Rural aid
Pender County is one of the largest counties in North Carolina yet it is lacking in essential services that would foster resident wellness. Its rural conditions make healthcare access and community place making difficult and its coastal floodplain conditions put most of the county at risk for hurricanes and flooding disasters. The distance and isolation in these rural areas has allowed mental health to be a priority issue that continues to grow. Western Pender County would benefit from a preventative healthcare and therapeutic mental health center that utilizes community support and integrates trust and connection into rural healthcare. This facility would have the capacity to adapt and act as a disaster response hub for first responders and civilians. The proposed Atkinson Wellness Center utilizes the trust that resides in the fire department and creates a shared space for community as well as a space for destigmatized, preventative focused mental wellness.
Floodplain Coverage Across Pender County
Pender County Fire Districts — Atkinson Fire Station Coverage in Blue
“Therapeutic gardens allow the community to come together as equals - building and working on projects together”
-Heather Kelejian, USDA Horticulture Mental Health Program, 2021
“Stigma is a big issue, more so in the rural communities”
-Kimberly Morgan, Coastal Horizons Center, 2021
“When you work with disenfranchised people you want something inviting, safe, but personal... a space for togetherness”
-Kimberly Morgan, Coastal Horizons Center, 2021
“The arts can play a very important role in bringing people out and building community -- much needed in this area as we come out of pandemic isolation”
-Rochelle Whiteside, Pender County Arts Council, 2021”
This project gives rural Pender County access to a public space that fosters community engaged mental health support. Through programming like the fitness space, the therapeutic garden/walking path, and the classroom/studio space there is many different modes of support that move away from the stigma of “treatment facility.” In addition, this wellness center can easily switch program for those who live in floodplains to now have a hub for nearby resources and disaster support in the event of severe storms. The Atkinson Fire Department’s new building will be equipped with the proper truck bays, more bunk space, and a dayroom to function efficiently both in day-to-day and in disaster.
