A State Task Force on Rural Health was formed (January 1973) by the State Rural Development Committee to identify and analyze major rural health problems in North Carolina and to recommend alleviation strategies. The Task Force submitted open-ended questionnaires to members of the County Rural Development Panels to secure their perceptions of county health problems. Panel member responses were grouped into categories (responses did not represent a statistical sampling, but did represent 94 of 100 counties). Categories were: shortage of manpower, shortage of facilities, disease and related problems, and environmental health problems. Data were divided into principal problems: priority problems, citizen role, outside assistance needs, and health problems listed by region and county. A shortage of health manpower and inadequate facilities and services were identified as the major health problems in North Carolina. In the category of facilities, mental health care, family planning, and medical care were problems. Drug abuse and venereal diseases were the two major concerns in the disease category; water and sewer problems were important environmental concerns. As traditional health care methods were not deemed feasible, new systems, health education, and utilization of existing community resources were recommended. (JC)