The Stimulus - Explore

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Explore diverse collaboratives and platforms that advance public health, community access to resources, disaster preparedness response mitigation & recovery, and more!

[stim-yuh-luh s] - something that excites action, feeling and thought.

► Explore: Quilts2Heal

In the wake of Hurricanes Matthew [2016] & Florence [2018] and the deadly flooding that followed, Quilts2Heal once again activated into action spreading love and healing with purpose, meaning. and a history of not just showing up 一 but by being present with empathy, respect and genuine humanity.

Jay interviews Dr. Paula DeSilva and the team at Quilts2Heal as they amplify how our collective human stories are the fabric that weaves all of us together. Following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, Quilts 2 Heal banded together and produced unique quilts that lift up those who where sadly lost, while igniting a lasting fire of warm memories with a healing embrace for those who remain.

Quilts2Heal has responded to many other disasters across the country including the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas, Hurricane Helene, and more.

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► Explore: Why Preparedness Expos Are Important

On Saturday, AUG 17 2019 Jay interviewed the former Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry, and the former Director of Robeson County Emergency Management Stephanie Chavis at the largest "Disaster Preparedness Expo" in the state in 2019 that he helped to coordinate in collaboration with diverse local, county, regional, and state stakeholders. In this interview Director Sprayberry & Director Chavis share why Disaster Preparedness Expos and cross-sector collaboration is so important!

Jay is a two time Hurricane / Flood survivor, a former Disaster Case Manager, and has significant experience in coordinating public health responses to disaster ― not only limited to his work before, during and after Hurricane Matthew [2016], Hurricane Florence [2018], and the COVD-19 global pandemic in 2020 -- but also in upcoming, ongoing and emerging disasters by being grounded in a framework that focuses on encouraging communities to proactively engage in a "All Hazards, All Hands on Deck" approach to disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience.

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► Explore: BOM Mobile Medical & Dental Ministry

In 2011, 2012, and 2017 while working collaboratively with an entire community focused on lending a helping hand to everyone in need, Jay helped to coordinate along with a diverse team of change agents from all walks of life Three NC Baptist On Mission - Free Mobile Medical & Dental Ministry events in our local community to date. Stay tuned and "...pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into His Harvest..." because the work is not done!

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► Explore: Duke Health

Beginning in 2012 while serving as the health coordinator at a local church, Jay worked collaboratively with Dr. Melivn Echols [ Duke Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery in Lumberton ], and Ms. Leatrice Martin-Short [ Duke Heart Center Community Outreach and Education Program ] to help facilitate access to free health education & resources to: congregates; an Equal Opportunity residential facility with approximately 80 residents that serves the community at large by providing housing for eligible seniors, the disabled and low income individuals; and the surrounding community.

► Explore: Partners in Health & Wholeness

In April 2012 Jay continued to collaborate with others to maximize, enhance and expand the local footprint of health initiatives to more churches across the county.

As a result of his previous work in the community and upon his initial submission of a PHW application on the behalf of a local church that he previously attended, Ms. Willona Stallings and Ms. Joy Williams with Partners Health & Wholeness along with their team at Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina collectively provided that church a significant amount of resources to invest in numerous faith-based health initiatives.

For example: Multiple $1,000 Mini-Grants for Gold Certified Congregations to support ministry efforts to increase physical activity, the consumption of healthy food, and tobacco cessation; the Strive to Revive Grant in collaboration with the American Red Cross that provided a free AED, with free AED & CPR training; The Equipment Only Grant grant that increased the capacity of the church to invest in green house & table top-gardening projects , the purchase healthy food preparation, serving, storage, and delivery equipment and more in order to support congregates, the surrounding community, and the residents at an Equal Opportunity residential facility with approximately 80 residents [ owned and managed by the church ] that serves the community at large by providing housing for eligible seniors, the disabled and low income individuals. ]

While Jay served as both a fomer congregant / member and former health coordinator at that local church, he also formerly served as the congregational Partners In Health Wholeness Liaison. In doing so Jay worked collaboratively with Ms. Willona Stallings and Ms. Joy Williams to develop a strategic plan that helped PHW to substantially expand the number of Partners in Health & Wholeness Certified churches and faith-based organizations in Robeson County by unselfishly sharing network contacts and by expanding direct and immediate access to all relevant resources that each congregation and/or faith based organization identified as their specific unmet needs - both internally as organizations and among the congregations and community that they serve.

