Representative Tim Reeder, MD (District 9), speaking at the 2024 Annual Legislative Breakfast held in Raleigh, NC.
About
The North Carolina Rural Health Association (NCRHA), with the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI), works to advocate for better health and health care for every North Carolinian, regardless of who they are or where they live.
This resource bank is designed to support advocacy, education, and action both during and following the 2026 FHLI Annual Legislative Breakfast, hosted on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Raleigh. The materials below highlight resources, key issues, data, and policy priorities that directly impact access to care in rural North Carolina.
Resources
We encourage you to review and use these materials as tools to inform conversations with policymakers, stakeholders, and community members:
- 2026 FHLI Policy Priorities
- 2026 FHLI Legislative Breakfast Program and Speaker Biographies
- Maternal Care Deserts and Diabetes: Addressing a Compounding Crisis in Rural North Carolina
- NCCARE360 Self-Service Navigator Tool
- North Carolina Graduate Medical Education Snapshot
- North Carolina Graduate Medical Education Response to FHLI Congressional Inquiries
- Veterans Bridge Home One-Pager
Click each link to download the full document and share within your networks.
Why This Matters
The materials provided here are intended to:
- Equip advocates with credible, data-driven information
- Support informed decision-making by legislators
- Strengthen a unified voice for rural health priorities
- Drive meaningful policy change that improves health outcomes
Rural communities in North Carolina face persistent and growing challenges, including provider shortages, hospital sustainability, behavioral health access, and health disparities. The FHLI Annual Legislative Breakfast is an opportunity to ensure these issues remain front and center in policy discussions.
North Carolina Rural Health Association members and partners pictured with Representative Valerie Foushee (NC-04) during their annual trip to Washington, DC, for National Rural Health Association’s Policy Institute in February, 2026.
Take Action
Advocacy does not end with this year’s event. We encourage you to:
- Share these resources with your networks, communities, and local and state representatives
- Engage with FHLI, NCRHA, and other organizations to elevate rural health priorities
- Stay informed and involved in ongoing policy conversations
Together, we can advance solutions that ensure all North Carolinians, regardless of their ZIP code, have access to high-quality, equitable care.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
We gratefully acknowledge our generous sponsors for their support and commitment to FHLI. Their contributions make events like FHLI’s Annual Legislative Breakfast possible!
Stay Connected
To learn more about NCRHA membership options, advocacy efforts, or how you can get involved, please visit ruralhealthnc.org or contact Kelsey Cervone at kelsey.cervone@foundationhli.org. Here’s to the power of rural!
The North Carolina Rural Health Association is a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation alongside the Center of Excellence for Integrated Care (COE), Project ECHO Network in North Carolina (PEN-NC), the North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative (NCOHC), and NCCARE360.