How can we let this happen

CARING FAMILY NETWORK (CFN) TRANSITION

Questions and Answers – 2/27/08

1. Is CFN going out of business?

No. Caring Family Network will stop providing outpatient and community-based services in Orange, Person and Chatham counties. They will continue to provide therapeutic foster care services in those counties and will provide additional services at other CFN sites across the state.

2. Is OPC going out of business?

No. OPC is not the same as CFN. OPC is the local governmental agency with responsibility for oversight and management of publicly-funded mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services in Orange, Person and Chatham counties. OPC provides screening, triage and referral for individuals needing services in the area; recruits and monitors an array of community service providers; and manages the distribution of state monies for services to consumers. CFN is a private agency that provides services in the OPC catchment area.

3. Why is CFN leaving?

CFN reviewed their operations in the OPC area and determined that they were no longer able to sustain their outpatient service array in the current mental health system.

4. What programs does this affect?

Person Counseling Center in Roxboro, Family Counseling Center in Hillsborough, Chatham Counseling Center in Pittsboro and Siler City and CFN’s outpatient clinic in Chapel Hill.

5. When will CFN stop providing services?

That will vary by county. In Person County, CFN will stop operating on February 29, 2008 but will continue to provide MD services through March 10. Currently, CFN plans to be operating in Orange and Chatham Counties at least until March 14^th. However, OPC is currently negotiating the end-date with CFN in those counties, so that they may continue to provide services until new providers are established in those areas.

6. What is OPC doing about this?

OPC has hired a transition project manager, Jim Martin, to organize and facilitate the transition of CFN out of the OPC area. OPC has been recruiting providers to create sufficient service options that meet the needs of the community and minimize the impact of CFN’s departure. A transition team is meeting frequently to manage the details and is in communication with potential providers and other interested stakeholders and partners.

7. Will people lose services in this transition?

CFN is currently referring existing consumers to other agencies. Consumers who have not yet been referred may choose one of the new providers who have been identified to provide the service array formerly offered by CFN. Consumers who have Medicaid, Medicare or no insurance can call OPC 919-913-4100 and will be put on a waiting list to be referred to one of the new agencies. OPC Care Coordinators are collaboratively working with CFN to identify those consumers with high needs, such as those needing medications, so that those consumers will be tracked and assisted through the transition process.

8. Who will provide services to the consumers who were seen at CFN?

Again, that will vary by county. In Person County, two providers, Freedom House and Triumph, will be providing services from the Person Counseling Center space. Freedom House began providing daytime crisis and outpatient mental health and substance abuse services on February 12, 2008 and intends to begin providing community support and psychiatric services in the near future. We are hopeful that Triumph, who will provide outpatient services as well as community support and community support team, will be working on-site by March 3, 2008.

In Chatham County, OPC is working with Freedom House and Therapeutic Alternatives on increasing capacity to provide a continuum of outpatient mental health, substance abuse, crisis and community support services. OPC is currently in negotiation with these providers, as well as additional providers, concerning issues of endorsement, site location, etc. We are hopeful that agreements will be reached quickly and that additional services will soon be available in Chatham County.

In Orange County, Freedom House and Triumph are already providing mental health, substance abuse, and community support services in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough respectively. We anticipate that both of these providers will be increasing capacity in the near future to be able to serve CFN consumers. OPC is also in negotiations with other providers who we are hopeful will be able to create increased capacity for those consumers as well.

Currently, CFN has agreed to extend services in Chatham and Orange Counties until March 14th. Should the transition to the new providers in Chatham and Orange Counties take longer than anticipated, OPC and CFN have discussed an extension of the end date so that they can continue to provide basic coverage for consumers and allow an opportunity for existing staff to participate in a job fair with new providers.

OPC will also continue to work with our existing provider community to determine how they can assist in this process.

9. How did OPC pick these providers?

OPC had a meeting with area providers to determine their interest and ability to expand their service capacity. In addition, OPC directly contacted agencies who are currently providing services in counties adjacent to ours to inquire about the possibility of expanding into our area. OPC reviewed capacity surveys that providers completed and began negotiations with several providers who demonstrated the capacity and infrastructure to quickly expand their services to meet this pressing need.

