North Carolina is a state that embraces you with gorgeous mountains and hills, hundreds of lakes and rivers, waterfalls, and a very desirable climate. North Carolina covers 48,711 square miles, with a 2012 estimated population of 9,752,073 people – with 2,846,277 people living in rural North Carolina (USDA-ERS). Raleigh is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 72.1% of the state’s population is white, 22.0% is Black/African-American, and 8.6% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2011).
There are 117 hospitals in North Carolina (Kaiser, 2010), 23 of which are identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (March 2013). There are 86 Rural Health Clinics in North Carolina (Kaiser, 2012) and 27 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 144 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2010). 17.0% of North Carolina residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2011).
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for North Carolina residents in 2011 was $36,028, although rural per-capita income lagged at $30,877. Estimates from 2011 indicate a poverty rate of 20.3% exists in rural North Carolina, compared to 16.7% in urban areas of the state. 2011 ACS data reports that 20.2% of the rural population has not completed high school, compared to 14.0% of urban populations. The unemployment rate in rural North Carolina is 11.8%, while in urban North Carolina it is 10.0% (USDA-ERS, 2011).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets; Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
Federal government
Supports economic and social development in all of West Virginia and parts of twelve other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: North Carolina (CDBG)
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
State/regional organization
One of the telehealth resource centers funded by the federal Office for the Advancement of Telehealth. Assists health care organizations, health care networks, and health care providers in the implementation of cost-effective telehealth programs to serve rural and medically underserved areas and populations. Includes Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and North Carolina.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region (NN/LM SE/A)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health care providers, librarians, and the public in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
North Carolina Area Health Education Center Program (AHEC)
State/regional organization
Works to meet the North Carolina's health and health workforce needs through educational programs and information services. Their website provides information on and contact details for each of the nine regional AHECs in the state.
North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Serves as an advocate for the poor in matters of public policy at the federal, state and local levels. Dedicated to helping the low income, disadvantaged, elderly and working poor citizens of North Carolina achieve economic self-sufficiency. Provides training and technical assistance.
North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA)
State/regional organization
Works to promote and support community-governed health care organizations and the populations they serve.
North Carolina Department of Commerce
State government
Acts as the lead agency for economic, community and workforce development in NC. Recruits and encourages the expansion in NC of high-value, technologically competitive industries and companies.
North Carolina Department of Commerce: Division of Employment Security (ESC)
State government
Provides online unemployment information and filing, searching job opportunities, career planning, submission of job openings, and resume searches.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
State government
Protects the public health, fosters self-reliance and helps the vulnerable. Provides human service needs for fragile populations like the mentally ill, deaf, blind and developmentally disabled, and helping people achieve economic independence.
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
State government
Works to provide high-quality transportation for travelers throughout North Carolina, including highways, rail, aviation, ferries, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and public transit.
North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services
State government
Provides people with, or at risk of, mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems and their families the necessary, prevention, intervention, treatment, services and supports they need to live successfully in communities of their choice.
North Carolina Division of Social Services Child Support Enforcement
State government
Works to ensure that both parents are responsible for the financial support of their children to the best of their ability. Helps locate noncustodial parents, establish the paternity of the child(ren), and petition the court to order child support payments.
North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS)
State government
Assists citizens with disabilities in achieving independence and employment. Provides an Independent Living program, and an Assistive Technology Program, both of which help people achieve more independent lifestyles.
North Carolina Foundation for Advanced Health Programs
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to make affordable, quality health care available to all North Carolinians.
North Carolina Hospital Association (NCHA)
State/regional organization
Promotes improved community health status and delivery of quality healthcare through leadership, information, education, and advocacy in members' interests and for public benefit.
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
State government
Creates affordable housing opportunities through federal and state tax credit programs, such as the federal HOME Program and the state Housing Trust Fund.
North Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO)
State government
Helps individuals find jobs, locate housing, obtain shelter, have food, obtain access to health care and take care of children. Administers Community Services Block Grants.
North Carolina Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHHD)
State government
Promotes and advocates for the elimination of health disparities among all racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations in North Carolina.
North Carolina Office of Rural Health and Community Care (ORHCC)
State/regional organization
Provides technical assistance to small hospitals and community health centers in rural and medically underserved communities, recruits health care providers to work in rural and medically underserved communities, and provides grants for community health centers.
North Carolina Regional Extension Center
State/regional organization
North Carolina State Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) that helps health care providers become meaningful users of electronic health records by providing information and technical assistance.
North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center
State/regional organization
Develops, promotes, and implements sound economic strategies including resources to improve the quality of life for rural North Carolinians.
Pretty in Pink Foundation
Nonprofit/Foundation
A North Carolina 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides financial assistance, resources, and support to underinsured/uninsured people diagnosed with breast cancer who reside in North Carolina.
Public Schools of North Carolina: Exceptional Children Division
State government
Assures that students with disabilities and those who are academically or intellectually gifted develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized education in the least restrictive environment.
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP)
State/regional organization
Helps rural communities in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to improve community infrastructure, including water and wastewater treatment.
Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC)
State/regional organization
One of four regional rural development centers in the nation. Works to strengthen the region's 29 land-grant institutions in addressing rural development issues. Serves a 13 state area in the Southern region which includes TX, LA, AR, OK, AL, MS, GA, FL, KY, SC, NC, VA, and TN.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: North Carolina (HUD)
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development North Carolina State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. Provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: North Carolina
Website
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: North Carolina
Website
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
NN/LM Southeastern Atlantic Region: North Carolina Resources
Website
Overview of the state, with links to state agencies, health associations, and other resources for North Carolina.
North Carolina Health Centers Data
Website
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
North Carolina Health Professions Data
Website
Collects and disseminates timely and reliable data on selected licensed health professionals in North Carolina.
North Carolina KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Website
Provides rankings, maps, or trend graphs by topic; and raw data. Includes measures of child well-being, including the community-level data formerly in CLIKS.
North Carolina Nutrition Services
Website
Provides information on the Summer Food Service Program, which offers free meals in communities across the state to children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals at school, or who live in communities where the majority of children qualify.
North Carolina QuickFacts
Website
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center Publications
Website
Focuses on Federal insurance programs (Medicare and Medicaid) and their effect on rural populations and providers.
North Carolina State Data Center
Website
Works with the U.S. Bureau of the Census to provide the public with data about North Carolina and its component geographic areas.
North Carolina State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC)
Website
Comprised of 14 accredited schools of public health that serve in a national capacity to meet preparedness and response training and education needs of the U. S. public health workforce. Funded schools are located in AL, AZ, FL, IA, IL, MA, MD, MN, NY, OK, NC, TX, and WA.
Rural Data Bank
Website
Contains information on rural people, communities, and the rural economy in North Carolina. Includes a statistical profile on each county. Allows for custom data searches.
Rural Trauma in North Carolina
Website
Highlights the North Carolina Trauma Registry (NCTR) which collects data from rural hospitals in the state.
See also: State-by-State Resources: Tools Funding
Aetna Foundation Regional Grants
Funds community wellness initiatives focusing on healthy food and activity that serve low-income, underserved, or minority populations.
BJ’s Charitable Foundation
Funding for hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, healthcare, and education to those who are underserved.
Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants
Funding to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.
Gannett Foundation Community Action Grants
Supports local organizations with funding priority given to programs that focus on education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation, and cultural enrichment.
Georgia-Pacific Foundation Grants
Grants for organizations projects that focus on education, the environment, community enhancement, affordable housing, arts and culture, and entrepreneurship.
Jim Bernstein Community Health Leadership Fellows Program
Offers a fellowship opportunity for North Carolina healthcare professionals focusing on leadership skill development, team building, rural health, and economic development.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeaster/Atlantic Region Funding
Provides funding for National Network of Libraries members located in the Southeaster/Atlantic region to assist them in conducting outreach and technology projects.
Nonprofit Training Resource Fund
Grants to organizations for employees to attend approved classes and courses that will enhance their job performance.
North Carolina Building Reuse and Restoration Grants
Offers deferred, forgivable loans to commercial property owners to revitalize, restore, or expand vacant or occupied buildings in rural communities.
North Carolina Microenterprise Loan Program
Offers loans to North Carolina small businesses who employ less than 10 full-time employees.
North Carolina Ribbon of Hope Mini-Grants Program
Supports activities that establish or expand local programs in health, science, and education that serve identified needs of local North Carolina communities.
North Carolina Rural Hope Grants
Offers deferred, forgivable loans for the renovation or construction of buildings for use by job-generating, private or nonprofit health care entities.
North Carolina Water and Sewer Appropriation Funds Planning Grants
Grants to plan projects related to water, wastewater, and public health in rural areas of North Carolina.
Pretty in Pink Foundation Breast Cancer Treatment Assistance
Provides the financial assistance necessary to make survival a reality for breast cancer patients in North Carolina.
Rural Capital Grant Program
Funds to assist transportation systems that serve the general public and human-service agency clients in North Carolina's rural areas.
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Loan Fund Program
Provides low-interest loans to low-income rural communities for predevelopment costs, system upgrades and new construction of water and wastewater services and facilities.
Urgent Repair Program (URP)
Offers funding to elderly homeowners and other homeowners with special needs whose household incomes are below 50% of the area median income for emergency home repairs.
Wells Fargo Corporate Giving Programs
Funding for nonprofit organizations in the areas of community development, education, human services, arts and culture, civic responsibility, and environmental consciousness.
Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund
Awards grants in various rural and urban areas where Weyerhaeuser does business. Funds programs that work in the areas of affordable housing and shelter; education and youth development; environmental stewardship; and human services.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Care Management for Medicaid Enrollees Through Community Health Teams
Author(s): Mary Takach, Janon Buxbaum
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
Presents data from a 2011–2012 review of state Medicaid medical home programs in eight states. Identified community health team programs that provide an array of services, including care coordination to self-management coaching. Includes small or rural practices.
Date: 05 / 2013
Case Studies on Transit and Livable Communities in Rural and Small Town America
Author(s): Sean Barry
Sponsoring organization: Transportation for America
Collection of 12 case studies providing examples of how small cities, towns, and rural regions across the country are transforming themselves into more livable communities.