As he has for well over a decade, Jay continues to collaborate with others to maximize, enhance, expand and nurture the development of a "Culture of Health" and a "Culture of Preparedness" throughout the city, county, region, state and beyond. In April 2012 Jay formerly served as both a congregant / member and the former health coordinator at the local church where he grew up as a child. His late maternal grandfather served as a deacon there before his passing, while his late maternal grandmother was a charter member and served in variety of fellowship, health, and wellness focused ministry initiatives before her passing.

Upon that foundation, and as a result of centuries of legacy building by faith across multiple generations that was established long long before, Jay successfully submitted an application to Partners in Health & Wholeness on the behalf of ancestors, congregation, members, friends, and community. As a result ancestors, congregation, members, friends, and community were immediately awarded PHW Gold Certification [ the first congregation to do so in Robeson County ]. Later In 2013 Southeastern Health [now known as UNC Health Southeastern] hosted their first "Regional Community Health Awards" and presented their first "Faith-Based Category Award" to the same ancestors, congregation, members, friends, and community.

"You are a real change agent Jay. I continue to be inspired by your energy and passion." May 2012, Ms. Willona Stallings, Founding & Former Program Coordinator, Partners in Health & Wholeness.

In the Spring 2012 Jay immediately began to collaborate with Ms. Joy Williams [ former Regional Coordinator, Partners in Health Wholeness] to develop, nurture, and expand the footprint of PHW Certified Congregations and Faith-based Organizations exponentially in Robeson county and across the region. Those efforts yielded by faith an abundance of PHW Gold, Silver, and Bronze Certified Congregations and Organizations and substantially expanded the footprint of churches and organizations throughout the region and across the state who recognize that "faith is a matter of health."

Later in 2013, Jay [ Grassroots Health Coordinator and Founder of The Stimulus] and Joy Williams [ former Regional Coordinator, Partners in Health Wholeness] collaborated with Chaplain Dean Carter [Coordinator of the Department of Pastoral Care at Southeastern Health, now know as UNC Health Southeastern ] in order to help him to integrate and develop the exact same proactive engagement strategy while he was in the early stages of establishing the Compassion for U Congregational Wellness Network, a faith-based initiative that helps churches and faith-based organizations gain access to services & resources available through our regional hospital system, UNC Health Southeastern.

► Explore: NC MedAssist

NC DHHS: Medication Assistance Program, and the NC MedAssist Free Pharmacy Program

Robeson County’s first NC MedAssist Over The Counter (OTC)
Medicine Giveaway on Friday January 27, 2017

In 2016 as people across state were responding to Hurricane Matthew and the deadly flooding that followed, Jay once again called Ms. Leatrice Martin-Short with the Duke Heart Center Community Outreach and Education Program and said: "Hey we've got to do something here to help, it's bad." Ms. Martin-Short immediately recommended a NC MedAssist OTC Giveaway.

As a result of a distinctly unique "Trauma-Informed, All Hands on Deck Approach" to asset mapping, project management, cross-sector collaboration, and proactive community engagement, over 300 volunteers served well over 1,751 people, making it one of the biggest OTC Giveaways in state that year, and still one of the biggest in history to date.

Just days after the initial impact of Hurricane Matthew [ OCT 8 2016 ] and his conversation with Ms. Martin-Short Jay began to collaborate with Chaplain Dean Carter with Southeastern Health [now known as UNC Health Southeastern], NC Med Assist, and a myriad of diverse local, county, and state stakeholders to co-plan, co-coordinate, co-manage, and co-host Robeson County's first NC Med Assist Over The Counter (OTC) Medicine Giveaway on Friday January 27, 2017 at Chestnut United Methodist Church in Lumberton.

This rapid disaster response, recovery and public health initiative was both generously and graciously funded by Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust due in no small part by the quick action and loving advocacy provided by Ms. Ann R. Turnbill [ the former Senior Director of Development & Engagement, Triangle & Eastern North Carolina, with NC MedAssist ]

As a result of this "Trauma-Informed, All Hands on Deck Approach" to organizing, over 300 volunteers served well over 1,751 people, making it one of the biggest OTC Giveaways in state that year. Collectively thinking outside of the box helped to build an environment that:

Demonstrated the benefit of diverse cross-sector collaboration;
Expanded broad public access to relevant solutions quickly;
Proactively facilitated new & unique strategic partnerships;
Created a myriad of new volunteer opportunities;
Shifted the paradigm and broadened the imagination
re: how other relevant assets can be incorporated into
community based public health fairs & screening events.
And laid a firm foundation that nurtured the development of
additional OTC Giveaways in Robeson County - both in the
years that followed since, and well into the future!

