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Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW
Assistant Secretary for MH/DD/SUS
| | Hot Topics | October 22, 2026 | | |
Assistant Secretary Kelly Crosbie and Ann Marie Webb
Spotlight Recovery at the RAI 2026 Summit
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The Recovery Alliance Initiative (RAI) 2026 Summit brought together more than 250 leaders, service providers, and people with lived experience to strengthen recovery communities, share ideas and build new partnerships. Assistant Secretary Kelly Crosbie highlighted the importance of connecting state systems with the communities they serve, emphasizing our shared responsibility to ensure people have the support they need before, during, and after transitions between services.
Ann Marie Webb, DMH/DD/SUS Peer Support Program Lead, participated on a panel to discuss Whole Person Recovery through the four dimensions of health, home, purpose, and community. Their contributions helped reinforce the Summit’s commitment to collaboration and advancing recovery efforts across the state.
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Strengthening Recovery Through
Peer Support and Access to Care
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The Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness 2026 Peer Support Conference highlighted how shared lived experience continues to strengthen recovery communities across North Carolina. Lauren Garvie, DMH/DD/SUS State Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) Field Coordinator and Amanda Martin, Greentree Peer Support Program Executive Director, led an important session on the gap between the availability of medications for opioid use disorder and the real barriers people face when trying to access and stay in treatment.
Drawing from lived experience and system perspectives, they showed how stigma, system navigation challenges, and lack of trust can disrupt recovery in real time. Their message was clear: strong, trusted peer support is essential to improving engagement, building trust, and supporting long-term success with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) services.
| | Help Shape a New Space for Peer Support Specialists in Recovery | |
SMART Recovery is starting a new weekly online meeting designed specifically for peer support professionals across North Carolina. It will offer an anonymous space to talk openly about your own wellness and recovery, whether you are navigating urges, a return to use, or a tough stretch.
You do not need to have everything figured out to join, and we hope to launch the meeting in early November with your input on the best day and time. Please take a short survey to help set the schedule available through Oct. 26, 2026. This initiative is supported by DMH/DD/SUS.
| | Your Voice Matters: Share Your Experience Accessing Health Care For Your Child with Intellectual/Development Disabilities | |
Duke Margolis Institute for Health Policy is inviting North Carolina caregivers to take part in a confidential 90-minute online discussion about their experience getting healthcare for a child with an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD). Share what is working and what is challenging when it comes to doctor visits, specialists, mental health support, and navigating Medicaid Tailored Plans.
If you care for a child under 21 with I/DD, and receive services through Alliance, Trillium, Partners, or Vaya, you may be eligible to participate and receive a $75 gift card. To get started, submit an interest form. For more information, download the initiative flyer in English and Spanish. Questions can be emailed to William Vasquez.
| | National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, Oct. 24 | | |
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, offering North Carolinians a safe, anonymous way to clear out unused or expired medications before they can do harm.
With Operation Medicine Drop and DEA collection sites available statewide, it’s easier than ever to dispose of medications responsibly. Your participation helps protect families, our environment, and the safety of communities across North Carolina.
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Learn More About What's Happening in
Your Community and at DMH/DD/SUS
| | State to Local CFAC Community Collaboration Meeting | | |
DMH/DD/SUS invites you to attend the State to Local CFAC Community Collaboration meeting, focused on elevating the voices of people and families who receive mental health, substance use, intellectual/developmental disability, and traumatic brain injury services.
This meeting is an opportunity to strengthen communication between local CFACs and the State CFAC, share updates, and identify priorities that shape services and supports in our communities. The public is invited to attend.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Registration: Register for the meeting
Please register before the meeting to receive log-in and dial-in options.
| | Statewide Traumatic Brain Injury Provider Collaborative Kickoff | |
North Carolina is launching a Statewide Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Provider Collaborative to strengthen connections and expand support for people living with brain injuries. The new initiative responds to the state’s limited TBI workforce, growing provider needs, and the call for stronger, more coordinated collaboration.
By joining the Collaborative, participants will help build a more unified network and contribute to shaping statewide TBI priorities. Anyone involved in providing services or supports to people living with brain injuries is encouraged to participate in this new statewide effort. To learn more about TBI, visit the DMH/DD/SUS Traumatic Brain Injury webpage.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Registration: Register for the kickoff
Closed Captioning and American Sign Language Interpreters will be provided.
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New Adolescent Residential Substance Use Treatment Center
Attend the Ribbon Cutting and Open House
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Join Insight Human Services as they celebrate the opening of their new adolescent residential substance use treatment center in Marion, NC. Community members, partners and families are invited to tour the center, meet the Insight team, and learn more about this new resource for youth and families across North Carolina.
The new program will serve up to nine adolescents ages 12 to 17, providing intensive clinical support in a structured, home‑like setting. Youth will receive treatment while staying connected to their families and school, helping them prepare for a successful return home. The program is supported by DMH/DD/SUS and was developed in partnership with Vaya Partners.
Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, 12:00 p.m.
Location: 200 Little Acres Drive, Marion, NC 28752
More information: Download the flyer
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Beyond the Referral: The TULA Care Pathway to
Ongoing Remote Support and Independence
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Join Inclusion Connects for an engaging overview of how the Trillium Ultimate Living Assistant (TULA) program supports members from the first referral through long-term remote support services. This webinar will explain the referral process and describe the assessment approach.
The session highlight how TULA collaborates with members, families, providers, and care teams to put technology supports in place that strengthen independence, safety, and quality of life. The session will also walk through how to access TULA. Referral is the starting point, not the finish line. TULA partners with members and care teams every step of the way to build confidence, expand skills, and help people lead the lives they want.
Date/Time: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Registration: Register for the webinar
Closed Captioning and American Sign Language Interpreters will be provided.
| AskMeNC Anniversary Celebration and Report Release | |
Join partners from across North Carolina on Friday, November 6, as we celebrate the first anniversary of AskMeNC and mark the release of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Task Force Report. The event will bring together Service Members, Veterans, families, community partners, providers, and leaders from across the state to celebrate a year of asking, connecting, and strengthening support for North Carolina’s military‑connected communities. It will also explore how to move forward using NCIOM’s recommendations to improve Veterans’ health and systems of care.
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, 11:30-2:30 p.m.
Location: DHHS Headquarters, 1915 Health Services Way, Raleigh, NC
Registration: Register for the event
More Information: Download the event flyer
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