Thank you for your interest in the Rural Healthcare Sustainability Project. Through detailed data analysis and conversations with real North Carolina residents and healthcare leaders, the project will result in a plan for the North Carolina General Assembly that outlines sustainable care models tailored to rural communities across the state.
Updates
An Update on Our Work as of September 2024
We’ve spent the past few months analyzing data on existing state healthcare resources and health outcomes to ensure we have a clear picture of the current healthcare landscape in North Carolina. We’ve also gathered insight from North Carolina residents on their healthcare experiences through 12 listening sessions in representative counties across the state.
While each county shared its unique perspective on healthcare in their community, several common themes emerged.
We categorized our listening session key findings into three categories:
Providers and Services
The dedication of rural clinicians was frequently mentioned. At the same time, there are consistent worries about the long-term recruitment and retention of providers, as well as the availability and proximity of necessary specialty care, especially behavioral health services.
Information Sharing
Many residents mentioned that local organizations – health departments, nonprofits, churches, etc. – offer healthcare-related support, but often struggle to spread the word about resources available. There is also an opportunity for these organizations to work more closely together.
Social Determinants of Health
Factors like housing, childcare, transportation, and health literacy were the most frequently mentioned barriers to receiving adequate care.
While these themes were not necessarily surprising, they were consistent across counties and underscored the importance and breadth of the issues at hand.
What’s Next
Now, we are discussing our findings with North Carolina healthcare leaders and reviewing existing programs and solutions that address rural healthcare challenges. We know there is a lot of work being done to address these issues already, and we want to make sure that what we’re doing is additive. This may include highlighting what’s working, spotlighting solutions that would benefit from more resources and filling in gaps where there aren’t yet solid solutions.
Next, we will conduct community surveys and online panel discussions to ensure our solutions meet the actual needs of rural patients.
We will be sharing more about our work in the weeks and months to come. If you’d like to continue receiving updates about The Rural Healthcare Sustainability Project going forward, click here to sign up for our mailing list.
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