UNC Health Southeastern is partnering with the nonprofit Robeson County Church and Community Center in an effort to improve health care access.
Physicians in residency training will work alongside Robeson County Church and Community Center employees and volunteers to “gain a more complete picture of the realities many patients face outside the clinical setting,” said Lori Dove, UNC Health Southeastern’s senior vice president and chief operating officer.
“That understanding can help inform more practical care planning, stronger patient education, and better coordination between medical care and community support services,” she said.
Robeson is one of the least healthy counties in North Carolina. Many external factors contribute to the county’s poor health, according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
The county has some of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in North Carolina at over 27% and 4.7%, respectively, federal and state data show. While Medicaid expansion drastically increased the number of residents with health insurance, about 12% of the county was uninsured as of 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Food insecurity is also a major issue across southeastern North Carolina. Robeson County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity at 28.4%, nearly double the state average of 15.4%, according to the N.C. Cooperative Extension.
Dove said residents and fellows will be exposed to Robeson County Church and Community Center’s “community-based education, outreach, and care coordination efforts related to chronic disease prevention and management.”
While Dove said a list of activities and service models is still being developed, physicians could be involved in the nonprofit’s free health clinics or its distribution of health care supplies. Robeson County Church and Community Center also runs a food pantry and diaper bank and offers utility assistance and other resources to people in need.
“In rural healthcare, effective care often depends on understanding not only a patient’s diagnosis, but also the barriers that may affect access, adherence, and long-term health outcomes,” Dove said. “When physicians build that understanding during training, they are often better equipped to practice effectively and build lasting connections in rural communities.”
Robeson County Church and Community Center said in a Facebook post that a formal partnership with the health system was almost a decade in the making. UNC Health Southeastern selected the nonprofit because of its long history in the region and community trust, Dove said.
Once fully realized, Robeson County Church and Community Center’s director, Brianna Goodwin, believes the partnership “will be revolutionary for health care access in rural areas.”
The partnership was made possible through $198,000 from the University of North Carolina System’s Rural Residency Medical Education and Training Fund. The system gave over $6.4 million to 17 universities, health systems, and nonprofits in April to expand or establish new rural health care workforce training programs.
Recruiting physicians to rural areas is difficult, partially because of lower pay and fewer resources, according to the National Rural Health Association. Expanding rural training opportunities increases the chance that physicians will practice in these areas. Doctors who spent at least half of their residency training in rural areas were five times more likely to practice there, according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
UNC Health Southeastern has two of North Carolina’s 12 rural residency and fellowship programs. State health officials plan to use funding from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program to increase rural residency and fellowship programs by 2031.
The UNC System’s Rural Residency Medical Education and Training Fund also provides $8 million annually to help hospitals start, maintain, and expand programs. UNC Health Southeastern received $232,000 to establish new cardiology and sports medicine fellowship programs as part of the fund’s April allocation.
Partnering with Robeson County Church and Community Center could help UNC Health Southeastern retain its residents and fellows once they complete their programs by deepening their connection to the community and showing the impact they can make, Dove said.
“We see this as an opportunity to better prepare physicians for rural practice, deepen our connection to the community, and support more coordinated, patient-centered care across Robeson County and the surrounding area,” Dove said.