State Launches New Rural Health Transformation Program Dashboard

The NC Department of Health and Human Services today launched a new dashboard sharing all projects that were awarded Rural Health Transformation Program funds in Year 1, along with the counties served, the amounts committed, and brief descriptions of the work. The announcement comes after the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded an initial $100 million to North Carolina for Year 2 Rural Health Transformation Program funding, with additional funding to follow. The program aims to improve health care in rural communities, help people get better care, and maintain rural health services.

"We will continue to put these dollars to work for rural North Carolinians," said Governor Josh Stein. "Every North Carolinian should have access to high-quality health care close to where they live. By investing in the people, services, and technology that rural communities need, we can make it easier for families to get the care they need."

In the first year of the program, North Carolina built the statewide and regional structure needed to carry out a five-year transformation plan while also leveraging proven programs to get investments and services into rural communities quickly. The second year will build on that foundation, moving more of the work from planning and start-up into implementation throughout the state.

More than 3.5 million North Carolinians live in rural communities, giving North Carolina the second-largest rural population in the country. Many rural communities face health care challenges, including insufficient numbers of health care providers, risk of hospital closures, high rates of chronic health conditions, and differences in access to care and health outcomes.

The state obligated all funds allocated to North Carolina within the first year of the Rural Health Transformation Program. These investments will strengthen the rural health care workforce, improve technology, and help communities connect people to the care and support they need. NCDHHS recently released an Annual Report highlighting the work of the program for the first year .

"Our work is rooted in reaching people where they are," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. "In our rural communities, that means using our Rural Health Transformation Program funding to make sure people can get what they need to be healthy close to home. The NCRHTP work is in direct alignment with the department's goal to transform rural health in North Carolina."

NC ROOTS Hubs will continue to help carry out the work on the ground in rural communities. Over the past four months, Hub staff have worked with health care providers, community organizations, and residents to assess needs and identify priorities in each region. NC ROOTS Hubs will soon begin funding projects and creating new opportunities for rural providers and community organizations that best address local challenges in health care access and delivery.

During the four months allotted for implementation of Year 1 programming, North Carolina:

Information about funding opportunities for NCRHTP can be found on the grant opportunities website . For the latest updates on NC's Rural Health Transformation Program and additional engagement opportunities, sign up for the NCRHTP newsletter .

The federal government created the Rural Health Transformation Program to help states improve health care in rural communities. States can use the funding to improve technology, strengthen the health care workforce, and develop new ways to provide care. In the first year, North Carolina was awarded more than $213 million . The federal program will provide funding for five years, with future funding based in part on state progress and federal funding decisions.

North Carolina is maximizing the funding awarded by the Rural Health Transformation Program. However, the same federal law that created the program, H.R. 1, also reduces federal Medicaid funding to states. North Carolina is projected to lose tens of billions of dollars for health care over the next 10 years as a result.

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Stevens Amendment Disclosure: This press release is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $213,008,356.47 with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.