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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and First Lady Anna Stein today unveiled a pilot program focused on helping people who have severe mental health needs and are involved in the justice system successfully reenter their communities while reducing their likelihood of reoffending. The $9.5 million investment will create Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams based in Pitt, New Hanover, Wake/Durham, Buncombe, and Mecklenburg counties.
FACT teams are part of a long-term effort by NCDHHS to support people when they are released from incarceration and will build on existing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams by addressing criminal behavior risks to divert people in need of treatment away from the criminal justice system. FACT teams will provide individualized care based on a person’s needs, and each team will assist up to 30 clients at a time. Services include mental health care, housing, vocational/educational support, substance use disorder care, day-to-day living support, and referrals to other professional support services as required.
"I am pleased our state is making a targeted investment to make sure people with severe mental health conditions get the help they need," said First Lady Anna Stein.
"This new approach will improve outcomes for people with serious mental health needs by ensuring they have the resources and care they need to succeed in their communities," said North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. "Providing them with housing, transportation, and health care will reduce the chances they will return to jail or prison. This improves not only their health and well-being but also public safety."
Only a handful of states currently support FACT teams. The multidisciplinary teams include a licensed professional who serves as team leader, a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, and a peer support specialist. Other team members include substance use disorder specialists, vocational/education specialists, housing specialists, and a forensic navigator. The collaborative teams will bring in faith leaders, probation and parole staff, and family members and will include other service providers to help clients as needed.
FACT teams will help clients with everything they need to get through their daily tasks, including help with housing, reconnecting with families, reconnecting with faith communities, and performing daily tasks like laundry or meal preparation.
To be eligible for services, an individual must have a serious mental illness and present a medium to high risk of criminal behavior. Other factors include co-occurring substance use disorders, history of non-compliance with criminal justice mandates, and frequent contact with first responders or hospitals.
"Recovery isn’t ‘one size fits all.’ For people with mental health and substance use issues, justice involvement adds another layer of complexity," said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. "FACT teams deliver the right support at the right time, helping people rebuild their lives with dignity and hope."
Each team will receive $636,000 per year for three years. The funding will flow through the local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO) for each area. Strategic Interventions is the provider for the team in Mecklenburg County. Carolina Outreach was chosen as the provider for the team serving Wake and Durham counties and the team serving a five-county region centered in Pitt County. RHA Health Services is the provider for teams in Buncombe and New Hanover counties.
The FACT teams are expected to be up and running by the end of 2025 or in early 2026. This initiative is part of a historic investment by the NC General Assembly to build a mental health care system in North Carolina that supports all North Carolinians when and where they need it and in the setting that is best for them based upon their individual circumstances.
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