Too many children are struggling to access the mental health care and support they need to thrive
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is committed to improving youth behavioral health in North Carolina and is leveraging the historic investment from the NC General Assembly to ensure everyone receives the care they need when and where they need it.
One of the key initiatives is the Children and Families Specialty Plan — a first of its kind statewide health plan to ensure access to comprehensive physical and behavioral health services for Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and families served by the child welfare system. NCDHHS released an updated policy paper about the plan, as NCDHHS prepares to launch the plan later this year.
“Too many children are struggling to access the mental health care and support they need to thrive — stuck in cycles of conflict at school, in emergency rooms without access to necessary care and sleeping in child welfare offices,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “The Children and Family Specialty Plan is a first-of-its-kind innovation and part of our broader strategy to improve youth behavioral health and secure a healthy future for generations of North Carolinas.”