10. Where can I find out more about these providers?

Freedom House – www.rtpnet.org/freedom

Triumph – www.triumphcares.com

Therapeutic Alternatives – http://mytahome.15-501.com

11. What will happen to CFN staff?

It depends on the individual staff member. Some staff members will take the same (or similar) jobs with the new providers, while other staff members may choose to leave.

12. What will happen to the psychiatrists who worked at CFN?

Three of the psychiatrists who worked at CFN (Drs. Fullwood, Jimenez and Jackson) are actually OPC employees who worked via a contract with CFN. OPC will continue to employ these individuals and is working to establish similar contracts with the new providers so that consumers may be able to maintain their relationships with those psychiatrists. Other psychiatrists were employed directly by CFN and will be making choices about where they will go (see previous question). We also anticipate that the new providers may have additional capacity for psychiatry in the OPC area if needed.

13. What about consumer choice?

Consumers absolutely have the right to choose their provider. If a consumer does not want to be served by one of the new providers who have been asked to expand as a result of CFN’s departure, they can choose another provider in the area. Consumers with Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance can choose a provider who accepts those types of insurance. Consumers whose services are paid for by state funds (IPRS) can choose from providers with whom OPC contracts. If a consumer wants to follow his/her current therapist/doctor to another agency, he/she can certainly do so, provided that the therapist/doctor is able to accept the consumer’s insurance or IPRS funding. It is important to remember, however, that a consumer is not required to follow their therapist/doctor if they leave their current agency.

14. Will the location of the clinics change?

It will vary by county. In Person County, services will continue to be provided from Person Counseling Center. Services will also continue to be provided in Hillsborough at the Family Counseling Center and in Siler City at the Chatham Counseling Center site. We are still working with providers to determine the locations of clinics in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro.

15. What will happen to the Community Resource Court?

In order to minimize the impact on the court system and the individuals involved in the Community Resource Court, OPC will temporarily operate that program and will hire the existing CRC staff. OPC plans to issue an RFP and hopes to award the program to an independent provider by July 1, 2008.

16. Will there be changes in the way people access services?

No. People should call the OPC STAR line at 919-913-4100 or 800-233-6834 for referrals. The STAR line can also be accessed by TDD at 866-598-6459 or you can call NC Relay at 711 and instruct the Relay Operator to dial 800-233-6834.

17. Will consumers have to do anything to make sure their treatment will continue?

Consumers will be asked to sign consents to have their records transferred to a new provider.

18. Will there be any more information sent to consumers?

OPC plans to hold meetings with consumers in all three counties, the first of which was held in Person County on February 25th. We also plan to continue to update information on the OPC website at www.opcareaprogram.org

19. Where do I go if I have a crisis?

In Person County, Freedom House is providing day-time crisis services at Person Counseling Center site. CFN will continue to provide day-time crisis services in Orange and Chatham counties at least until March 14^th. After hours crisis services have not changed. Freedom House still provides Facility Based Crisis and Mobile Crisis Services, both of which can be accessed by calling 919-967-8844. Individuals in crisis can also call 911 or go to their local hospital.

20. Who can I call if I have questions?

You can call OPC’s Customer Service Line at 919-913-4120.

Updates from N&O regarding Easley Administration

http://www.newsobserver.com/2771/story/981599.html

RALEIGH - The Easley administration today fired Debbie Crane, the state official who handled News & Observer reporters' requests for information as they worked on a series about mental health.
Crane, 48, who was public affairs director at the state Department of Health and Human Services, said department secretary Dempsey Benton told her yesterday that Gov. Mike Easley "wanted me out. He had lost confidence in me."
Crane was officially fired this morning by another department official, she said, after Benton went to Easley's press conference about mental health issues.
Crane said her dismissal revolved around the Easley administration's attempts to get former DHHS secretary Carmen Hooker Odom to talk to The N&O about her supposed opposition to the 2001 mental health reforms.
There is no evidence that Hooker Odom opposed the bill, although Easley told reporters late last year -- and again today -- that she had vigorously opposed the legislation.
In a 2001 letter addressed "to all North Carolinians," Hooker Odom said she had developed the reform plan "in collaboration with the North Carolina Legislature." She said she was presenting the plan to the state's residents "with pride and enthusiasm."
Crane said Hooker Odom contacted her in early January about talking to The N&O. Crane said she e-mailed her that, "'These stories are going to be terrible. It's up to you. I wouldn't call them back.'"
"She's in a different role now," Crane said. "She's out of it."
Easley refused to take a reporter's question about Crane at today's news conference. He later dodged a reporter seeking more information by leaving in a car other than the one flanked by his security detail.
The N&O series, "Mental Disorder: The Failure of Reform," reported that the state had wasted at least $400 million on a new community support program for the mentally ill. It also revealed that since December 2000, 82 people had died in state mental institutions under circumstances that raised questions about their care.
Crane worked in state government for more than 18 years. She was paid $86,000 a year. She said she doesn't know what she'll do next.
"It does amaze me that y'all have done this series detailing all this waste of money, all the hurt people ... and that the one person who gets fired is me," she said. "It's truly shooting the messenger."

