PACE Around Winston-Salem: Who Has It, and Who Is Still Waiting

What PACE is

PACE is a Medicare and Medicaid program for people 55 and older who need nursing home level of care but can live safely in the community when they enroll. One organization takes responsibility for everything: doctor visits, nursing, therapy, prescriptions, a day center, home care, transportation and, if it becomes necessary, nursing home care. For people with both Medicare and Medicaid, there is usually no monthly cost.

The model works because the team sees participants often, usually at the day center several times a week, and catches problems early. For a frail parent with several conditions and a family stretched thin, it can replace a dozen separate appointments and agencies. Nationally, PACE programs have served frail older adults this way for decades, and North Carolina now has programs covering much of the Piedmont; the gap around Winston-Salem is one of the more noticeable ones on the state map.

Where PACE operates around Winston-Salem

Availability differs sharply by county:

Source: North Carolina PACE Association program list, checked November 2026. Enrollment is by ZIP code; NC Medicaid publishes each program's ZIP list.

If you live in Davidson or Davie County, PACE is worth a call now. If you live in Forsyth or Stokes, watch for the opening of the Winston-Salem program; enrollment will be by ZIP code once it begins.

Who qualifies

To enroll, a person must be 55 or older, live in the program's service area, meet North Carolina's nursing facility level of care and be able to live safely in the community with PACE's help at the time of enrollment. Medicaid eligibility is not required, but people without Medicaid pay a monthly premium for the long-term care portion, which makes PACE mainly a program for those who have or will soon have Medicaid.

Enrolling means using the PACE team's doctors and providers. That is a real trade-off for someone attached to a longtime physician, and it is worth discussing openly before signing up.

What Forsyth families can do in the meantime

Without PACE, Forsyth County families assemble similar support from separate pieces. For Medicaid members who meet nursing home level of care, CAP/DA pays for aide hours, adult day health, respite and some home modifications, though slots can be limited. Senior Services Inc. runs Meals-on-Wheels, a home care program and the Williams Adult Day Center, and its help line (336-724-2040) can explain what is available. A licensed home care agency can fill remaining hours privately.

It takes more coordination than PACE, and someone in the family usually ends up as the coordinator. A geriatric care manager can take on that role for families who can pay for one.

How to enroll in PACE in Davidson or Davie County

Call Carolina SeniorCare in Lexington at 336-746-3500. An intake worker will confirm the address falls in the program's ZIP codes, explain the program and arrange an assessment, usually a home visit and a visit to the day center. The program then arranges the state's nursing facility level of care determination and, if needed, helps with the Medicaid application through the county department of social services.

Enrollment starts on the first day of a month once everything is approved. From that point, the PACE team becomes the participant's medical provider and arranges all covered care. Participants can leave PACE at any time and return to regular Medicare and Medicaid.

If you live in Forsyth or Stokes County, the same steps will apply once PACE of the Triad West begins enrolling. Ask the North Carolina PACE Association or NC Medicaid about the opening date and the ZIP codes it will cover.

When PACE is not the right answer

PACE is designed for people who can still live at home with support. When someone needs supervision around the clock, a licensed adult care home or nursing home may be safer, and a PACE participant who needs that level of care moves into a facility arranged by the program. Our comparison of home care and assisted living helps with that decision.