Date: 09 / 2010
Characteristics of Practice Among Rural and Urban General Surgeons in North Carolina
Author(s): Jennifer King, Erin P. Fraher, Thomas C. Ricketts, Anthony Charles, George F. Sheldon, Anthony A. Meyer
Sponsoring organization: American College of Surgeons Health Policy Research Institute
Study examines variation in the practice patterns of individual general surgeons and how they differ between rural and urban areas of North Carolina.
Journal citation: Annals of Family Medicine
Date: 06 / 2009
Collaborative Leadership: Partnerships Between Regional Development Organizations and Community Foundations
Author(s): Parrish Bergquist, Kathy Nothstine, Anju Chopra
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
Explores the strategies and rewards behind
eight partnerships between community foundations and
RDOs (Rural Development Organizations) in Alabama, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Date: 07 / 2012
Community Care of North Carolina: Building Community Systems of Care Through State and Local Partnerships
Author(s): Douglas McCarthy, Kimberly Mueller
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
Highlights Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC), a public-private partnership that comprises local providers who form a medical home for low-income adults and children. Includes references to rural.
Date: 06 / 2009
Demographic and Economic Profile: North Carolina
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Presents demographic, economic information and statistics on Iowa. Includes charts, maps, and graphs.
Date: 11 / 2008
Medical Homes Offer Comprehensive Care Approach
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Describes the successes experienced by two health care centers that offer medical home services to their patients. Advocates in the Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) and the Lakewood Health System in Staples, Minnesota describe their programs.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume 2009 Issue Spring
Date: 05 / 2009
North Carolina Health Professions 2009 Data Book: A Report on Health Care Resources in North Carolina
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Draws on data from the HPDS and describes the supply and distribution in 2009 of licensed individuals in nineteen health professions by county and selected regions in North Carolina.
Date: 10 / 2009
North Carolina's Allied Health Job Vacancy Tracking Report
Author(s): Meredith Kimball, Erin Fraher, Katie Gaul, Jessica Lyons
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Department of Commerce
Quantifies workforce demand for selected allied health professions in North Carolina, tracks job vacancy advertisements in print and online sources, summarizes vacancy advertisements by profession, region, and employer type, and describes the types of sign-on bonuses offered by employers.
Date: 03 / 2012
North Carolina’s ABCD Program: Using Community Care Networks to Improve the Delivery of Childhood Developmental Screening and Referral to Early Intervention Services
Author(s): Sarah Klein, Douglas McCarthy
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
An overview of the key elements of North Carolina’s Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) screening program that identifies at risk young children in rural as well as urban areas needing early intervention services.
Date: 08 / 2009
Rural Dropout Problem: An Invisible Achievement Gap
Author(s): Jerry Johnson, Marty Strange, Karen Madden
Sponsoring organization: Rural School and Community Trust
Reviews high school dropout rates and related factors in rural high schools throughout 15 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia.
Date: 2010
Small Business Profile: North Carolina
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2 / 2013
Southern Rural Development Center: 2011 Annual Report: Regional Innovations, National Applications
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
Describes the programs and progress of the Southern Rural Development Center, one of four regional centers coordinating rural development research and extension education programs.
Date: 2012
Trends in Graduate Medical Education in North Carolina: Challenges and Next Steps
Author(s): Erin Fraher, Julie Spero, Jessica Lyons, Helen Newton
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Analyzes whether physicians remain in-state after finishing residency training and if residency training programs are producing physicians that practice in medically underserved areas. Includes state-level percentages and national averages of residents who are International Medical Graduates, percent of physicians retained in state, plus other data specific to North Carolina.
Date: 03 / 2013
Trends in Licensed Health Professions in North Carolina, 1979-2005
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Brings together 27 years of data on the supply and distribution of practitioners in 17 categories of health care professions in rural and urban North Carolina.
Date: 06 / 2007
Trends in the Supply of Dentists in North Carolina, 1996-2005
Author(s): Erin Fraher, Katie Gaul, Jennifer King, Hazel Hadley, Claire de la Varre, Thomas C. Ricketts
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Highlights workforce supply, distribution, professional shortage areas, demographics, and practice characteristics and training.
Date: 02 / 2007
USDA Rural Development 2012 Progress Report
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Reports on investments made by USDA Rural Development intended to have a lasting, sustainable impact on rural American by supporting economic growth, broadband implementation, housing programs, and public utility projects. Features programs implemented in Minnesota, Georgia, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee, Louisiana, Illinois, Arizona, North Carolina, North Dakota, Colorado, Florida, and Wisconsin. Reports total funds granted to each of the 50 states from 2009 - 2012.
Using Local Creativity and Entrepreneurship to Build Family-Supporting Jobs in North Carolina
Author(s): Betsy Rubiner
Sponsoring organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Addresses strategies that residents of the rural Appalachian region of western North Carolina are using to redevelop their economy by building on their age-old tradition of crafts and using it as a springboard to also expand their agricultural and tourism industries.
Date: 03 / 2008
See also: State-by-State Resources: Documents |
