Bakersville, NC – January 7, 2025 — Mountain Community Health Partnership is pleased to announce that Dr. Steve North, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FASAM, has joined its team of dedicated healthcare providers. A rural family physician and specialist in addiction and adolescent medicine, Dr. North brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to improving healthcare access in Western North Carolina.
Dr. North first came to Bakersville in January 1999 as a third-year medical student for a six-week family medicine rotation at the Bakersville Clinic. Inspired by the community and its needs, he returned in 2006 as a full-time physician and provided care at the Buladean and Tipton Hill School and Family Health Centers from 2007 until the schools closed in 2011.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. North is the founder and medical director of Health-e-Schools, a groundbreaking school-based telemedicine program launched in 2011. Initially serving three schools in two counties, the program has grown to provide primary care, behavioral health, and adolescent medicine to over
72,000 students across 130 schools in 11 predominantly rural school districts in North Carolina. Health-e-Schools received the American Telemedicine Association’s President’s Award for Health, Quality, and Innovation in 2014.
Dr. North’s career also includes serving as the Vice President of Medical Strategy for Eleanor Health, an outpatient substance use disorder program, from 2019 to 2024. During this time, he championed harm-reduction strategies and the integration of virtual care to support recovery. From 2014 to 2019, Dr. North was the Medical Director for Mission Virtual Care, where he worked to integrate virtual visits and remote monitoring into Mission Health, North Carolina’s sixth-largest health system.
A recognized leader in telehealth, Dr. North has served as a Rural Telehealth Research Fellow at UNC’s Sheps Center for Health Services Research and contributed to national guidelines on pediatric telehealth and telemental health. He currently serves on the boards of Advocates for Youth, Impact Health, and the Toe River Health
District.
Dr. North’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Rochester. He completed his Family Medicine Residency and Adolescent
Medicine Fellowship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Dr. North resides in Spruce Pine, NC, with his wife Amanda and their four children. Outside of his professional work, he enjoys gardening, board games, and spending time with his family and their dogs. Mountain Community Health Partnership is excited to welcome Dr. North and looks forward to the continued
impact of his expertise and vision on the health and well-being of our communities.
###
Mountain Community Health Partnership
Contact: Jamie McMahan
Web: www.mchp.care
Phone: (828) 675-4116 or request an appointment online www.mchp.care/patients
Community Health Center members, send your news to Stacie Borrello, NCCHCA Communications and External Affairs Manager.
