AN ACT to appropriate funds for east carolina university to establish the center for telemedicine and digital healthcare access and to expand the statewide telepsychiatry program.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for the 2022‑2023 fiscal year the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in nonrecurring funds to establish the Center for Telemedicine and Digital Healthcare Access at East Carolina University (Center) to deliver patient care and service to unserved and underserved areas, offer education and training for healthcare providers, and enhance research capacity in areas such as clinical outcomes, social determinants of health, implementation, science, and technology innovation. These funds shall be used for the following specific purposes related to establishing the Center:

(1)        Hiring, contracting, training, and otherwise supporting necessary personnel.

(2)        The purchase or lease of necessary building space, equipment, and technology.

(3)        School telehealth clinics for students and public school personnel.

(4)        Administrative costs.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Central Management and Support, Office of Rural Health, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2022‑2023 fiscal year to be allocated to the East Carolina University Center for Telepsychiatry and e‑Behavioral Health for the statewide telepsychiatry program established under G.S. 143B‑139.4B, known as NC‑STeP. These funds shall be used to expand access to telepsychiatry services through NC‑STeP for students and employees at up to four additional constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2022.