Report to Governor’s Task Force on MH/IDD/SA Fred McClure 2016-17 NCACC President Davidson County Commissioner

NCACC Mental Health & Substance Abuse Initiative Focused on four areas: Helping address opioid crisis in NC Reducing number of mentally ill in jails Spreading information about Mental Health First Aid for Youth program Educating county commissioners and managers about the MH/IDD/SA system in North Carolina The NCACC Mental Health & Substance Abuse initiative for 2016-17 is focused in four key areas: helping address the Opioid Crisis in NC, reducing the number of Mentally Ill in our Jails, spreading information about the Mental Health First Aid for Youth program, and educating commissioners and managers statewide, especially those just elected this month, about the MH/IDD/SA system in North Carolina. These issues affect the fundamental fabric of our communities throughout North Carolina. As county commissioners we have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about the challenges these issues pose in our communities, and we owe it to our citizens to help educate, inform, and engage them in solutions.

Focus area #1: Helping address opioid crisis in NC County Leadership Forum on Opioid Crisis, beginning spring/summer 2017 Partnership with: NC Association of Local Public Health Directors NC Council of Community Programs NCSU School of Family & Consumer Services County leaders have positions of influence in their communities, and they are deeply concerned about opioid overuse, abuse and death. Local elected officials, interested citizens, and health and mental health practitioners all have their own pipelines of information, but sharing information across disciplines and boundaries can be powerful. Local officials make better informed decisions about programs to implement and resources to deploy if they work together to share their knowledge, ideas, and concerns. The NCACC will be asking every county board of commissioners to convene a County Leadership Forum on the Opioid Crisis beginning in late spring and summer of 2017. We want to enlist all local elected officials in these forums, including all municipal officials from within the county, the Sheriff, the district court judges, and the school board members. Our goal is for all local government officials to fully understand the extent of the problem in their counties, to make sure all those local leaders know what prevention and treatment tools are available in their areas and how to access them, and to develop joint strategies that address any identified gaps in their efforts to help those who suffer from opioid addiction, and their families. The NC Association of Local Public Health Directors and the NC Council of Community Programs have agreed to help us execute these forums, and the NCSU School of Family & Consumer Services has agreed to help provide trained facilitators. The Division and these partners will help us develop the appropriate materials and data to inform the discussions. We plan to conduct a pilot forum in Davidson County in March to make sure we have the appropriate materials, resources and support for the discussions. Based on that experience, later in the spring every county manager and board chairman will be provided a “Meeting in a Box” that contains all necessary materials and supplies for them to conduct their own County Leadership Forums on the Opioid Crisis.

Focus area #2: Reducing number of mentally ill in jails Stepping Up Initiative – 23 NC counties participating Jail Diversion program’s conference NC Council of Community Programs’ Conference Dec 6 – NCACC and NC Psychiatric Association seminar Full-day Stepping Up Summit May 9 Most of you know the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, the National Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the National Association of Counties are collaborating on an initiative to reduce the number of mentally ill in the jails. There are roughly 23 counties in NC participating in this “Stepping Up” initiative. The NCACC wants to share the lessons learned through this initiative with all counties and encourage them to implement better practice models. For a number of months now, the Association has been participating in conference calls hosted by the Division’s Jail Diversion program that bring all the county participants together to share what they are learning through their “Stepping Up” programs. The group is interested in having a full conference, where they can meet and talk with each other, and where other counties can learn what they are doing. The NCACC is supporting this effort. An initial step to engage others in learning about “Stepping Up” is a taking place next week in conjunction with the December conference of the NC Council of Community Programs. The NCACC and the NC Psychiatric Association are co-sponsoring a half-day seminar on Dec 6 to raise awareness of the initiative with the LME/MCOs, community advocates, providers and board members. A full-day summit has now been scheduled for May 9 here in Raleigh so that participating counties can share their experiences and best practices with others from across the state. Our goal is for commissioners across the state to learn about successful jail diversion and treatment programs, and find out how they can adopt model processes and practices that reduce the numbers of the mentally ill in jails.

Focus area #3: Spreading information about Mental Health First Aid for Youth program NCACC promotion of program among general public, school boards Division of Mental Health videos Education session in Feb to educate NCACC Human Services, Justice & Public Safety and Education Steering Committees The Youth Mental Health First Aid program provides lay people (non-MH professionals) with practical indicators of potential behavioral health problems in young people with whom they have regular interactions, and teaches them how to suggest appropriate resources for those who may be suffering silently. The NCACC wants to promote this program to the general public and especially with the county School Boards, so we can make sure teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, advisors, and others can benefit from these prevention techniques. This will be an on-going initiative throughout the year. With help from the Division, we have obtained short video promotional spots that can be posted on the NCACC website under the Mental Health resource page link; we will also provide these materials to the counties for use on their websites and public service access channels, and develop suggested talking points for commissioners to use to promote the program as they meet with civic groups in their counties. An education session will be held in February at a joint meeting of our Human Services, Justice & Public Safety, and Education steering committees, an estimated 100 county elected officials, to help more of our members learn about this and the other Mental Health First Aid programs.

Focus area #4: Educating county commissioners and managers about the MH/IDD/SA system in NC NC City & County Managers Association “Introduction to MH/IDD/SA System” Feb 1 UNC School of Government “Basics of County Human Services” May 30 and Regional Seminars in June As is true with all public sector positions, Baby Boomer retirements are affecting the profession of county managers. Each year, the number of managers who know and understand the MH/IDD/SA system diminishes, yet this position is critical to the engagement of county commissioners in discussions about how the services system affects their citizens. To improve county managers’ understanding of the Mental Health system, the NCACC will provide a three-hour class “Introduction to MH/IDD/SA System” at the Winter Seminar of the NC City & County Managers Association on February 1 at the Sheraton Imperial RTP. Every two years, the NCACC collaborates with the UNC School of Government to provide a one-day course on the Basics of County Human Services. In delivering this program, it has become apparent that the time available for discussion of the MH/IDD/SA system is not enough. The 2017 class is currently scheduled for May 30 in four locations. To supplement this class, the NCACC is working with the NC Council of Community Programs to deliver three regional stand-alone seminars on the basics of the mental health services system for county commissioners in June. Our goal with these educational efforts is to improve the ability of our key county leaders to understand and engage in critical discussions about the direction, services, challenges, and needs of North Carolina’s mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services system.

Team Effort Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Substance Use NCACC’s Task Force on Mental Health As President of the NCACC, I have realistic expectations about how much we can accomplish in one year. I have challenged commissioners across this state to help focus county energy and efforts locally into these few areas where we think we can begin to make a difference. Our organization will do everything we possibly can to carry out these efforts in 2017.

Thank you! www.ncacc.org/mentalhealth