The NC Rural Health Leadership Alliance is a collaboration between organizations working to improve health outcomes in rural North Carolina. It began informally in the 1990s and was formalized in 2014. The Alliance focuses on priority areas like primary care/behavioral health integration and workforce recruitment through working groups. Key areas of focus for the workforce include preserving Medicaid GME funding, increasing loan repayment funding, and boosting health professional training in rural areas. The Alliance has had some successes but continues working towards goals like greater loan repayment funding and payment model changes for rural counties.

1. Collaborating for Better Rural Health
in North Carolina
Gregory K. Griggs, MPA, CAE
NCAFP Executive Vice President

2. The NC Rural Health Leadership Alliance
• A collaboration between organizations that work to
support partnerships and strategies to improve
health outcomes in rural NC.
• Numerous partners from the NC Rural Center, the
NC Office of Rural Health, the Foundation for
Health leadership and Innovation, the state AHEC
Program, the NCAFP and more
• Began informally in the 1990s; formalized in 2014.

3. Priority Areas / Work Groups
• Small business and rural economics
• Childcare and early education
• Healthy eating and active living
• Integration of primary care and behavioral health
care (NCAFP staff on this work group)
• Health insurance and safety net resources
• Workforce recruitment and retention (co-chaired by
NCAFP and Office of Rural Health)

4. Key Focus Areas of Workforce
• Preserve Medicaid GME Dollars – Almost lost $30
million of state funding
• Increase funding for Loan Repayment – Minor
successes
• Transparency Around Medicaid GME Funding
• Increase funding for health professional training in
rural areas.

5. Where We Stand
• WINS
• Study potential for new teaching hospitals – GME – H998
• Targeted changes to loan repayment programs – H 998
• UNC FIRST Program
• STILL AT WORK
• Greater loan repayment funding
• Transparency around GME
• Pilot payment model change for rural counties In Medicaid
and State Health Plan – DPC type payment
• Parity in Medicaid