. The Extra Miles Tour is an opportunity for BCBSNC leadership to engage in conversations with community members, nonprofit organizations, policymakers, and other leaders to develop collaborative partnerships that will benefit North Carolina residents.
During the tour, the BCBSNC team noticed the topic of affordable housing coming up at almost every stop. Through a connection with DHIC Board Chair, Tyler Craft, BCBSNC learned more about DHIC’s mission and decided that adding a tour stop at The Village at Washington Terrace seemed like a natural fit.
On November 2, 2023, DHIC Director of Enterprise Strategy & Development, Kayla Rosenberg Strampe and other team members from DHIC presented plans for the final phase of the Washington Terrace redevelopment to 17 members of the BCBSNC team.
Kayla explains, “As an organization, DHIC recognizes the importance of not just serving our residents through affordable housing, but also ensuring that we’re connecting them to opportunities that promote health and wellness. This overlaps with Blue Cross NC’s mission, and we look forward to creating new connections and finding new ways to serve our residents through this introduction.”
During the meeting, DHIC Manager of Resident Services, LaTonya Mckoy, also presented to the panel, sharing stories about the history of Washington Terrace and how it informed some of the residents’ services programming currently being done on the property, such as the community garden. This gave the BCBSNC team a unique look at the impact of affordable housing and how it affects almost every area of a resident’s life.
“The redevelopment of Washington Terrace could be a replicable model or creating thriving communities that provide a continuum of housing opportunities and access to health and wellness services. While DHIC’s focus is on affordable housing and they come at it from a health and wellness perspective, the end goal is the same. We all want to see North Carolina residents healthy and thriving. This was a great opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals whose goal is to improve the lives of people in their communities.” Kayla goes on to say.
After the success of this tour stop, there is another meeting on the books with BCBSNC to continue these discussions about future updates to the Washington Terrace campus, including the possibility of installing a federally qualified health clinic, through a partnership with Advance Community Health.