North Carolina receives more than $17 million for rural mental health services
NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY) — The Trump administration announced more than $17 million in Rural Health Transformation Program funding Wednesday to expand mental health and substance use disorder services in rural North Carolina.
The funding will support new behavioral health clinics, opioid treatment access, mobile crisis response, early intervention and mental health care for pregnant and postpartum women in rural communities.
According to the announcement, $4 million will go toward three new mental health clinics, while $3 million will expand access to medications for opioid use disorder through stationary medication units in five counties.
Another $4 million will fund mobile crisis teams in six additional counties. Those teams will provide in-home support to children and families experiencing a crisis for up to eight weeks.
An additional $6.7 million will support early intervention for young people experiencing serious mental health symptoms, regional crisis-response partnerships and behavioral health care for new and expecting mothers in underserved areas.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the funding is intended to expand access to care in rural communities.
The Rural Health Transformation Program was created to support rural health care access and infrastructure. Federal officials say the program provides funding to states over five fiscal years, from 2026 through 2030.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ grant database shows North Carolina’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program award totals more than $213 million for 2026. The program’s five-year plan is designed to expand access to integrated behavioral health, mental health and substance use services among other rural health initiatives.
