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Enhancing North Carolina's Mental Health Services: Progress, Funding, and Future Initiatives

North Carolina's mental health services are on the path to improvement, thanks to a pledged action plan from DMHDDSAS leadership and significant budget allocations. The recent $93 million budget boost by the NC General Assembly aims to elevate mental health spending from 43rd per capita. Key initiatives include the expansion of Crisis Intervention Teams in four communities, the restoration of benefits post-incarceration, and substantial proposals for housing and crisis services. Advocacy for community infrastructure and funding flexibility is essential to achieve lasting growth for those living with mental illness.

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Enhancing North Carolina's Mental Health Services: Progress, Funding, and Future Initiatives

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  1. North Carolina’s Grade Some hope for the future Deby Dihoff, Executive Director, NAMI NC

  2. Collaboration with DMHDDSAS • Met with full Executive Leadership Team 2/6/07 • Pledge from Director Moseley to return with a written plan to address some areas needing improvement • Held meetings with Mike Moseley and Mike Lancaster on grade improvement

  3. What areas have improved? • NC General Assembly allocated $93 M in 06 to Mental Health statewide • This will improve our status from the current 43rd per capita in mental health spending • CIT implementation has support; 4 existing communities (Pitt, Wake, Winston-Salem, Vance) with many others in the development stage

  4. Specific requests to the Division • Restoration of benefits post incarceration (0/2) • Consumer and Family Monitoring Teams (0/2) • Reduction of use of seclusion/restraint (0/3) • Support for CIT statewide implementation

  5. LOC Recommendations • Purpose of LOC • Disclaimer: it’s early, things change • Concern that since money wasn’t used in 06 appropriations, why should legislators allocate more?

  6. Proposal #l • Build community infrastructure • $113 M in 07-08 Total • $ll5 M in 08-09 Total • Additional Housing Assistance

  7. Proposal #l continued • 24 Hour Transitional residential treatment program (alternate to rest homes) • Uniform screening of those admitted to a facility • $20M year one, $30M year two to expand crisis services • $5M state psychiatric hospital pilot (reduce admits by increasing crisis services)

  8. Assistance to Law Enforcement • Add l5 additional jail diversion programs • Money for technical assistance and training of CIT teams

  9. Trust Fund • Repeals language that allows money for state hospital repair, construction • Restricts money to community expansion

  10. Policy Improvements • Increase flexibility of funds (single stream funding) for four more LMEs • Establishes rate tiers for new community support definitions • $30 M each year for new mental health services • Uniform sliding fee scale • Expand commitment pilot program to five more LMEs

  11. What can you do? • Contact your legislators • Ask them to support LOC recommendations • Ask for them to support parity • Support anti death penalty draft bill (Kinnaird) for those who were severely mentally ill at the time of the commission of the crime

  12. What will this accomplish • We need more money to build community services • This infusion of $ll3 M if spent correctly will go a long ways towards improving the lives of those who live with mental illness • It will take years to make up for the financial neglect of services

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