Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement
Asheville, North Carolina
Kathey Avery was born in Bat Cave N.C. at Valley Clinic and Hospital in 1953. She graduated from Western Carolina University 1983 with a BS degree in Nursing. She worked at Mission Hospital System for over 30 years where she specialized for over 20 years in oncology nursing and several years in Neurology. She was also instrumental in helping form their first Diversity Committee in 1995 and served on the committee until 2011.
She was given the prestigious Martin Luther King Award by the hospital in 2011. She was recognized by UNCA and Buncombe County HHS in 2016 with one of the Unsung Heroes awards, which celebrates resiliency and how these hero’s have committed their life’s work to shouldering movements by lifting up ideals, giving wisdom and guidance to their communities.
Kathey received in January of 2017 the Lillian Carter Award for Exemplary Nursing from Modern Healthcare magazine. The publication presents the awards in partnership with the Lillian Carter Center for Global Health & Social Responsibility at the Emory University School of Nursing. Kathey worked with, and co-chaired for several years with Building Bridges. One of the founders the late Dr Charles Blair also started the non-profit ABIPA. As their contracted nurse, she is their Director of Clinical and Community Connections.
She is Sole Proprietor of Avery Health Education and Consulting.She volunteers and is on many committees that work to improve the health of our community, Dementia Friendly of WNC, WNC Healthcare Advocacy Coalition, the Racial Justice Coalition, and Pathway to Parks Group, HOAP (Housing Options for Aging in Place), WNC Cancer Consortium and more recently the Health Equity Coalition. She is also on the Board of New City Christian School.Kathey also retired from Four Seasons Hospice in Flat Rock N.C. providing care, and support for patients and families facing end of life. You can listen to Executive Director Je’Wana Grier McEachin and Kathey on WRES 107.3, Body and Soul at 10:30 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays are read their monthly page in the Urban News.
