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Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW
Director, DMH/DD/SUS
| | Hot Topics | September 9, 2025 | | Director Crosbie Receives Prestigious Ramstad Kennedy Award for Support of Recovery Work | | |
Last Thursday, DMH/DD/SUS Director Kelly Crosbie was named winner of the 2025 Ramstad Kennedy Award for her efforts in supporting and promoting recovery. The award is given annually to a single state agency director who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in support of recovery and National Recovery Month activities.
Robert Morrison, Executive Director and Director of Legislative Affairs for the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Agency Directors, presented the award to Director Crosbie. Afterward, she posed for a picture with event guest speaker Tom Farley, Chris Farley’s brother, who works with Recovery.com and US Representative Paul Tonko, who serves as Co-Chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus.
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“I am truly honored to accept this recognition, but this award really belongs to the North Carolina recovery community,” Director Crosbie said. “Every day, they show courage, compassion, and commitment—helping friends, families, and neighbors find support and healing without shame or stigma. Together, we are leading the way in expanding access to evidence-based care and building a future where dignity, hope, and recovery are possible for all.”
The recovery community dedicates September to promoting and supporting new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, recognizing the nation’s recovery community, and honoring the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery possible. The award is named after two former Congressmen, Patrick Kennedy and John Ramstad, who were staunch advocates for mental health parity and addiction recovery.
The award was presented at a luncheon in Washington, DC hosted by Faces & Voices of Recovery and Mobilize Recovery to kick-off National Recovery Month.
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Week Two of National Recovery Month
Emphasizes the Importance of Home
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SAMHSA defines recovery as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Having a safe place to live is one of the four major dimensions of recovery.
Pictured with DMH/DD/SUS Director Crosbie, Reverend Philip Cooper from Operation Gateway is a story-sharer for Unshame NC, our public education campaign dedicated to reducing stigma and shame. He is also “Chief Change Agent” with Arise Stigma Slayers, an initiative of Voices of Affrilachia.
In this UnshameNC video, Reverand Cooper shares his inspiring story of growing up with a challenging home life, overcoming substance use with peer support while incarcerated, and leaning on faith to stop the cycle and become a family man in a happy home.
Recovery strengthens the foundation for the home, the heart, and the hope we all need to keep going.
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Governor Stein Proclaims September 7-13 as
National Suicide Prevention Week
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Last week, Governor Josh Stein signed a proclamation naming Sept. 7-13 as National Suicide Prevention Week in advance of 988 Day, on which we celebrated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the second anniversary of ASL services being offered through that line. At a press conference yesterday, DMH/DD/SUS Director Kelly Crosbie noted that almost half of the contacts received by 988 are from someone who has reached out before, an indication they were satisfied with the help they received previously.
The 988 Lifeline launched in July 2022, offering free one-on-one assistance from judgment-free counselors for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. 988 Lifeline milestones include:
- On Sept. 8, 2023, SAMSHA launched direct video calling to 988 for consumers fluent in American Sign Language.
- From June 2024 through May 2025, 988 in North Carolina averaged more than 11,500 contacts (call, text or chat) per month.
- In May 2025, the center received more than 13,300 contacts, including:
- Nearly 3,000 from people who identified as veterans.
- More than 200 from Spanish-speaking individuals.
- A recent North Carolina survey revealed that one in three callers to 988 say the service saved their life or someone else’s life.
DMH/DD/SUS maintains a dashboard with extensive usage stats on 988 in North Carolina. The state is a national leader in 988 implementation.
| | Order Free 988 Print Materials Through Sept. 22, 2025 | | |
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing free, printed 988 educational materials for local health departments, medical providers, community organizations, and schools across the state to distribute in their communities. Sign up today for these fresh, newly designed toolkit materials. Your order will include posters, flyers, rack cards, wallet cards and stickers available in English and Spanish.
Order your materials by September 22, 2025, to receive them in early October to distribute in your community. To order your materials, please fill out this print materials order form.
