WINSTON-SALEM, NC (MARCH 4, 2024)—A new initiative called We Heal Together Winston-Salem will host a celebration of community collaboration and change efforts on Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. at St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, located at 5000 Noble Street in Winston-Salem. St. Stephen will serve as the initiative’s headquarters for the next four years. The event is free and open to the public and will include a panel discussion, a community conversation, networking opportunities and an evening meal. Advance registration is required by going to bit.ly/whtkickoff.

This celebration will focus on the initiative’s work to build upon the already existing assets of the East Winston-Salem community, further enhancing efforts to create and sustain trauma-resilience in the community. Panelists for the March 7 event include Michael Banner from the Peoples’ Research Council, Adam Hill from Forsyth Futures, and Sharlee Hainesworth from Action4Equity. The panel will be moderated by Micha James, Director of the We Heal Together Winston-Salem Initiative, from the Crossnore’s Center for Trauma Resilient Communities.

We Heal Together Winston-Salem is a four-year collaborative community partnership between Action4Equity, Crossnore’s Center for Trauma Resilient Communities, and Forsyth Futures. Funding for the We Heal Together Winston-Salem initiative was awarded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) program. ReCAST is a national, federally funded project through the Center for Mental Health Services. The ReCAST program aims to assist youth and families in promoting resilience and equity in communities through the lens of prevention, community youth engagement, and linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. We Heal Together Winston-Salem is one of only seven grantees awarded this national grant in fiscal year 2024.

We Heal Together is an exciting new initiative that will demonstrate that progress can be achieved in our community when we all work together collectively toward a common goal,” James said. “I believe the resilience framework that we’re working together to create and implement will make great strides toward mitigating the impact of trauma and violence that continues to be present in the East Winston community.”

We Heal Together will address the needs specifically in East Winston-Salem and co-create a community-centered approach through the following goals:

• Increase participation of East Winston residents and stakeholders in community-based research to identify the community’s needs and resources.
• Enhance trauma-informed systems of care through implementation of the Trauma Resilient Communities framework with eight Backbone Agencies serving East Winston.
• Reduce high-risk behaviors and increase protective factors for East Winston-Salem youth exposed to adversity and trauma by implementing a comprehensive mentoring strategy.
• Increase first responders’ and youth-involved workers’ knowledge of youth mental health risk factors through training to improve their outreach and interactions with East Winston youth.
• Increase the capacity of mental health and health practitioners working in East Winston to incorporate trauma-informed care approaches into their youth and family services.
• Evaluate the impact of the initiative.

Questions about We Heal Together or the March 7 event should go to ctrc@crossnore.org. Initiative Background The We Heal Together Winston-Salem initiative is part of a community-wide effort to build a trauma-informed Winston-Salem. This work supports individuals, organizations and communities as they recognize the long-term wounds of adversity and trauma. This is achieved through community partnership striving to create