S257 - Appropriations Act of 2017. (SL 2017-57)

Overview: Sec. 11F.7 of S.L. 2017-57 establishes a two-year pilot program to focus on assessing and navigating individuals seeking mental health or substance use disorder services, or both, to appropriate community-based services or other community resources in order to reduce the utilization of hospital emergency department services for mental health and substance use disorder services. The pilot must be overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS), in consultation with the LME/MCO responsible for the management and provision of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorder services in New Hanover County under the 1915(b)(c) Medicaid Waiver and is funded through $250,000 in nonrecurring funds for each of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 fiscal years.

The pilot is to be conducted at New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) and at Wellness City, operated by Recovery Innovations, Inc., by a 3-person, centralized team consisting of the following individuals:

• A master's level, fully licensed clinician to perform comprehensive clinical assessments of NHRMC patients and other New Hanover County residents exhibiting symptoms of mental illness or substance use disorder who are referred to the pilot program.
• A qualified professional to assist patients, particularly those with a completed comprehensive clinical assessment, with identifying and accessing appropriate community-based services or other community resources.
• A North Carolina certified peer support specialist, with specialized training and personal experience in successfully managing his or her own serious mental illness or substance use disorder, to provide peer support services, including encouraging patients to take personal responsibility for managing their condition, assisting patients in establishing meaningful roles in society, and providing patients with transportation to and from appointments.

The LME/MCO responsible for the management and provision of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services in New Hanover County, in collaboration with NHRMC and Recovery Innovations, Inc. must submit an interim report to DMH/DD/SAS by July 1, 2018, and to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by October 1, 2018. A final report must be provided to DMH/DD/SAS by July 1, 2019 and to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by October 1, 2019.

This section became effective July 1, 2017.