As always a very, very special thank you again to: NC MedAssist; Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust; Southeastern Health; Chestnut United Methodist Church; The City of Lumberton; The Lumberton Police Department; Lumberton Communications; Robeson County Administration; Robeson County Emergency Management; Robeson County Health Department and the Late Mr. Bill Smith; Robeson County Department of Social Services; The Public Schools of Robeson County; Robeson Community College; PSRC Early College at Robeson Community College; Lumberton Christian Care; Robeson Church & Community Center; Ms. Joy Williams [ former Regional Coordinator, Partners in Health Wholeness / NC Council of Churches]; Ms. Leatrice Martin-Short [ Duke Heart Center Education & Outreach Program]; Ms. Ann R. Turnbill [ the former Senior Director of Development & Engagement, Triangle & Eastern North Carolina, with NC MedAssist ]; the Robeson County Branch of the American Red Cross and the Late Ms. Pat Smartt, The Robesonian, Spectrum News Carolinas, and a myriad of diverse local, county, and state stakeholders who helped to co-plan, co-coordinate, co-manage, and co-host Robeson County's first NC Med Assist Over The Counter (OTC) Medicine Giveaway on Friday January 27, 2017 in Lumberton. Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You, because as we know, No One does Anything alone. All Glory to Whom ....through which All Blessings Flow. And the people say....Amen!

► Explore: Hope4NC

NC DHHS: Hope4NC

Within days after the immediate impact of Hurricane Matthew [OCT 8 2016] and the deadly flooding that followed, Jay joined other local, state and federal public health advocates to help shift the decision of 一 Some 一 officials during former Governor McCrory's last months in office who believed that the need for North Carolina to apply for federal disaster related behavioral health funds provided via the SAMHSA ISP & CCP grants was unnecessary. Due in no small part to that advocacy the McCrory administration indeed shifted priorities and initiated the application process to secure federal funds to provide disaster related behavioral health services through a platform that later became known as Hope 4 NC.

Since that time the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services [NCDHHS] via Hope 4 NC has helped people all across North Carolina following numerous disasters including Hurricane Florence [2016], COVID-19 [2020], 'and Hurricane Helene [2024].

Jay Leggette, Grassroots Community Health Coordinator and Founder of The Stimulus, has previously served as a member of the RADxUP COVID-19 Equity Evidence Academy, The Healthy NC 2030 Taskforce, and as a Disaster Case Manager with the local Long Term Recovery Group in the county where he still currently survives following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Florence in 2018, and COVID-19 in 2020.

In 2019 Jay was nominated for both the "Community Education & Emergency Support Award" and the "Individual Impact Award" by Southeastern Health, now known as UNC Health Southeastern
In 2017 Jay joined other fellow nominees from all across the state at the North Carolina Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NC OMHHD) "2017 North Carolina Health Equity Impact Awards" dinner that was established in order to "recognize individuals and organizations who have successfully implemented a systems-change approach to reduce health disparities and promote health equity."
In 2013 Southeastern Health [now known as UNC Health Southeastern] hosted their first "Regional Community Health Awards" and presented their first "Faith-Based Category Award" to a local church and congregation [ where Jay both served as a member and health coordinator ] in recognition of the collaborative efforts of the congregation, the community, other churches & faith-based organizations, and a diverse group of local, county, state, and national public health stakeholders.

To this day he continues to promote teamwork and cross-sector collaboration. Click here to learn more and Discover The Stimulus!

► Discover: The Stimulus

The Stimulus is a trauma-informed, grassroots initiative that focuses on working together with diverse local, state, and federal stakeholders focused on education, research, public policy, capacity development, health & wellness, disaster preparedness response recovery & mitigation, outreach, cross-sector collaboration, public health, and proactive community engagement. Click here learn to more and. Discover The Stimulus.

Imagination. Collaboration. Innovation