FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2026
FHLI Announces Pause to NCCARE360 Resource Navigation Service Due to Reduced Funding Navigator-led services paused while platform access and partner referrals continue
CARY, NORTH CAROLINA – NCCARE360 has long exemplified North Carolina’s leadership as a national model for statewide resource navigation and coordinated care. Through this platform, health care providers and community-based organizations have connected individuals to critical social care resources, including food, housing, transportation, and other essential supports. In an evolving and uncertain landscape, North Carolina has an opportunity to build upon years of progress and lessons learned through the NCCARE360 infrastructure while adapting to emerging and growing community needs.
In recent years, NCCARE360 has been primarily funded through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services state allocations associated with the Healthy Opportunities Pilots. 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.
Healthy Opportunities Pilots services stopped July 1, 2025, due to the absence of continued funding in the state budget. This action created a need to identify new resources to sustain the NCCARE360 infrastructure, which includes closed-loop referrals and resource navigation for communities statewide, regardless of insurance status. The Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation (FHLI) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) remain actively engaged in developing strategies to address this funding gap.
As a result of these funding challenges, the NCCARE360 Resource Navigators program status is currently paused, and there are no teams currently funded to follow through and help connect individuals referred through the technology system with community resources. Organizations will see it set to “Not Accepting Referrals” in the NCCARE360 platform.
While navigator-led care coordination services are suspended, licensing and platform access remain in place, and organizations are encouraged to continue peer-to-peer collaboration, refer Medicaid members to their managed care plans for care management support, and connect individuals directly with NCCARE360 network partners.
Individuals who need additional assistance are encouraged to contact NC 211. NC 211 is an information and referral service provided by United Way of North Carolina and powered by local United Ways in North Carolina. Families and individuals can call 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162 to receive free and confidential information on health and human services within their community. For more information, visit NC211.org.
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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.