WNC part of 'groundbreaking' pilot addressing social, environmental health determinants

BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina's 18 western-most counties are part of an innovative pilot program that aims to address social and environmental determinants of health.

The Healthy Opportunities Pilot will provide up to $650 million in Medicaid funding for pilot services related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress in three regions of the state.

The pilot is essentially putting Medicaid money toward non-medical factors that play an important role in determining one's health outcomes.

The first phase of the pilot, food services, launches March 15. Bounty & Soul, a nonprofit in Black Mountain, is one of many organizations in Western North Carolina participating in the pilot and gearing up for the big launch next week.

NC YMCAS PROVIDE 2.5 MILLION MEALS IN FIGHT AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY IN 2021

Bounty & Soul will use Medicaid reimbursements from the HOP to provide boxes of healthy food and nutritional cooking lessons to people who qualify.

To qualify, a person must be enrolled in a NC Medicaid Managed Care Health Plan, live in a pilot region, have at least one qualifying physical or behavioral health condition and at least one qualifying social risk factor.

"We believe that people need fresh produce. They need fresh food," said Paula Sellars, Bounty & Soul deputy director. "Healthy food is fundamental to health."

Sellars said the project's launch is very timely, with many struggling to find and afford healthy food right now.

"The project couldn't be starting at a more important time. Between people recovering from the pandemic, but also the supply chain issues, also the cost of gas, the cost of food, all these things kind of converging in time," Sellars said.

WELLNESS PROGRAM AIMS TO HELP BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS STUDENTS MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES

Sellars said they hope to scale up their services as the pilot program develops and want to source the predominance of the food in the boxes from local farms.

She said at first, people who qualify will be able to pick up the food boxes at their office in Black Mountain. She said they plan to eventually have pickup locations throughout the area, with plans to host healthy cooking classes at those pickup place.

Sellars said HOP is all about prevention.

"It's an effort to build prevention into the fabric of health care," she said. "In the case of North Carolina Medicaid, they want to start paying for that, which builds health rather than for that which chases disease."

Dionne Greenlee-Jones echoed that sentiment. She's the interim executive director and director of programs at Impact Health, a community-led nonprofit entity created by Dogwood Health Trust to oversee the HOP in Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust was named the Network Lead for WNC for the HOP by the North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Greenlee-Jones said the goal with HOP is to invest in people's health, so they can ultimately spend less on their health care needs.

"Ultimately, with this being successful, we are able to show also through the data that not only have we impacted positively the health outcomes of many in Western North Carolina, but we saved money at the same time," Greenlee-Jones said.

She said not everyone will qualify for the pilot, but it seeks to help those who need it the most.

"We have an opportunity to address our most vulnerable in Western North Carolina," Greenlee-Jones said. "If you're suffering from toxic stress or if you've got a chronic condition, there's a series of those factors that are screened to determine eligibility."

NEW NC BUDGET ESTIMATED TO LEAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT HEALTH CARE COVERAGE

Greenlee-Jones said she's excited for the launch of HOP next week, with the first phase of food services. She also talked about the importance of the two phases that will follow later this year, which will address housing and transportation and interpersonal violence.

"If you're not able to have transportation to get to doctor's appointments, or get to areas where you need to get your food or be able to take your child to daycare, all of those factors can impact one's health," she said.

The final phase will address interpersonal safety, providing funding to local organizations that help victims of interpersonal violence.

She added, many individuals are dealing with multiple issues -- not just one of the determinants of health. Greenlee-Jones said the program can help address the intersection of those determinants, as well.

The housing and transportation services phase launches on May 1 and the interpersonal safety and cross-domain services on June 15.

If the HOP is shown to be effective after rigorous evaluation, the NC Department of Health and Human Services will look to systematically integrate pilot services statewide through NC Medicaid Managed Care.

Click here to learn more about HOP in Western NC from Impact Health.

Click here to learn more about HOP from NCDHHS.