Source:  CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS, 10/7/21

What are some of the overarching issues that affect North Carolina's rural communities and inhibit their growth and economic futures? 
• Lack of broadband in rural areas: Roughly 500,000 people in North Carolina are living with unreliable or no high-speed internet access.
• Rural health disparities that are deeply rooted in economic, social, racial, ethnic, geographic, and health workforce factors.
• Alchohol and drug abuse
• Shrinking economies due to the collapse of the tobacco, textile and furniture industries
• Lack of educational opportunities (rural populations have fewer college degrees)

How are communities coping with these inequities and who is doing the heavy lifting? Join us for an eye-opening -- and hopeful -- look at what's being done and what needs to be done to lift up North Carolina's rural communities.

This exciting panel includes (subject to change with additional panelists to come):

For more information, click here.