1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to thank you for your support of rural healthcare initiatives included in North Carolina's recently approved state budget. Specifically, I want to express my appreciation for funding that has restarted the state's Healthy Opportunities pilot programs, a critical investment in the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable residents. North Carolina's approach to rural health is innovative and forward-thinking. Rather than focusing solely on hospitals, these programs recognize that health is fundamentally shaped by the conditions people live in every day. The Healthy Opportunities pilots, built on coordination between healthcare providers and community organizations, address the social determinants of health by connecting people with nutritious food, stable housing, transportation, and other essential services. The results speak for themselves. Data from the pilots demonstrate that coordinated medical and community-based care produces remarkable outcomes. Participants who received meal support experienced a 67 percent decrease in the risk of hospital readmission. Overall, the Healthy Opportunities program achieved $164 in Medicaid savings per person each month while simultaneously improving health outcomes. These are investments that pay dividends for both fiscal responsibility and human wellbeing. Rural and minority communities face steeper obstacles to health equity due to decades of systemic gaps in access to healthcare and social support. The Rural Health Transformation Program you supported recognizes that hospitals and physicians alone cannot solve these deeply rooted problems. Real health transformation requires sustained investment in the community networks and care coordination infrastructure that keep people healthy outside the hospital setting. The Healthy Opportunities pilot should not be treated as a temporary experiment. Successful programs that demonstrate real results deserve permanent funding and continued scaling across the state. North Carolina has an opportunity to be a national leader in addressing rural health disparities and improving health equity for the 3 million North Carolinians who rely on Medicaid. I urge you to continue championing these initiatives in future state budgets. Sustained commitment to rural healthcare, community programs, and care coordination networks will ensure that North Carolina blazes a trail toward genuine wellbeing for all our residents. Thank you for your leadership and foresight.