There have been some big changes for MHSCC in the last few years and more are on the near horizon. The North Carolina General Assembly approved a Mental Health Reform Plan in 2005 that required MHSCC to move from being a provider of mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services to the role of a Local Managing Entity or LME. LMEs are charged with overseeing the delivery of these services by providers in the private sector, and referring citizens to private providers.

Under the State’s Mental Health Reform Plan, Mental Health Services of Catawba County is getting ready to move from the umbrella of Catawba County Government, where it has been thought of as a “county department” for many years. As of July 1, 2008, MHSCC will become part of a new area administrative unit for mental health services, in partnership with Burke County.

After State legislation mandated that all LMEs either cover six counties or include a minimum population of 200,000 people (less than Catawba County’s population of approximately 152,000), Catawba County officials made a detailed study of the best potential partners for a larger LME. Burke County officials approached Catawba County about a possible merger of the mental health services of two counties, and the counties agreed to operate together, under the agency known as Mental Health Services of Catawba County, for the fiscal year that will end on June 30, 2008.

On January 22, 2008 the Catawba County Board of Commissioners approved an Integration Plan, board by-laws, mission statement, and an approach to benefits and operations functions for the merger of Burke and Catawba County mental health services into one multi-county area authority, which will be known as “Mental Health Partners”.

“An Integration Committee met five times in 2007 to consider these issues, with excellent attendance and participation,” said John Hardy, Catawba County’s Area Mental Health Director, in comments to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners on January 22nd. “Its intent was to work through a list of details to move closer to creating or modifying the existing Catawba County Area Authority. Generally, the recommendations are to modify the existing governance structure to incorporate Burke County into a newly named organization called Mental Health Partners. This modified structure includes new by-laws reflecting those adjustments, and organizes new services and employee benefits either by outsourcing them or purchasing them, via Catawba County, for the next two years.”

“Catawba County Mental Health Services has always been guided by a set of values that I am confident will continue to be among its goals for the future,” Hardy said for this issue of Catawba County E-News. “These include a dedication to excellence and integrity at all levels of daily operations; recognition of essential consumer rights which assures choice and self-direction for every individual, adheres to complaint/grievance policies and procedures and has active, functional client rights committees; flexible and accessible services, responsive to individual needs; active partnerships among consumers, families, providers and the community; and a commitment to fostering the best possible service design and best practice treatments in the provider network, to meet consumer needs and move them toward measurable outcomes.”

As MHSCC has moved to the role of a LME, the change has resulted in new opportunities for the staff and the Catawba County Mental Health Services Board of Directors. They have put into place a number of new initiatives in just the past two years that are creating solutions for service delivery difficulties. These include:

A Multi-purpose Resource Center– In conjunction with the Salvation Army, MHSCC was instrumental in renovating a former shelter into an office complex. This center is a one-stop shop for services for consumers in the community with one focus being substance abuse counseling and assessment and assistance in housing.

Mobile Crisis Services have been implemented by Catawba Valley Behavioral Healthcare to bring services to a person in crisis wherever that person is located. This includes support, services and treatments necessary to provide integrated crisis response, stabilization and prevention activities, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

System of Care- MHSCC has developed and implemented “System of Care”, a nationally recognized framework for organizing and coordinating services for children and adult consumers. The effort is entirely family centered, emphasizing that families are full partners for children and should be “in the driver’s seat”.

Child Collaborative and Adult Collaborative Groups- have been partnering with numerous agencies and providers to increase community resources available to provide effective, community based services for children, families and adult consumers.

Jail Diversion– Over the last several years, the issue of people inappropriately being placed in jail rather than in treatment has escalated. A task force including representatives from law enforcement, county management, the judicial system and treatment providers was created to identify solutions. The task force developed recommendations and will work to implement them as necessary.

The majority of the funding for Mental Health Services of Catawba County actually comes from State and Federal sources. For the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2007, $9,366,300 or 67% of MHSCC’s total budget of $14,034,739, came from State and Federal funds. Client fees totaled $1,873,923 or 13% of the total, while funds from Catawba County amounted to 9% of the total budget or $1,276,152. (Source- Mental Health Services’ Annual Report 2006-2007).

Sixty percent of the consumers who accessed Mental Health Services of Catawba County in 2006-2007 were referred to service providers for mental health issues, while 20% were referred for substance abuse treatment services and 5% were referred to providers of developmental disability services. 15% were in a category of persons who did not have a specific diagnosis.

At present, Mental Health Services of Catawba County is guided by a Board of Directors which, during the past year, has included representation from Burke County and has met in both counties.

To learn more about Mental Health Services of Catawba County, we encourage you to visit the agency’s web site at http://www.catawbacountync.gov/MentalHealth.