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NEWS BRIEFS

NCDHHS announces $10 million for EMS workforce through rural health program

WFAE | By Kenneth Lee Jr.
Published June 8, 2026 at 2:28 PM EDT
Most ambulance providers, including MEDIC in Mecklenburg County, are out-of-network for private insurers. That leaves patients vulnerable to costly surprise bills after they call 911.
Michelle Crouch
/
NCHN
Most ambulance providers, including MEDIC in Mecklenburg County, are out-of-network for private insurers. That leaves patients vulnerable to costly surprise bills after they call 911.

North Carolina health officials are investing $10 million in 39 emergency medical service agencies across the state to expand behavioral health and substance use treatment services in rural communities.

The funding, awarded through the Rural Health Transformation Program, will support mobile integrated health programs that provide follow-up care after overdoses, connect patients to treatment and recovery services, and strengthen the EMS workforce.

Several counties near Charlotte are receiving grants, including Cabarrus, Gaston, Rowan, Stanly, Anson and Catawba counties. State leaders say the investment will help improve access to care and reduce preventable overdoses in rural North Carolina.
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Health EMSpublic health
Kenneth Lee Jr.
Kenny is a Maryland native who began his career in media as a sportswriter at Tuskegee University, covering SIAC sports working for the athletic department and as a sports correspondent for the Tuskegee Campus Digest. Following his time at Tuskegee, he was accepted to the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program as a Marketing Intern for The NASCAR Foundation in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2017.
See stories by Kenneth Lee Jr.