High Country Community Health

HEALTH CENTER CLUSTER

HEALTH CENTER CLUSTER

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDING FOR HEALTH CENTERS

ARP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT FOR RURAL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

RURAL COMMUNITIES OPIOID RESPONSE PROGRAM-IMPACT - HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH (HCCH) PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH THE HIGH COUNTRY RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE NETWORK, A RURAL CROSS-SECTOR INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER (SUD) PREVENTION, TREATMENT, RECOVERY SUPPORT, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND NETWORK SUSTAINABILITY IN WATAUGA AND AVERY COUNTIES, NORTH CAROLINA. BOTH COUNTIES ARE RURAL APPALACHIAN COMMUNITIES FACING SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO CARE, INCLUDING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE SHORTAGES, TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES, HOUSING INSTABILITY, LIMITED ACCESS TO SPECIALTY TREATMENT, AND PERSISTENT OPIOID AND POLYSUBSTANCE USE CONCERNS. HCCH IS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER WITH AN ESTABLISHED INTEGRATED CARE MODEL THAT INCLUDES PRIMARY CARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES, PHARMACY, ENABLING SERVICES, CARE MANAGEMENT, AND MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (MOUD). IN 2025, HCCH SERVED 1,159 UNIQUE MOUD PATIENTS, INCLUDING 466 PATIENTS RESIDING IN WATAUGA AND AVERY COUNTIES. HCCH’S INTERNAL DATA ALSO DEMONSTRATE ACCESS CHALLENGES AMONG INDIVIDUALS SEEKING TREATMENT: IN 2025, 84 NEW MOUD PATIENTS ACCOUNTED FOR 114 MISSED NEW PATIENT APPOINTMENTS, UNDERSCORING THE NEED FOR MORE FLEXIBLE, LOW-BARRIER, OUTREACH-BASED CARE. THROUGH RCORP-IMPACT FUNDING, HCCH WILL EXPAND INTEGRATED, LOW-BARRIER ADULT SUD SERVICES THAT COMBINE MOUD, PRIMARY CARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, PSYCHIATRIC SUPPORT, HCV SCREENING AND TREATMENT COORDINATION, WOUND CARE, CARE COORDINATION, TELEHEALTH, PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT, OVERDOSE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREVENTION EDUCATION, AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICE NAVIGATION. THE PROJECT WILL PRIORITIZE INDIVIDUALS AT HIGH RISK FOR OVERDOSE, TREATMENT DISENGAGEMENT, AND POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES, INCLUDING PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR HOUSING INSTABILITY, INDIVIDUALS WITH CO-OCCURRING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS, PEOPLE RECENTLY RELEASED FROM INCARCERATION, UNINSURED AND MEDICAID-ENROLLED PATIENTS, AND RESIDENTS FACING TRANSPORTATION, ECONOMIC, AND GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS. THE HIGH COUNTRY RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE NETWORK WILL INCLUDE HCCH AS THE LEAD APPLICANT, OLIVE BRANCH MINISTRY/REDEFINING RECOVERY FOR PEER SUPPORT AND OUTREACH, HOSPITALITY HOUSE OF NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA FOR HOUSING NAVIGATION AND HOMELESSNESS-RELATED SUPPORT, WATAUGA COUNTY SCHOOLS AND AVERY COUNTY SCHOOLS FOR PREVENTION EDUCATION AND EARLY IDENTIFICATION, AND APPHEALTHCARE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH COORDINATION AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION. HCCH WILL ALSO CONTRACT WITH AN EXTERNAL EVALUATION CONTRACTOR TO SUPPORT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, ANNUAL REPORTING, AND FINAL EVALUATION. THE PROJECT WILL PURSUE FOUR PRIMARY GOALS: 1) EXPAND ACCESS TO DIRECT SUD PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND RECOVERY SUPPORT SERVICES; 2) STRENGTHEN SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT ADDRESS SOCIAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH; 3) EXPAND RURAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SUD WORKFORCE CAPACITY; AND 4) DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN A RURAL CROSS-SECTOR NETWORK. EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE INCREASED ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED SUD TREATMENT, IMPROVED MOUD INITIATION AND RETENTION, STRONGER PEER RECOVERY AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICE COORDINATION, EXPANDED RURAL WORKFORCE CAPACITY, IMPROVED PARTNER COLLABORATION, AND A SUSTAINABLE RURAL SYSTEM OF CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUD/OUD THROUGHOUT WATAUGA AND AVERY COUNTIES.

