Rural Health Transformation Program tracker › North Carolina
North Carolina
Rural Health Transformation Program- Program
- North Carolina
- First-year award
- $213,008,356 (CMS)
- Lead agency
- Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
- Program page
- ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/rural-health-transformation-program
- Contact
- The program office's contact details
- Where the plan names technology
- Initiative 6 of North Carolina's plan, "Modernize Rural Care Delivery Through Digital Forward Solutions," funds a Rural Health Innovation Fund, connections to the NC HealthConnex health information exchange, remote patient monitoring and chronic care management, digital health literacy and the NC Rural Digital Health Collaborative, and lists "Support rural provider use of AI." The fund's FAQ covers telehealth and e-consults, remote patient monitoring, EHR upgrades, HIE connections, cybersecurity and "AI decision support," with a tier of up to $200,000 for "AI scribe, CDS, AI revenue cycle."
- AI named in the plan
- Yes
- Funding rounds
- Open Rural Health Innovation Fund, first round (NCDHHS and the Department of Information Technology); approximately $20 million per year for up to five years; opened Sept 30, 2026, deadline Nov 16, 2026; eligible: Health care organizations in one of the 85 eligible rural counties, or with 40% or more patients who live in rural areas, with a low- or medium-risk assessment and in good standing; independent practices, local health departments, clinics and safety-net providers are among those who can apply
- Awarded Expanding School Health Centers to Rural Areas; Up to $1,250,000 for up to five sites; deadline Aug 12, 2026; eligible: Entities contracted or under a grant agreement with the Division of Child and Family Well-Being to provide a School Health Center Program, which were notified of the opportunity
- Closed NC Minority Diabetes Prevention Program, Region 8 (Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities); maximum award of $195,105; deadline Jul 17, 2026; eligible: Public or private, for-profit or nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, local health departments, tribal health programs, other eligible government entities, community or faith-based entities and academic institutions, for nine eastern counties
- Awarded Mobile Integrated Health grants (Office of Emergency Medical Services); $10,000,000 in Year 1; deadline May 20, 2026; eligible: Licensed North Carolina EMS agencies that provide primary 911 response, for rural areas
- Awarded NC ROOTS Hub Lead request for applications (RFA# 2026-NCROOTS); $235,513,062 expected in the first grantee award period; opened Feb 27, 2026, deadline Apr 2, 2026; eligible: Public and private entities, including Tribal organizations; up to six, one for each Medicaid region
- Open NC HealthConnex connection funding for rural providers (NC Health Information Exchange Authority); varies per participant depending on interface or service type; eligible: Certain rural NC HealthConnex participants, prioritized by population health impact
- Open Regional funding opportunities through the NC ROOTS Hub Leads
- Awards
- Oct 7, 2026: more than $17 million to Three Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations for $4 million in clinic funding; other recipients not named. Mental health and substance use funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, opioid treatment medication units in five counties, youth mobile crisis teams, first-episode psychosis care that "incorporates tele-psychiatry," rural crisis partnerships and perinatal mental health. The release does not name AI. Announcement
- Sept 14, 2026: $1.25 million to Five organizations: Appalachian District Health Department, Blue Ridge Community Health Services, First Health of the Carolinas, Mountain Community Health Partnership and Wilson County Health Department. Funding to increase or expand current school-based health centers, offer mobile care at rural schools and increase the health care staff responding to communities' mental health needs, "utilizing telehealth and mobile units." Announcement
- Jun 8, 2026: $10 million to 39 local EMS agencies. Mobile Integrated Health grants to strengthen the EMS workforce and expand rural access to mental health and substance use treatment, including medication for opioid use disorder and rapid follow-up after overdoses. The release does not name a technology or AI project. Announcement
- May 1, 2026: to Five hub leads: Impact Health (Region 1), Trillium Health Resources (Regions 2 and 5), Vaya Health (Region 3), University of North Carolina Hospitals (Region 4) and Access East, Inc. (Region 6). NCDHHS selected the NC ROOTS hub leads, which over five years will build local networks of partner organizations and distribute funding across them. The release gives no amounts; an illustrative table in the request for applications put $39,252,177 per region in the first award period, June 1, 2026, to Oct. 30, 2027. Announcement
- Next
- The governor's Sept. 30 release says the Rural Health Innovation Fund's first year is open to "primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, community health centers, and safety net providers that meet certain federal health center requirements"; the fund's FAQ and NCDIT page set the broader rules shown above. The FAQ says the intake assessment opened Sept. 30 and closes Oct. 31, 2026, the application opens Oct. 15 and closes Nov. 16, 2026, and Year 1, Round 2 opens in February 2027. The fund pays by reimbursement, awards are anticipated in January 2027, and projects must be completed by July 30, 2027. The state's year one summary says NCDHHS "committed nearly 80% of funds" by the end of July and "The remaining 20% of Year 1 funds will be committed by October 30, 2026." No award announcement was found for the Diabetes Prevention Program round.
Sources: CMS, first-year awards, NCDHHS program page, North Carolina's project narrative, NCDHHS FAQs, NCDHHS grant opportunities, Initiative Six: Digital Health, NCDIT, Rural Health Innovation Fund, Rural Health Innovation Fund FAQ, Governor's office and NCDHHS, fund launch, NC HIEA, rural connectivity program, NCDHHS, NC ROOTS hub leads, NCDHHS, EMS awards, NCDHHS, school-based health center awards, NCDHHS, mental health awards, CMS, North Carolina school health awards, CMS, North Carolina mental health awards, NCDHHS year one annual report summary
Checked against its sources
What the money can pay for: What does the Rural Health Transformation Program pay for?.
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