The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the release of a new report, Transforming North Carolina’s Behavioral Health System: Investing in a System That Delivers Whole-Person Care When and Where People Need It. The report outlines the state’s expansive and strategic efforts to transform the public behavioral health system to deliver high-quality, equitable, accessible care that meets people where they are in their communities.
The North Carolina General Assembly last year invested $835 million to strengthen the state’s behavioral health system — a historic commitment to improving the health, well-being and day-to-day lives of North Carolinians and their families. The new report details the sweeping changes NCDHHS has made over the past seven years and continues to make using these investments, including strengthening the state’s system of care for people experiencing a crisis, expanding treatment options for children and youth with complex needs, improving outcomes for people involved in or at risk to enter the justice system, and supporting the behavioral health workforce.
“Too often, an underfunded behavioral health system leaves people behind in their most vulnerable moments, particularly children facing mental health challenges and other crises,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “That must change and we have an opportunity to make a transformational investment in North Carolina that addresses people’s critical needs and strengthens families and communities. I appreciate the collaborative work of state health leaders to ensure we have a comprehensive plan to transform behavioral health services across our state to help more people.”
“By investing in behavioral health, we are expanding access to care and saving lives,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “This is what real change looks like – our workforce, our communities and our state leaders coming together to transform our system to provide care when and where it’s needed most. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that every North Carolinian can access mental health and substance use services.”
The report also outlines the department’s work over the last several years to lay the foundation for a reformed behavioral health system, including expanding Medicaid to 600,000 people without health care coverage, transitioning to Medicaid managed care to better integrate physical and behavioral health, and launching the specialty Tailored Plans for people with behavioral health needs, intellectual and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. The report demonstrates how these initiatives enabled NCDHHS to more readily allocate and distribute funding directly into communities to ensure investments began serving North Carolinians as quickly as possible.
Read the full release here.