North Carolina
Opinion: NC’s HOP program has led to healthier residents, lower medical costs. It needs funding
The best way to lower health care costs is to reduce the need for expensive medical services by preventing illness in the first place. Thanks to the foresight of North Carolina lawmakers, our state tested a pilot program that does just that. In only two years, people are healthier and health care costs are lower. But despite its success, the future of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot is unclear.
As the two most recent secretaries of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, we launched HOP by working with the Republican-led General Assembly and with the first Trump administration, which approved the pilot. North Carolina’s innovation has since become a model for other states and earned national attention for its impact.
HOP is based on a simple idea — it costs less to keep people healthy than to treat them after they get sick. We spend most of our money in this country treating diseases, rather than preventing them. Evidence from HOP has shown that investing in things that impact your health such as food and housing not only prevents disease but also saves money.
Recent studies show HOP reduces health care costs by $1,020 per participant each year. The savings come from people needing fewer trips to the emergency room and fewer hospital admissions. People are staying healthy because local farmers, nonprofits, and small businesses deliver meals so people have healthy food, make home repairs that get rid of mold and help avoid asthma attacks, and help patients get preventive care and medicine when they need it, not after it becomes an emergency.
In Western North Carolina, families displaced by Tropical Storm Helene faced similar challenges. One mother, whose child suffered from asthma, received support from HOP to make their new home safer by removing mold and other triggers through the Breathe Right program. The result? Fewer ER visits and a healthier future. In the Cape Fear region, a young single mother was struggling with unsafe housing, food insecurity, and her children’s health problems. With support from HOP — including help with housing, food access, and parenting resources — she found stability. She secured full-time work, moved her family into a safe home, and saw their health improve dramatically.
And yet, despite these successes, North Carolina lawmakers have not included specific funding for HOP in either the House or Senate budget proposals. Without funding, millions in federal dollars will be pulled out of our rural communities, emergency department and hospital visits will likely rise again, health care costs will increase, and people’s health will be at risk.
Cutting programs like HOP does not save money. It just shifts costs to emergency rooms, schools, and long-term care facilities — and drives up costs for all of us. It’s why lawmakers funded Healthy Opportunities in the first place. And now that it’s delivered on the promise of saving costs, it’s time to double down on what works. In December of last year, noting the proven success of HOP, the federal government approved expanding the pilots statewide, which could unlock amazing opportunities across all of North Carolina. As North Carolina faces tough budget choices, sustaining and growing programs like HOP is the fiscally responsible decision. It supports healthier families, stronger communities, and a more sustainable health care system.
With uncertainty at the federal level and no funding included for HOP in either the North Carolina House or Senate budgets, the program’s future hangs in the balance. If it ends, the consequences will be real — lives, jobs, and hurricane recovery efforts will all be at risk. In a time when so much feels uncertain, this is a solution we can agree on. The evidence is clear, the need is urgent, and the stakes are high. Our state must continue to lead the way with common-sense improvements to our health system.
The question is not how we can afford to do this; it is how we cannot?
Dr. Mandy Cohen and Kody Kinsley are former Secretaries, NC Department of Health and Human Services.
At least two people are dead and “several” others are injured after a “planned fight” at a North Carolina park escalated into a mass shooting, authorities said.
Police have identified several victims and suspects after Monday’s shooting at Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Authorities confirmed there were multiple victims in the shooting, but did not provide an exact number. The suspects were still at large over two hours later.
Officers were called to the park just before 10 a.m. after reports of a fight, which then escalated into multiple people shooting each other.
Area schools are not in lockdown, and classes are operating as normal, police said.
“Due to the number of people involved, efforts are ongoing to account for everyone. At this time, some of those involved in the incident are juveniles,” police said.
According to local news station WFMY, at least three people were taken to the hospital. Officials have not shared their conditions.
Police said the shooting was an isolated incident and remains under investigation.
This is a developing story
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, April 19, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
Day: 6-2-0, Fireball: 6
Evening: 4-1-7, Fireball: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 19 drawing
Day: 7-6-9-4, Fireball: 4
Evening: 8-1-5-6, Fireball: 6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from April 19 drawing
02-21-32-35-37
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from April 19 drawing
18-26-27-31-42
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
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