The North Carolina General Assembly made a commitment to bolster rural health and get more providers working in the state’s 80 rural counties.
Aside from more than $400 million designated to UNC Health and ECU Health for initiatives that include the establishment of three new rural clinics, the legislature put tens of millions of dollars towards enticing health care providers to work in North Carolina’s rural areas. They also allotted funds to beef up rural telehealth infrastructure.
Much of the money comes from a one-time payout of about $1.6 billion in federal funds flowing to the state thanks to financial incentives tied to the state’s adoption of Medicaid expansion.
Lawmakers designated much of that money for rural initiatives, with hopes of improving flagging health outcomes in those parts of the state, reports CarolinaCoastOnline. Read more.
