by Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven

YouTube video

As the Healthy Opportunities Pilot takes off, how are organizations using the program to better serve their clients?

We discussed this topic with Sonya Jones, co-founder of Caja Solidaria. As of August 18, Caja Solidaria has 47 referrals for the HOP program. Jones believes the program will be good for not only her clients, but also for the health of the community.

Amy Upham also joined the conversation as the executive director of Eleanor Health Foundation. The foundation connects people with substance use disorder and other mental illnesses to things like affordable medications, employment and more.

Our third panelist was Madlyn Morreale, an attorney at Legal Aid of North Carolina. Legal Aid NC assists North Carolinians with finding housing resources, health care and more.

NC Health News Medicaid and rural health reporter, Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven, moderated the panel.

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Clarissa Donnelly-DeRoven covers rural health and Medicaid. She previously worked at the Asheville Citizen Times where she reported on the police, courts, and other aspects of the criminal justice system. Before moving to WNC, she worked as a freelancer in Chicago, where she wrote about immigration for The Intercept, In These Times, The Chicago Reader, and more. The Chicago Headline Club selected her story on how a teenage girl raised her 8-year-old sister after their parents were deported in the middle of the night as a 2020 finalist for best in-depth reporting. She has a masters in journalism from Northwestern, and a bachelors in women’s studies from the University of Michigan.