The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Division of Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) have established an EBCI/NCDHHS Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Eligibility Office in Cherokee. The office open officially on Monday, March 1.
The new office will provide culturally-appropriate services to those living on the Qualla Boundary and is co-located with the EBCI TANF and Child Support Services offices at: 1526 Acquoni Road (P. O. Box 427) Cherokee, NC 28719.
“We need to break down barriers to health care if we are going to eliminate health disparities,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. “This new partnership will help provide access to culturally competent, whole-person care that drives overall wellbeing.”
Through this new NCDHHS office, tribal members and North Carolinians living in the Qualla Boundary will be able to get assistance close to home with the following services:
- EBCI/NCDHHS FNS and Medicaid eligibility workers will provide intake services (applications, recertifications and changes) for the Medicaid and FNS programs.
- If an applicant does not reside in Jackson County, the office will be able to forward and assign to the appropriate contact for other counties.
- Applications taken for Jackson County will be processed by the EBCI/NCDHHS FNS and Medicaid eligibility worker for their specific program.
This eligibility office is state-run, through the Jackson County Department of Social Services, to increase access to Medicaid and FNS services.
– EBCI Public Health and Human Services release
