HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai toured Western North Carolina, learning about two key recovery programs supporting communities impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.
Sangvai visited Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness in Henderson County, where he praised the work of Hope4NC, a program that provides mental health and substance use disorder services in the region. The initiative has delivered thousands of counseling services to storm-affected residents over the past nine months.
“There is no right or wrong way to feel during and after a catastrophic disaster like Hurricane Helene,” Sangvai said in a news release. “Programs like Hope4NC have been vital to connect people to the care and resources they need when and where they need them.”
From September 2024 through May 2025, Hope4NC has provided more than 11,300 individual or group counseling sessions, more than 200,000 outreach and referral contacts and fielded more than 7,300 calls to its 24/7 helpline.
Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness, a peer-led nonprofit, offers free support in a relaxed setting for individuals coping with SUD or mental health challenges.
“Hope4NC has been vital in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Lexie Wilkins, executive director of Love and Respect, said in the news release. “They have given our community a sense of hope.”
During his visit, Sangvai also met with staff at Caja Solidaria, a human service organization that provides food assistance through the Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP), a Medicaid program serving Henderson and Transylvania counties.
Launched in 2022, HOP is the first program of its kind in the U.S. to test non-medical services — such as food, housing and transportation –as a means to improve health outcomes for high-needs Medicaid participants. As of April 30, more than 43,000 people had received more than 1 million services across 33 counties. State data shows the program has reduced emergency room visits and saved more than $1,000 per person in medical costs annually.
“The Healthy Opportunities Pilot program proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place and has changed the lives of thousands of people,” Sangvai said in the news release.
However, the program’s future is uncertain. Proposed budgets from the North Carolina House and Senate do not include continued funding. Without legislative action, HOP services will cease after June 30, potentially affecting thousands of Medicaid enrollees across the state.