Dustin Burleson, community relations regional director for Vaya Health, briefed the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 27 about Vaya's role as a managed care organization, federal rural health funding opportunities and several state-level changes affecting Medicaid and local services.

"We're a public managed care organization, and we really prioritize whole person health," Burleson said, describing Vaya's transition to a broader managed-care role that now includes physical health services, pharmacy and long-term supports alongside behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability services.

Burleson outlined the federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a temporary federal funding stream intended to improve access and infrastructure for rural providers. He said North Carolina is preparing an application that would allocate the state's share of the first round of RHTP funding and that the state held input sessions in 2025 with a target of submitting an application to CMS by the end of the year.

Burleson also summarized near-term budget pressures from the states mini-budget and the Department of Health and Human Services' implementation of Medicaid provider rate reductions Oct. 1. "The department's implemented rate reductions on October 1 with Medicaid services being cut by 3% and targeted services cut by either 8 to 10," Burleson said, adding that Vaya planned to delay implementing reductions until Nov. 1 while awaiting final budget action.

Locally, Burleson said Vaya is moving forward on plans to renovate the county office at 825 Wilkesboro Boulevard to expand substance use treatment services and to coordinate with the countys drug treatment court. He said the team expects to solicit bids and select a provider soon, with a December target to move to the next procurement stage.

Burleson closed by noting additional programs and training Vaya offers, including crisis intervention team (CIT) training and a disaster-relief helpline tied to recent storms affecting western North Carolina.

Ending: Commissioners thanked Burleson and Vaya staff. No board action was required; Vaya said it will update the board as local plans progress.