HHS Board Meeting

The Buncombe County HHS Board meeting on October 24, 2026, welcomed four new members and received updates on public health preparedness, human services, and department operations. Staff presented findings from a post-Hurricane Helene Community Assessment for Public Health Response (CASPER), covering behavioral health, concerns about tap-water safety, and evacuation barriers. The county had planned to conduct the assessment with the CDC, but that arrangement fell through during the federal shutdown; it then contracted with an unnamed provider that had conducted similar disaster surveys. No contract amount was given, and no procurement award or spending approval was presented. Staff said the findings will inform future preparedness planning and offered to share the full report.

The board also heard about a county food drive planned for November 9–23 in partnership with MANNA FoodBank and county libraries and departments; the discussion focused on coordination and donations, not a purchasing decision. The HHS director reported that vendors are soliciting counties to provide AI voice agents for calls, but Buncombe County does not plan to implement such solutions without further state guidance; no vendor was selected or contract approved. Other discussion included SNAP payment-error-rate risks under HR1, foster-care support, and staff training. The agenda and minutes were approved, and the meeting adjourned; no procurement-related votes or spending actions were identified.