HEALTH CENTER CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT FUNDING

FY 2024 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICE EXPANSION - ABSTRACT: HIGH COUNTRY COMMUNITY HEALTH (HCCH) IS A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVING THE NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA INCLUDING WATAUGA, SURRY, AVERY AND BURKE. OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE AND CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE SERVICES INCLUDING MEDICAL, DENTAL, MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES TO THE MEDICALLY UNDER-SERVED POPULATIONS OF OUR REGION. WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE INTEGRATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDERS (MOUD) PROGRAMS AT ALL OF OUR ADULT MEDICINE CLINICS. WE HAVE ROBUST PROGRAMS IN WATAUGA AND AVERY COUNTIES, BUT RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO GREATLY EXPAND IN BURKE AND SURRY COUNTIES. THE MOST RECENT BURKE COUNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT (2019) LISTED SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AS ONE OF THEIR TOP THREE PRIORITIES. THE COUNTY IS RANKED IN THE TOP 5% OF VULNERABILITY FOR THE RAPID DISSEMINATION OF HIV OR HCV INFECTIONS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO INJECT DRUGS. THEIR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT (ED) INDICATES THAT 4.55% OF ALL VISITS ARE PRIMARILY DUE TO SUBSTANCE USE AND BURKE COUNTY HAS THE 9TH HIGHEST OVERDOSE ED VISITS IN THE STATE, RESULTING IN 215 VISITS FROM APRIL 2023-MARCH 2024. WE PROPOSE TO GREATLY EXPAND OUR INTEGRATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND MOUD PROGRAM IN TWO PRIMARY CARE CLINICS IN THIS COUNTY. THE MOST RECENT SURRY COUNTY COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT (2022) INDICATES THAT THEY HAD 78 SUICIDE DEATHS BETWEEN 2016-2020 AND 47 UNINTENTIONAL OPIOID-RELATED DEATHS FROM 2016-2020. SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH WERE TWO OF THE TOP THREE HEALTH PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED IN 2022. HCCH CURRENTLY HAS AN INTEGRATED PEDIATRIC PRACTICE IN THIS COUNTY, WITH ACTIVE PLANS TO ADD ADULT MEDICINE IN THE NEXT YEAR. WITH THIS FUNDING, OUR ADULT MEDICINE CLINIC CAN PROVIDE EXPANDED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND MOUD SERVICES FOR THE COUNTY. EXPANDING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES IN BURKE AND SURRY COUNTIES IS GREATLY NEEDED. THIS PROGRAM AIMS TO A) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH SER VICES AND B) INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS RECEIVING SUD SERVICES, INCLUDING MOUD. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL UTILIZE THIS FUNDING TO EXPAND OUR WORKFORCE AND TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO HCCH PROVIDERS SERVING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUD PATIENTS TO ENSURE FIDELITY TO THE LATEST EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT PRACTICES.

FISCAL YEAR 2023 CAPITAL ASSISTANCE FOR HURRICANE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY EFFORTS (CARE)

HEALTH CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

FY 2020 EXPANDING CAPACITY FOR CORONAVIRUS TESTING (ECT)

FY 2023 EXPANDING COVID-19 VACCINATION

PRIMARY CARE

FY 2023 BRIDGE ACCESS PROGRAM

FY 2020 CORONAVIRUS SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR HEALTH CENTERS