NCDHHS awards $10 million to strengthen EMS workforce in rural health program
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will provide $10 million to 39 local EMS agencies through the NC Rural Health Transformation Program, the department announced June 8.
The funding, awarded through the NCDHHS Office of Emergency Medical Services for Mobile Integrated Health, is intended to strengthen the EMS workforce and expand rural access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and services.
The department said the money will support EMS-led Mobile Integrated Health programs, which allow EMS providers to work with residents beyond the initial 911 call. The programs may include follow-up care after overdoses, connections to treatment and recovery services, and medication for opioid use disorder.
NCDHHS said rural North Carolinians experienced higher rates of fatal drug overdoses and overdose-related emergency department visits in 2021 compared with urban North Carolinians.
The department described EMS agencies as a key point of connection between emergency response and broader health care services, particularly in rural communities where access to treatment may be limited.
The list of grant recipients includes agencies across the state. Eastern North Carolina recipients include Lenoir County EMS, Onslow County EMS, Edgecombe County EMS, Nash County EMS, Brunswick County EMS, Columbus County EMS, Camden County EMS, Pasquotank County EMS, Perquimans County EMS and Washington County EMS.
Other recipients include Alamance County EMS, Alleghany County EMS, Anson County EMS, Avery County EMS, Buncombe County EMS, Burke County EMS, Cabarrus County EMS, Cape Fear Valley Mobile Integrated Health, Caswell County EMS, Catawba County EMS, Cherokee County EMS, Clay County, Davie County EMS, Franklin County EMS, Gaston County EMS, Graham County EMS, Henderson County EMS, McDowell County EMS, Mitchell County EMS, Orange County EMS, Person County EMS, Rowan County EMS, Stanly County EMS, Stokes County EMS, Surry County EMS, Watauga County EMS, Wilkes County EMS, Yadkin County EMS and Yancey County EMS.
The department said the Rural Health Transformation Program funding is part of a broader effort to improve health care access in rural communities.
NCDHHS said the release is supported by a federal award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services totaling about $213 million, with 100% funded by CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
