On Dec. 20, 2021, the Department announced that the Healthy Opportunities Pilot will shift the start of Pilot service delivery from Feb. 1, 2022 to March 15, 2022. This decision was reached after numerous discussions with stakeholders to allow additional time for a smooth Pilot launch.
The Department will now take a phased approach to launching Healthy Opportunities Pilot services in all three Pilot regions:
- March 15, 2022: Food services
- May 1, 2022: Housing and transportation services
- June 15, 2022: Toxic stress and cross-domain services
Delivery of some interpersonal safety, toxic stress and cross-domain services may begin after June 15, 2022, as the Department continues to evaluate potential program modifications to account for legal and data privacy issues related to sensitive services.
Organizations interested in applying to participate in the Healthy Opportunities Pilot should contact the Healthy Opportunities Network Lead in their region, listed at ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/healthy-opportunities/healthy-opportunities-pilots.
The three organizations serving as Network Leads and the counties covered in their Pilot regions are:
- Access East, Inc.: Beaufort, Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Northampton, Pitt
- Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender
- Impact Health: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Yancey
The Healthy Opportunities Pilot is the nation's first comprehensive program to test evidence-based, non-medical interventions designed to reduce costs and improve the health of Medicaid beneficiaries. The Pilots will provide up to $650 million in Medicaid funding for services related to housing, food, transportation, and interpersonal safety and toxic stress in three regions of the state.
Importantly, the Pilots will allow for the establishment and evaluation of a systemic approach to integrating and financing evidence-based, non-medical services into the delivery of health care. If shown to be effective after rigorous evaluation, the Department will look to systematically integrate Pilot services statewide through NC Medicaid Managed Care.