NCDHHS celebrated the historic investment in behavioral health this week with a kickoff at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Secretary Kody H. Kinsley, Representative Carla Cunningham and Senator Jim Burgin opened the event by noting the $835 million allocated by the NC General Assembly, which will provide for transformational changes in behavioral health care for every person in North Carolina. This funding was made possible by the federal signing bonus from the enactment of Medicaid expansion.
“Medicaid expansion is the single best thing we could have done for behavioral health in North Carolina,” said Secretary Kinsley. “Medicaid expansion gives access to comprehensive services, like dental care and prescription drug coverage, so that people can focus on their mental health. Now with this investment, we will improve the lives of every North Carolinian by ensuring they have access to the right care at the right time.”
There are several goals for the investment, including five key focus areas:
- Increasing reimbursement rates for behavioral health
- Improving the crisis system in North Carolina
- Improving behavioral health for people involved in the justice system
- Behavioral health workforce
- Child and family well-being
In particular, NCDHHS aims to improve youth behavioral health by having fewer people experiencing a behavioral health crisis in emergency departments, fewer children staying in county DSS offices and emergency departments and increasing behavioral health services available in North Carolina schools.
For the crisis system, NCDHHS wants to ensure there is always someone to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go. This funding will be used to increase the number of mobile crisis units, crisis intervention teams, behavioral health urgent care centers and facility-based crisis support to increase access for both children and adults.
“Behavioral health in North Carolina has been underfunded for decades,” said NCDHHS Director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Health and Substance Use Services (DMHDDSUS), Kelly Crosbie. “By working together with community partners, advocates and providers side-by-side we are building a stronger, more accessible behavioral health system for all.”
NCDHHS is excited about the vision for these behavioral health investments and is working toward implementation. The DMHDDSUS' mission is to build systems, services and supports that improve the well-being of all North Carolinians, with a focus on mental health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, substance use and traumatic brain injury.
To learn more, check out the Investing in Behavioral Health and Resilience comprehensive plan, or sign up to attend the DMHDDSUS Side by Side monthly webinar.