Posted by Jack Register, MSW, LCSW at 3:16 PM

News & Observer posts Governor Press Release

Here is a link to the N&O story on the Governor's press conference.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2771/story/980548.html

Posted by Jack Register, MSW, LCSW at 2:49 PM

Gov Easley makes statements regarding NC Mental Health System

Gov Easley & HHS Secretary Benton held a press conference today to discuss needed reforms in the state MH/DD/SAS system. The following link will take you to the WRAL piece and video.

Posted by Jack Register, MSW, LCSW at 2:42 PM

 

 

From Staff Reports

Gov. Mike Easley today vowed to seek changes in the state's mental health system while placing blame on legislators and local management agencies for the failures of a 2001 reform effort.

In a news conference, the governor said he would urge legislators to transfer direct supervision back to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

He also called for a streamlined process to cut off private companies that have been charging exorbitant fees for providing support services to the mentally ill.

And he said he would propose a $40 million initiative to provide more beds in local psychiatric facilities and set up mobile crisis teams to travel the state. The idea would be to control admissions to the state's psychiatric hospitals.

Easley said he would submit the recommendations to legislators for action during the upcoming short session of the General Assembly.

The 2001 reform enacted by legislators "went too far too quickly," Easley said. He was particularly critical of measures he claimed eroded the power of the secretary of health and human services over the mental health system.

"Now Secretary [Dempsey] Benton has to go through an incredibly impossible, untenably complicated and time-consuming process" to rein in abusive providers of what is known as community support, Easley said.

"It is not workable. It is not something any manager can use... In short, we need to give the secretary of health and human services ... control over the mental health services process."

A recent series of reports by The News & Observer described hundreds of millions in wasted tax dollars, misdirected use of resources and sometimes fatal effects on dozen of patients.

For weeks, Easley has spurned requests from The N&O to interview him about problems with his administration's oversight of mental health reform.

At today's news conference Easley took one question each from three N&O reporters and chided them for attempting to ask more. The news conference lasted less than 39 minutes.

Easley said his administration vigorously opposed the 2001 plan, which privatized services and handed oversight to local boards. He said that lawmakers who claim that the Easley administration did not object to the reform have faulty memories.

When legislators were enacting reform, the DHHS secretary at the time, Carmen Hooker Odom, described the changes as a result of a collaboration between her and legislators.

Today, Easley said the department could have done a better job once the changes were under way by giving the local mental health offices more direction.

His proposals for improving the system centered on three areas:

- Giving the secretary of health and human services clear authority and the ability to act quickly to manage the mental health system. The 2001 legislation, he said, handed too much control to 25 county and regional mental health offices run by local boards. Easley maintained that there are too many local offices and that consolidation would save money.

- Improving standards for private companies that provide community support services to the mentally ill. He called for differential pay to the providers, depending on the level of services they provide. Some companies have charged the state's standard rate of $61 per hour for taking patients to the movies or watching them in school.

- Cutting unnecessary stays in psychiatric hospitals. The 2001 reform was meant to reduce hospitalizations, but instead the number of patients admitted has gone up, Easley said. More beds in local facilities and mobile teams of crisis workers to provide services locally will help reduce the number of people placed in the state's hospitals, he said.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/

ellen

i care about what happens to the mental health programs because im involved with cap[ community alterative program ]. thedivision of mental health subtance abuse and dd are all hooked together

see i have had cerebral palsy since i was a baby .

ellen