RALEIGH — EMS agencies in Nash and Edgecombe counties are among 39 recipients of state funding aimed at strengthening emergency medical services and expanding access to behavioral health and substance use treatment in rural communities.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday, June 8, it will provide $10 million through the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding, awarded through the NCDHHS Office of Emergency Medical Services for Mobile Integrated Health, is intended to support the EMS workforce and improve access to care for residents in rural areas.
“Every North Carolinian deserves access to safe, affordable, quality health care, no matter where they live,” said Gov. Josh Stein. “Investing in our EMS workforce and expanding behavioral health services in the rural parts of the state will help North Carolinians get the care they need closer to home.”
According to NCDHHS, the funding will provide EMS agencies with resources, training and support to assist individuals with substance use disorders beyond the initial 911 response. State officials noted that rural North Carolinians experienced higher rates of fatal overdoses and overdose-related emergency department visits than urban residents in 2021.
The grants will support services such as medication for opioid use disorder, rapid follow-up care after overdose incidents and connections to treatment and recovery programs. Officials said the locally developed initiatives are designed to help residents access care within their own communities.
“EMS professionals are uniquely positioned at the intersection of emergency response and health care delivery, serving as a critical link in the continuum of care for rural communities,” said Tom Mitchell, chief of the NCDHHS Office of Emergency Medical Services.
State officials said the investment recognizes EMS as an essential part of North Carolina’s health care workforce and a key partner in expanding access to behavioral health and substance use treatment services.
Other grant recipients include EMS agencies in Alamance, Alleghany, Anson, Avery, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Camden, Caswell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Columbus, Davie, Franklin, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Lenoir, McDowell, Mitchell, Onslow, Orange, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Washington, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey counties, as well as Cape Fear Valley Mobile Integrated Health.