NCCARE360 has long exemplified North Carolina’s leadership as a nationally recognized model for statewide resource navigation and coordinated care. Through the platform, health care providers and community-based organizations across North Carolina have worked together to connect individuals and families to critical social care resources such as food, housing, transportation, and other essential supports.
As community needs continue to evolve, North Carolina has an opportunity to build upon the strong foundation and lessons learned through the NCCARE360 infrastructure. At the same time, recent funding challenges have required difficult decisions that impact how these services are delivered.
Why Resource Navigation Services Are Paused
In recent years, NCCARE360 has been primarily funded through state allocations from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services associated with the Healthy Opportunities Pilots. However, the Senate and House budgets of the North Carolina General Assembly did not include funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilots for the current state fiscal year. As a result, Healthy Opportunities Pilots services ended on July 1, 2025.
The absence of continued funding created an immediate need to identify new resources to sustain the NCCARE360 infrastructure, including closed-loop referrals and resource navigation services available to communities statewide, regardless of insurance status. Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation and NCDHHS remain actively engaged in developing strategies to address this funding gap.
What This Means for NCCARE360 Users
Due to these funding challenges, the NCCARE360 Resource Navigators program is currently paused, and there are no funded navigation teams available at this time to follow up with individuals referred through the platform. Organizations may see navigator programs listed as “Not Accepting Referrals” within NCCARE360.
While navigator-led care coordination services are paused, NCCARE360 licensing and platform access remain in place. Organizations are encouraged to continue using the platform for peer-to-peer collaboration and electronic referrals with other network partners. Health care providers should continue to refer Medicaid members to their managed care plans for care management support, and organizations may connect individuals directly with NCCARE360 network partners when appropriate.
Support Options for Individuals and Families
Individuals who need additional assistance finding resources are encouraged to contact NC 211, a free and confidential information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina and powered by local United Ways across the state. Families and individuals can call 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162 to receive information about health and human services available in their community, or visit NC211.org for more information.
Looking Ahead
We recognize that this pause may create challenges for partners, providers, and communities who rely on resource navigation services. These decisions were not made lightly, and work is ongoing to identify sustainable solutions that allow NCCARE360 to continue supporting coordinated care efforts across North Carolina.
We are grateful for the continued collaboration, flexibility, and commitment of our partners as we navigate this period and work toward future opportunities to strengthen and expand access to care.
About NCCARE360 NCCARE360 is a public-private partnership between the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI). NCCARE360 is integral to NCDHHS’s mission to improve the health, safety, and well-being of all North Carolinians. The NCCARE360 platform is powered by Unite Us.
Preliminary data indicate that the pilots improve health outcomes and save the state money.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – The Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI) expresses concern about the decision to discontinue funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP). HOP is designed to improve health outcomes for Medicaid recipients with complex social needs and reduce financial burden on the health care system.
HOP operates on the NCCARE360 platform. Administered by FHLI, NCCARE360 is the nation’s first and only statewide coordinated network that connects health and human service providers throughout North Carolina to improve care coordination and service delivery.
“The discontinuation of a program like HOP, which shows evidence of cost savings, raises significant concerns,” said Rachel Marquez, MPH, senior program director for NCCARE360. “The decision will reduce access to care for individuals with the greatest needs and result in higher costs to the state.”
FHLI remains committed to supporting programs that address the social drivers of health and improve outcomes for all North Carolinians. NCCARE360 will continue to connect health and human service providers, regardless of HOP funding, enabling them to coordinate care and deliver essential services more effectively and efficiently.
About NCCARE360
NCCARE360 is a public-private partnership between the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI). NCCARE360 is integral to NCDHHS’s mission is to improve the health, safety, and well-being of all North Carolinians. The NCCARE360 implementation team includes United Way of North Carolina, NC 211, and Unite Us.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – NCCARE360, the nation’s first statewide coordinated care network connecting individuals to local services and resources, announced today that NCServes, North Carolina’s technology network of public, private and non-profit organizations serving military families, is merging its network of resources with NCCARE360’s this summer.
“Unifying the technology and resources of NCCARE360 and NCServes brings an improved experience for North Carolina’s military community,” said Jeff Smith, Military and Veterans Program Liaison, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “By joining forces, we will increase the number of resources available to our active-duty service members, veterans and their families.”
Launched in 2015, NCServes is the nation’s first statewide coordinated network of public, private, and non-profit organizations working together to connect military service members, veterans, and military families with providers and resources for which they are eligible. All NCServes network partners will now have access to additional NCCARE360 features and data to help them better serve military families. Implementation is currently underway, and the combined network launch is expected in mid-July of this year. “Joining these two robust resource platforms will not only provide improved access to services and resources for our state’s military families,” said Kelly Calabria, President and CEO of FHLI. “But the partnership builds on NCCARE360’s mission to better address the health needs of all North Carolinians.”
About NCCARE360 NCCARE360 is the first statewide network that unites health care and human services organizations with a shared technology that enables a coordinated, community-oriented, person-centered approach for delivering care in North Carolina. NCCARE360 is the result of a strong public-private partnership between the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI). The NCCARE360 implementation team includes United Way of NC, NC 2-1-1, Expound Decision Systems, and Unite Us.
Contact For more information about NCCARE360, or any of its partner organizations, please send an email to connect@nccare360.org.
