Last Updated on June 13, 2026 6:48 pm
BOONE — Watauga County EMS is one of six High Country agencies sharing in $10 million in new state funding aimed at strengthening rural emergency medical services and expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced June 8 that 39 local EMS agencies across the state will receive funding through the NC Rural Health Transformation Program. The money will go to the NCDHHS Office of Emergency Medical Services to support Mobile Integrated Health programs.
In the High Country, the recipients are Watauga, Avery, Alleghany, Mitchell, Wilkes and Yancey county EMS agencies.
“Every North Carolinian deserves access to safe, affordable, quality health care, no matter where they live,” Governor Josh Stein said in announcing the awards. “Investing in our EMS workforce and expanding behavioral health services in the rural parts of the state will help North Carolinians get the care they need closer to home.”
What the money is for
The funding is designed to give rural EMS providers the tools, training and resources they need to support residents with substance use disorders after the initial 911 call. That includes providing medication for opioid use disorder, supporting rapid follow-up care after overdose events and connecting individuals to treatment and recovery services.
State data show rural North Carolinians experienced higher rates of fatal drug overdoses and overdose-related emergency department visits than urban residents in 2021. The new awards are intended to address that gap by allowing locally led, EMS-driven initiatives to provide direct care in the communities where overdoses happen.
“Improving access to care starts with investing in our health care providers, including our frontline EMS workforce,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “By strengthening EMS-led Mobile Integrated Health programs, we can provide timely treatment, support life-saving recovery and ultimately reduce preventable overdoses.”
Tom Mitchell, chief of the NCDHHS Office of Emergency Medical Services, framed the role EMS plays as central to rural care.
“EMS professionals are uniquely positioned at the intersection of emergency response and health care delivery, serving as a critical link in the continuum of care for rural communities,” Mitchell said.
The full list of 39 recipients
In addition to the six High Country agencies, the recipients are: Alamance, Anson, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Camden, Caswell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Columbus, Davie, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Lenoir, McDowell, Nash, Onslow, Orange, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Person, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Washington and Yadkin county EMS agencies, along with Cape Fear Valley Mobile Integrated Health.
About the program
The NC Rural Health Transformation Program is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. According to a Stevens Amendment disclosure included in the announcement, the program is supported by a $213 million federal financial assistance award, 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS.
More information on the program is available at ncdhhs.gov.
