Wilmington nonprofit organization Cape Fear Collective added four team members to work on the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, a federal- and state-funded program that provides reimbursement for non-medical services for high-risk NC Medicaid Managed Care beneficiaries.

In May 2021, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services awarded three Healthy Opportunities Network Leads (NLs), including Community Care of Lower Cape Fear (CCLCF), a CFC news release stated.

NLs will lead pilot efforts in three geographic regions. CCLCF is the Network Lead in a six-county region with CFC assisting with implementation and data support across New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen and Onslow counties, according to the release.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to test and evaluate the impact of providing nonmedical interventions related to food, housing, transportation and interpersonal safety to high-needs Medicaid beneficiaries” says Angela Ives, CCLCF executive director, in the release.

The pilots invest in non-medical interventions that aim to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs by making 29 services in food, transportation, housing and interpersonal safety reimbursable through NC Medicaid. The program also includes funding for capacity building for nonprofits to expand their current services. CFC’s new team will focus on the four sectors, the release stated.

Meaghan Lewis, director of programs for CFC, will lead the team and coordinate the transportation sector of service providers, according to the release.

The following were hired to coordinate the other sectors:

• Catrecia McCoy Bowman (pictured, top left) started with CFC on Aug. 2 as the housing program manager. Bowman brings extensive knowledge of housing services and resources to the CFC team and pilot. She was most recently an individual assistance crew lead for FEMA supporting individuals and families during disaster response and recovery. She started her career with the Wilmington Housing Authority.
• Sandra Brooks (pictured, top right) started with CFC on Aug. 2 as the interpersonal safety program manager. Brooks brings extensive experience in both government and nonprofit sectors and is the founder of United Communities Assistance Network, Allexa Healthcare Services, and B3!CORP. Her experience as both a Medicaid provider and in nonprofit consulting prepares her to support organizations to build their capacity in response to the pilot.
• Morgan Cooper (pictured, bottom left) came on board with CFC on Aug. 30 after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill with dual master’s degrees in public health with a concentration in health behavior and city and regional planning with an economic development specialization. Cooper will support the food sector for the pilot. Cooper’s background includes work as a nutrition educator and food systems intern with Self-Help Ventures Fund. She brings expertise in program evaluation and design.
• Luigi Mendez (pictured, bottom right) is concluding a doctorate program at UNC Chapel Hill in political science and started with CFC on Aug. 16. He specializes in research methodology and data collection methods. Mendez’s role will be as a data scientist dedicated to the HOP program. In this role, he will support HSOs in their understanding of HOP eligible Medicaid Beneficiaries and how to support program evaluation and impact measurement. Mendez is from Venezuela and has worked and studied in America since the late 2000s.