January 1, 2025 Edition 18

The monthly Provider Insider Newsletter will differ from the Network Communication Bulletins by offering an avenue to highlight community happenings across our catchment area. We will share information on various projects Trillium is working on within our local communities and introduce new skill development/training opportunities available to providers.

Inside this edition

Provider Spotlight: It's Your Move
Welcome New Providers!
Special Reminder from Trillium
Provider News
Community Involvement
Provider Resources
New Opportunities
Provider Knowledge
In Case You Missed It

Provider Spotlight

It's Your Move

It's Your Move offers affordable healthcare services, drawing upon years of industry experience. We are recognized as one of the top providers in the state, committed to delivering exceptional service.

Our mission is to enhance the lives of every individual we serve through a holistic approach. We provide specialized services that focus on emotional disorders, criminal behavior, educational deficiencies, and life skills challenges.

We believe that every path to success is built on hope and the understanding that achieving one's goals requires adequate resources. That’s why It’s Your Move offers comprehensive care options tailored for individuals from diverse backgrounds.

We are thrilled to introduce our latest initiative for the North Carolina community, Open Armz, a re-entry program. The goal of Open Armz is to lower recidivism rates and prevent victimization while improving public and community safety. We foster a network of individuals and organizations committed to supporting the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals. By effectively utilizing available resources and innovating solutions to fill gaps, we empower individuals to achieve successful recovery and advocate for policy changes within the state Re-entry Task Force/Advisory Council.

It's Your Move - North Carolina Office

Address: 228 Hwy 13 Windsor NC, 27983

Main: 803.729.6013

Email: info@itsurmove.net

Website: https://www.itsurmove.net/

If you or a fellow provider are interested in sharing your story, please contact us at info@trilliumnc.org. Thank you for all you do for our members!

Welcome New Providers to Trillium!

PROVIDER NAME	COUNTIES SERVED	SERVICES OFFERED	AGE GROUP SERVED
Magnet ABA Therapy	Guilford and surrounding	Research Based Behavioral Health Treatment (RB-BHT)	Children and Adolescents up to age 21
Alexandria Little Westfall	Durham and surrounding	Psychological Testing and Outpatient Treatment	All
Higher Heights Home Care Inc. DBA Higher Heights Family Services Inc.	Wilson and surrounding	Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (SAIOP) and Substance Abuse Comprehensive Outpatient Treatment Program (SACOT)	All
Harper & Associates Residential Living	Lenoir and surrounding	Level III Residential (specializes in LGBTQ youth)	Child and Adolescent below age 17

Special Reminder from Trillium

Trillium Health Resources is reminding providers to renew their Department of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) license. When providers renew their license, this prevents disruption in care for our Members. For instructions on how to renew DHSR license, please see and click the hyperlinks below:

Visit the NC Division of Health Service Regulation Mental Health Licensure and Certification website.
Review question 21: "When do I need to review my license?" Answer: All licenses expire at the end of the calendar year. A renewal application must be submitted through DHSR's online Enterprise System.
Select "Complete Your License Application" and then select "Renewal Application Sign-In."

Provider News

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Invests $20 Million in Transportation Program for People Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on December 20, 2024 announced a $20 million investment made possible by the NC General Assembly in Non-Law Enforcement Transportation, a promising practice of providing trauma-informed transportation for people in mental health crisis who need to be transported from emergency rooms to residential treatment. In the past, much of this transportation was provided by law enforcement; but non-law enforcement transportation provides a safe, therapeutic alternative for people already in mental health distress.

"People in crisis need health care, not handcuffs," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "This program helps people experiencing a mental health crisis receive safe transportation to the inpatient care that they need."

Currently, many counties across North Carolina rely on law enforcement to transport individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. This often involves the use of police vehicles, lights, sirens and, in some cases, handcuffs — all of which can unintentionally turn a routine transfer into a traumatic experience. The new transportation program aims to decriminalize and destigmatize the process of seeking mental health care.

"We want people and families feeling comfortable reaching out for mental health crisis support when they need it," said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. "Knowing a person may be transported in police custody can be a deterrent for people reaching out for the care that they need. This new program is part of our work to strengthen the North Carolina mental health crisis system, ensuring people in crisis can access support without fear or stigma."

Read News Release Here

Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Use Services Launches New Crisis Services Webpage

When life feels out of control, crisis services offer non-judgmental, confidential and compassionate care to connect people with resources and support.

To help North Carolinians know about the services available to them, the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services and the Division of Health Benefits at NCDHHS are in the midst of creating and launching a campaign that will increase visibility of crisis services in the state.

DMH/DD/SUS first steps include:

· A revamped landing page for crisis services available in English and Spanish, that uses easy-to-understand language to describe and connect to our services.

· A searchable map to find community crisis centers (Spanish), including behavioral health urgent cares and facility-based crisis centers.

· A zip code search to find a mobile crisis team (Spanish).

· Google search ads to support people actively searching for information.

In the coming months, we will be sharing a toolkit to support our partners in getting information about NC crisis services to their networks, launching a paid media campaign, and more.

