Haywood Christian Ministry Calls for Continued Support of the Healthy Opportunities Program

Waynesville, NC

Staff members from Haywood Christian Ministry joined with over one hundred and fifty other nonprofit representatives in Raleigh on June 4 to call on the NC Legislature to fully fund the Healthy Opportunities Program in the upcoming biennial budget. 

The Healthy Opportunities Pilot is a nationally acclaimed and innovative program that aims to improve the health of our communities while also reducing healthcare costs and lessening the burden on rural healthcare facilities. “It’s a win, win, win, program,” said Blake Hart, the executive director of HCM. “I have never seen a program that is so effective at strategically investing in rural communities to improve health and lower costs.” 

The Healthy Opportunities Pilot is aimed at addressing what are called “social determinants of health.” Social determinants of health are things such as food, housing, transportation, and interpersonal violence that have direct and measurable impact on an individual’s health. Healthy Opportunities allows nonprofit organizations to address these factors using Medicaid funding. Doing so improves peoples’ health; reduces Medicaid’s expenses by reducing the need for pricier medications, hospitalizations, or other costly treatments; and reduces the stress on healthcare facilities through fewer visits for preventable issues. 

Over the course of the pilot program, participant counties saw a reduction in emergency room visits and a savings of $1,020 per enrollee per year! All this is while individual lives were being deeply transformed. Through access to healthy food, individuals were able to lose weight, reduce blood pressure, and control blood sugar levels. Those suffering with asthma were able to find relief through mold remediation and hypo-allergenic appliances. Families living in cars were able to find and secure safe housing for them and their children. 

Currently, this program is at risk of losing all its funding. The NC Legislature is on the precipice of approving a budget that entirely cuts this innovative and transformative program, largely because many legislators do not understand the full impact it has on rural communities. “It is definitely an uphill battle, but we remain hopeful that our leaders will hear the voices of their constituents, and reverse course by fully funding Healthy Opportunities,” said Hart. 

HCM asks all concerned citizens to call their state legislators, urging them to voice their support of the Healthy Opportunities Program. More information on this call to action can be found at www.hcmnc.org/call-to-action and your representative can be located at www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators