North Carolina

Opinion: NC’s HOP program has led to healthier residents, lower medical costs. It needs funding

Published

9 months ago

June 15, 2025

Dr. Mandy Cohen and Kody Kinsley
| Guest Opinion

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.

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North Carolina

Duarte girl kidnapped in 2020 at 5 years old found safe in North Carolina

Published

5 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Duarte girl kidnapped in 2020 at 5 years old found safe in North Carolina

A girl who was kidnapped from Duarte in 2020 when she was just 5 years old has been found safe in North Carolina.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said it found Karen Rojas, who is now 11, on Tuesday. She was enrolled in school under an alias, according to investigators.

Authorities said she was kidnapped on June 2, 2020.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services notified Washington County law enforcement that she may be in the state.

They coordinated with several agencies, located the girl and took her into protective custody.

“These are very rare occurrences to have such a positive outcome on such an old case as this, but it reminds us that through hard work, and dedication, and cooperation, stories with positive outcomes like these can happen,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.

Due to the age of the child, further information was not immediately available.

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North Carolina

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

Published

18 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

These 4 Western NC towns are among WorldAtlas favorites for 2026

A new list from WorldAtlas named the publication’s top 10 favorite North Carolina towns of 2026, including several locations located in Western North Carolina.

Founded in 1994 by cartographer John Moen and his wife, Chris Woolwine-Moen, WorldAtlas publishes educational materials and articles on geography, sociology, demography, environment, economics, politics, and travel.

Previous Citizen Times articles have covered numerous mentions of Western North Carolina from WorldAtlas, including “idyllic” and “unpretentious” towns, scenic drives, a favorite downtown area, and more. In the new list, published March 9, WorldAtlas writers chose their all-time favorite North Carolina towns ― almost half of which were located in the western region of the state.

Here’s what WorldAtlas had to say about mountain North Carolina towns, plus the full list and more.

What to do in Banner Elk, N.C.

WorldAtlas noted the range of activities offered in Banner Elk throughout the year. The town sits in the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain ski resorts. Writers highlighted the following locations and activities in Banner Elk:

Wildcat Lake, which has a lifeguarded white-sand beach and is used for swimming, non-motorized boating and fishing for largemouth bass, trout, and bluegill
Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum, a museum located at Grandfather Mountain
The Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest suspension footbridge in the United States, which visitors can cross on foot

What to do in Blowing Rock, N.C.

Also included on the WorldAtlas list, Blowing Rock takes its name from a rock formation where the wind appears to blow upward. The list highlighted the following locations and activities in Blowing Rock:

The town’s namesake, “Blowing Rock,” is a rock formation known for views of Johns River Gorge and the surrounding forest
Fishing, spelunking and rock climbing opportunities in the area
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, also known locally as “Cone Park,” which has hiking trails and is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Memorial Park on Main Street, where town events and concerts often take place

What to do in Brevard, N.C.

Brevard, also known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” is home to more than 200 waterfalls located across Transylvania County. WorldAtlas highlighted the following locations and activities in Brevard:

Museums, trails, rock climbing and the surrounding area’s many waterfalls
Guided Jeep and hiking tours to view waterfalls throughout Transylvania County
Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, a museum displaying artifacts from U.S. military conflicts
Transylvania Heritage Museum, a museum focused on local history and genealogy

What to do in Hot Springs, N.C.

Hot Springs’ name comes from the natural springs that attract visitors from across the state and region. The springs are commonly visited by hikers seeking relief after traveling along the Appalachian Trail, which runs through the town. WorldAtlas highlighted the following activities and events:

Kayaking on the French Broad River
Trailfest, a celebration of hiking typically held in April
French Broad River Festival, a celebration of the French Broad River held each year on the first weekend of May
White-water rafting and ziplining opportunities in the area
Fishing, skiing, sport shooting, golf, disc golf, biking and horseback riding opportunities throughout the area
A range of accommodations including campgrounds, privately owned cabins, apartments, suites and cottages, with options from basic to luxury experiences

WorldAtlas’s best towns in North Carolina

The full list of WorldAtlas’s favorite North Carolina towns of 2026 included:

Banner Elk
Beaufort
Blowing Rock
Brevard
Davidson
Edenton
Hot Springs
Seagrove
Manteo
Wrightsville Beach

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

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North Carolina

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

‘It was dire’: NC State professor returns from Qatar after being trapped during Iran war

An North Carolina State University professor is back home Monday night after he was trapped in the Middle East as war with Iran broke out.

Rich Spontak was stuck in Qatar while traveling from Bangkok to Spain and was forced to stay in the country for about a week. Several travelers were trapped for days in the Middle East after Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several defense leaders were
killed in joint strikes by the United States and Israel.

Spontak, like many travelers, found himself stranded in the Middle East after the initial attacks, which quickly entangled more surrounding countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where seven U.S. service members were killed in retaliatory attacks from Iran.

Spontak said there were times he thought he wouldn’t make it out.

“I would just keep looking out and looking for the missiles,” Spontak said. “Some people that I met along the way were hit by shrapnel from the missles. It was dire.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24. Azerbaijan also shut the southern sector of its airspace on Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack that injured four civilians and damaged an airport building.

Lilia Austin, a Chapel Hill woman who was part of a group of 100 women who went to Israel for a trip the day before Khamenei was killed, also returned home on Sunday after she left Israel through Egypt.

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