healthy opportunities pilot

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has a bold new plan for Medicaid services, and Dogwood Health Trust and Western North Carolina are part of it. In a nutshell, NCDHHS has created a new pilot program called the Healthy Opportunities Pilot that will make it possible for Medicaid dollars to fund much more than just clinical health care.

Through the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, organizations that provide services related to nutrition and food assistance, transportation, housing and interpersonal safety can receive payments for services they provide to a subset of NC Medicaid patients. The goal? To ultimately improve health and save millions on treatment of clinical illnesses or conditions by investing in evidence-based interventions before health becomes a problem.

NCDHHS is supporting Healthy Opportunities Pilots in three areas across the state including Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust launched ImpactHealth, a WNC-based nonprofit to serve as the network lead for our pilot region.