From the North Carolina Office of Rural Health:

The Office of Rural Health (ORH) offers qualifying physicians, with educational (student) loan debt, incentive payments to repay their loans tax-free through the Primary Care Physicians Initiative (NC PCPI). With the passage of Session Law 2023-134, incentive payments are awarded to eligible physicians in exchange for providing comprehensive primary care services in outpatient settings at eligible sites serving those with highest need located within Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the North Carolina's County Distress Rankings (Tiers).

Funding is limited and the awards will be based on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible and complete applications. ORH anticipates up to 16 awards in each of the six Medicaid Regions. The application portal will not accept more than 20 applications per Medicaid Region. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the guidelines carefully and gather necessary documentation so that they are prepared to complete the online application in its entirety via the application portal.

The NC Office of Rural Health has released Wave 2 of the Telehealth Infrastructure Grants funding opportunity! Applicants have until January 31, 2025 to apply.

Grants resulting from this Request for Applications (RFA) will enhance the accessibility and effectiveness of telehealth services throughout the state.  This RFA aims to support the development and improvement of the technological infrastructure required for delivering remote healthcare services, such as broadband connectivity, video conferencing systems, electronic medical records, and secure communication tools with a priority on independent primary care practices and Ob-GYN practices.

Just as orthopedic nurses are skilled at caring for patients with musculoskeletal conditions, and cardiac nurses specialize in patient care of cardiovascular disease, rural nurses are skilled at knowing a little bit about everything! They balance the needs of their patients with the often-limited resources and other challenges in small and sometimes isolated areas.

Northwest AHEC would love to congratulate Grace Clinic of Yadkin Valley and Surry Medical Ministries for their recent acceptance of  State Designated Rural Health Centers of Excellence Awards! Join us in recognizing their dedication to providing quality care.

This week has been bustling for Northwest AHEC and the Office of Rural Health (ORH), with three site visits to the State Designated Rural Health Centers! Our partnership with SDRHC and ORH ensures top-notch primary healthcare for all residents in their communities. At NWAHEC, we're delighted to collaborate with these organizations, which truly strive to address the needs of their communities. A big thanks to Grace Clinic in Elkin, Surry Medical Ministries in Mt Airy and Hugh Chatham in Ronda and of course, working with the ORH team is always a pleasure.

The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Program (NC AHEC) is seeking proposals to establish up to 5 rural interprofessional clinical training sites. 

In a previous Practice Support blog post, we highlighted basic information and eligibility criteria for the Making Care Primary Model.  In response to stakeholder feedback, CMS extended the application deadline by two weeks; the new deadline is Thursday, December 14 at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

In a Practice Support blog post last month, we highlighted basic information and eligibility criteria for the Making Care Primary Model.  The application deadline is approaching (November 30th), so we encourage you to learn more as you consider whether or not to consider participating.