View Webpage

Tailored Care Management Temporary Rate Extension

North Carolina will continue the current Tailored Care Management temporary payment rate of $343.97 statewide through June 30, 2025. Effective July 1, 2025, the payment rate will be $294.86. The continued temporary rate increase reflects the level of effort required by providers, based on available data on provider time and effort to date, to implement the Tailored Care Management model. North Carolina is not making any other changes to the payment methodology.

Please direct any comments or questions to Medicaid.TailoredCareMgmt@dhhs.nc.gov.

Community Involvement

Trillium receives two Innovations Awards from I2I

Trillium Health Resources and our partners accepted two Innovations Awards at the Center for Integrative Health (also known as I2I) winter conference. Trillium and Victory Junction received the “Individual and Family Initiatives” Award and we joined Monarch, The Autism Society of North Carolina, and Physicians Alliance for Mental Health in accepting the “ Technology” Award. The Innovation Awards honor innovative services and programs that aim to enhance comprehensive approaches to care by employing cutting-edge methods, tools, and partnerships.

Trillium has partnered with Victory Junction, an inclusive camp located on 84 acres in Randleman, N.C., to offer family weekends for Trillium members. Victory Junction provides life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, at no cost to campers or their families. Victory Junction provides a chance for families to bond together. Members build self-confidence in their abilities while having fun. All activities are inclusive and suitable to people of all ages with different needs and diagnoses. Victory Junction has an on-site medical center, food service with special foods according to diet needs, and cabins that sleep up to eight individuals. Experiences at Victory Junction are not only fun and exhilarating, but safe for campers and worry free for their families.

Trillium developed the Trillium Ultimate Living Assistant (TULA) with our partners Monarch, The Autism Society of North Carolina, and Physician Alliance for Mental Health. TULA is an innovative, technology-based program that empowers individuals to improve independence through the use of enabling devices and remote supports in community-based settings. TULA aims to enhance independence and improve health outcomes by integrating health monitoring into daily routines. Trillium works with these three providers to tailor a touchscreen device specifically for each member. These devices can provide medication reminders, monitor pulse or glucose levels, signal open door alerts, and so much more. TULA also expands digital literacy for members, establishing a foundation for safely and efficiently accessing information and services through technology.

“Trillium appreciates working with partners like these who share our common goal: to empower independence and encourage life experiences,” commented Joy Futrell, Trillium’s Chief Executive Officer. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, and having the chance to visit an inclusive camp or self-determination through an assistive device helps people to do just that.”

News Release

Provider Resources

Black Mental Health Conference

The BMH Movement is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering a community where Black individuals feel empowered, supported, and understood in their mental health journeys. Through advocacy, education, and culturally responsive resources, we strive to dismantle stigma, promote healing, and create equitable access to mental health services.

The Black Mental Health Conference was founded by Dr. Lashaunda Lucas, PhD, MSW, LCSW and was the first of its kind to be hosted in Raleigh, NC! This conference was designed to EMPOWER, REPRESENT and INFORM Black mental health professionals across all disciplines. Social workers, behavioral health specialists, counselors, psychologists, managed care workers, life coaches, school counselors, marriage and family practitioners, community health workers and anyone who has an investment in the mental health of Black consumers are welcomed to attend.

Interactive workshops offered skills, techniques and frameworks that support the work we do with those we serve and Mental health professionals gained up to 4.5 CEU’s and opportunities to network with other professionals who share their mission to offer culturally responsive practice.

The two-day 2025 conference will be held in Durham, NC on January 31-February 1, 2025.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Releases Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs and Explanatory Video Series

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released new Federal Guidelines for Opioid Treatment Programs that align with the new regulations published in February 2024. The revised regulations took historic steps to increase access to lifesaving, evidence-based medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and promote practitioner discretion, support patient-centered care, reduce barriers to treatment, and remove stigmatizing or outdated language from the 2001 regulations. SAMHSA has also released a video series providing an overview of the first major updates to the regulations in more than two decades.

New Opportunities

Provider Knowledge

Happy New Year from Trillium's IT Security Operations Team!

Help your loved ones have a Happy New Year by following the guidelines from our Security Awareness Training Experts from KnowBe4!

According to KnowBe4’s Cyberheist Newsletter Vol 14 #51 on December 17^th, 2024, Phishing Attacks are now leveraging Google Ads to Hijack Employee Payments.

There’s a popular phishing campaign that is using malicious Google Ads to conduct payroll redirect scams.

The attackers are buying search ads with brand keywords to boost their phishing pages to the top of the search results. Websites and spoofed HR pages in Google search results lure unsuspecting victims into providing access to their employee portals.

After compromising an employee's account, the attackers insert their own banking information and hijack the victim's next paycheck.

Here are some easy actions you can take to protect yourself online all year round:

Use saved shortcuts or bookmarks to trusted sites.
Never use links in an email or in search results to login to a site. The spoofed site can scrape your username and password & use it to login to the legitimate site & steal or change your information.

In Case You Missed It

Trillium presents $150,000 to town of Wallace for Inclusive Playground

Victoria Jackson, vice president for Trillium Health Resources’ south central region, presented the check to Mayor Jason Wells and Parks and Recreation Director David Bizzell during a special ceremony on Nov. 20 at Clement Park.

“This playground would not only be a place where children can play, it will also be a place where everyone can feel welcome and supported, regardless of their abilities,” Jackson said.