Governor Stein Launches $20 Million Fund to Increase Access to Care in Rural North Carolina

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Department of Information Technology launched the Rural Health Innovation Fund. This statewide investment fund will distribute about $20 million per year for up to five years to help rural providers modernize their infrastructure, making it easier to care for patients and run their practices. Rural providers often face obstacles including more limited funding, fewer staff, and reduced access to the necessary technical infrastructure to keep pace with changing digital health care tools. Testing new solutions can be costly and risky for smaller providers. The Rural Health Innovation Fund will help providers identify, test, and implement digital solutions that strengthen their practices and support better care. In its first year, the Rural Health Innovation Fund is open to primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, community health centers, and safety net providers that meet certain federal health center requirements. Applicants need to demonstrate how they serve rural residents even if their county is not designated as rural. Eligible applicants may apply for funding to test and scale new digital solutions to improve care, ease operational challenges, and help patients stay connected to their care provider. Projects can include telehealth expansion, AI-enabled clinical decision support, electronic health record upgrades, cybersecurity enhancements, and other activities that are scalable, sustainable, and improve quality of care for rural communities.