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We are looking for volunteers who are interested in addressing mental health, substance use disorder and suicide prevention in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Tarang aims to improve mental health outcomes in the AAPI community through community development grounded in cultural relevance, equity, and empowerment. We are seeking highly motivated, passionate individuals to be thought leaders on developing effective ways to bring awareness, support, and education into their community. You must live in North Carolina and be a member of the AAPI community. The deadline to apply is September 13.
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Measuring Consumer Experience of Care
Have Your Voice Heard!
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DMH/DD/SUS wants everyone who uses services and supports in the public system to receive high quality, person-centered care. The annual Perceptions of Care survey tracks how people and families experience mental health and substance use services in our system.
Each year, DMH/DD/SUS partners with the state’s Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations and their provider networks to survey consumers about the care they receive. The 2025 Consumer Perceptions of Care survey is open through September 19, 2025. We invite all individuals using mental health and substance use services to participate and share their experience. Mental health and substance use service providers can help to administer the survey by going to the Community MH/SUS Client Surveys webpage. For information on prior reports, visit the Perceptions of Care webpage.
| | Learn More About What's Happening in Your Community | | | State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee Meeting | | |
The State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (SCFAC) meeting brings together individuals with lived experience of mental health, developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury, as well as family members and advocates, to provide input and guidance in shaping policy and identifying service gaps.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, 9:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Ashby Building, Conf. Room 115, 2104 Umstead Drive, Raleigh, NC
Registration: Register for the meeting
More Information: Download meeting agenda
| | From Rhetoric to Reality: Elevating Person-Centered Planning Through Lived Experience Engagement | | |
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health for a training designed for direct support providers and organizational leaders working in the NCDHHS DMH/DD/SUS system of care. Participants will learn from recently released technical guidance for organizational leaders and review best-practice recommendations for integrating peer specialists into person-centered planning.
Date/Time: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Registration: Register for the meeting
More Information: Download training flyer
| | Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities Hosts Webinar About North Carolina's Disabilities Benefits 101 | |
Join Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) for a webinar on North Carolina’s Disabilities Benefits 101. This comprehensive and user-friendly online resource is designed to assist individuals with disabilities in making informed employment decisions while receiving benefits.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Registration: Register for the webinar
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NCDHHS Innovations Supported Living Levels 2 & 3
Stakeholder Meeting
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Anyone utilizing Innovations Supported Living Levels 2 or 3, their providers, or families are invited to participate in the quarterly meetings regarding Innovations Supported Living Levels 2 and 3, hosted by UNC Cares. The topics for this meeting include Inclusion Connects Overview and Work Plan, Medicaid Policy and Practice update, and Money Follows the Person updates. To receive more information on the meetings and be added to the listserv, please contact Melissa.Black@unc.edu.
Date/Time: Thursday, September 18, 2025, 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Registration: Register for the webinar
Attend by Phone: 646-931-3860, Meeting ID: 947 0136 5316
More Information: View meeting agenda
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DMH/DD/SUS Director Crosbie
Keynote Speaker at Eastern AHEC Conference
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Join Eastern AHEC for "Responding to the Substance Use Crisis in North Carolina's Rural Coastal Communities" Conference. North Carolina’s rural coastal communities have been uniquely affected by the escalating opioid and substance use crisis, where limited access to care, limited treatment resources, and stigma present daily challenges for individuals and families. Join us for a dynamic conversation grounded in lived experience, evidence-based solutions, and collaborative leadership.
Keynote presentations will feature Kelly Crosbie, Director of the North Carolina Division of MH/DD/SUS and Arthur Kleinschmidt, PhD, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, who will provide an update on the current state of Substance Use and Mental Health in North Carolina and enlighten us on the work of SAMSHA. This conference is being hosted by Hope Mission of Coastal Carolina and Eastern AHEC.
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, 9:00-3:30 p.m.
Registration: Register for the conference
Location: Carteret Community College, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC
More Information: Download conference brochure
Event Flyer: Download flyer
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