ASHEVILLE, NC — May marks one-year of Vaya’s participation in North Carolina’s Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) program, a groundbreaking Medicaid initiative designed to address conditions affecting health such as housing, food, transportation, and interpersonal safety – and HOP’s notable impact in communities across the state. These supports have made a difference in the lives of individuals who previously lacked access to safe housing, reliable nutrition, or other basic needs.
Since launching the HOP initiative for Vaya members in May 2024, Vaya has connected eligible individuals to more than 5,600 services across the 16 counties where HOP is available in the Vaya region:
- 1,716 members have been authorized to receive at least one HOP service.
- A total of 5,689 services have been authorized across HOP’s five core domains:
- Food Services: 3,482 – By the end of 2025, NCDHHS aims to decrease the percentage of children living across North Carolina in food insecure homes from 20.9% to17.5%,as measured by Feeding America.
- Housing Services: 1,770
- Transportation Services: 388
- Interpersonal Violence Services: 17
- Cross-Domain Services that address needs in two or more of the core domains: 82
During a home visit last October, a member living with COPD shared concerns about black mold above her bathtub. A referral led to a safety inspection and her qualification for Home Accessibility and Safety Modifications. With support from HOP and WNC Lighthouse, her bathroom received extensive repairs.
“Lives aren’t always saved at the doctor’s office,” said Sarah Frei, Healthy Opportunities Pilot Director and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Network Development Director at Vaya Health. “HOP is demonstrating that with the right resources available to support conditions affecting health, we’re not just improving individual lives, we’re strengthening our communities across North Carolina.”
HOP is a collaboration between North Carolina’s Medicaid program, managed care organizations like Vaya Health, HOP Network Leads, and community-based organizations. Vaya partners with Impact Health as the HOP Network Lead in the region to deliver HOP services to eligible Tailored Plan members and Medicaid Direct beneficiaries.
The 16 counties where HOP is currently available through Vaya are: Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey. For more information about the HOP Program, including eligibility and services, visit: https://www.vayahealth.com/get-help/local-resources/hop/.
About Vaya Health
Vaya Health is a specialty managed care organization and local government agency that oversees publicly funded health care services across a 32-county region of North Carolina for people with significant behavioral health needs, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries. Vaya manages Medicaid, federal, state, and local funding to meet member and community needs while advancing whole-person health. Together with members, contracted providers, and local partners, we’re moving forward to a healthier North Carolina. Vaya Health can be found online at vayahealth.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/VayaHealth/, on X (formerly known as Twitter) @VayaHealth, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/vaya-health.
