# HHS Board Meeting

**Body:** Buncombe County Government — HHS Board
**Date:** October 23, 2026 12:31 PM EDT (2026-10-23T12:31:41-04:00)

**Link:** https://sunshinemeetings.org/event/3277

## Summary

On October 23, 2026, the Buncombe County Health and Human Services (HHS) Board held its regular meeting. The session began with the approval of the current agenda and the minutes from September, both of which were approved without opposition. The board also introduced three new members: Dr. Carmen Robinson, Katrin Doyle, and Dr. Jennifer Farmer.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on updates regarding community safety and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Staff Development Manager Heather Ramsey reported that her team received national recognition for their economic services training, which is shared with 72 other North Carolina counties. In the Community Safety update, staff discussed foster care initiatives, including a successful kinship conference for approximately 75 families and a statewide shift to telemedicine for trauma-informed assessments. Additionally, the board reviewed the CASPER assessment, a door-to-door survey conducted in June 2025 to evaluate household needs six months after the hurricane. Dr. Elizabeth Lima emphasized that recovery is ongoing, stating, "Recovery doesn't end when things are rebuilt and the roads are back open," noting that households are still dealing with stressors six to nine months post-hurricane. Nathan Green, the Public Health Preparedness Coordinator, presented CASPER findings, highlighting that confusion over water safety drove some residents to switch to bottled water, and noting that clear, simple information is critical during recovery.

The Director’s Report addressed several operational and public health issues. David Sweat reported that North Carolina’s payment error rate is currently 6.9%, down from 7.67% the previous year, but still above the 6% threshold that triggers federal financial penalties. He also addressed the lack of state guidance on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Department of Social Services (DSS) programs, noting that vendors are soliciting counties for AI voice agents. Sweat stated, "The state has given counties absolutely no guardrails or guidance or instructions whatsoever about AI use... I can assure you that here in Buncombe County, we are not going to implement those sorts of solutions anytime soon without further guidance." Additionally, Sweat announced the first flu death in North Carolina for the season and encouraged residents to get vaccinated for flu, COVID, and RSV, stating that vaccination reduces the severity of illness and makes death less likely.

The board also discussed upcoming community events, including the "It’s My Transition" conference on November 14, which supports youth aging out of foster care, and a county-wide food drive scheduled for November 9–23, 2026, to support MANA Food Bank and community partners. Board members were asked to promote the food drive in their personal networks and encourage donations to MANA or library drop-off sites.

Regarding follow-up actions, Nathan Green agreed to send the detailed CASPER presentation to Krista, who will share it with the board. Krista also committed to sending a link to the SharePoint site where previous meeting recordings are located to ensure new board members have access. The Vice Chair announced that the next meeting will be held on Friday, November 13, 2026, due to Thanksgiving. There were no public comments from residents during this meeting.

## Video & Transcript

- Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVHSvNlIwM4
- Transcript: https://sunshinemeetings.org/transcript/2182/segments

## Sources

- [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVHSvNlIwM4)