Reform of the Public Mental Health System
(Go right to What Happened?)
Background
The Joint Legislative Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse was established through legislation passed during the 2000 legislative short session. The Committee, comprised entirely of legislators, is charged with developing a comprehensive plan for the reform of the mental health system. The Committee will present an initial report to the General Assembly in January 2001. This will only be the beginning, however. The Committee will meet for at least 5 years and guide the reform of the public mental health system.
The establishment of the Joint Legislative Committee was recommended by State Auditor Ralph Campbell. Mr. Campbell and consultants from Public Consulting Group (PCG), completed an exhaustive and provocative review of the public MH/DD/SA system this past spring. The report documented numerous problems with how the system is governed, how services are provided, the type of services provided, and how the system is financed. The Committee is charged with reviewing the recommendations from the state auditor and using those recommendations as a starting point to reform the system. Over time, the Committee will need to refine, modify, and develop these recommendations into a plan for the state that will get the backing of the General Assembly and the next Governor. Additional information on this issue and talking points on mental health reform are available on the NAMI North Carolina web page at State Reform Effort.
A comprehensive reform bill has been introduced in the House and Senate (H381/S374), it does four major things: 1) Establishes a county-based program of governance, 2) adds to the powers and duties of the Secretary of DHHS, 3) requires the development of a detailed state plan for MH/DD/SA services, 4) establishes an MH/DD/SAS consumer advocacy program . Some parts of the bill, such as the state plan and ombudsman, have strong support. Other parts, such as county-based governance, is controversial. Efforts are being made to develop a compromise amendment around local governance that should be completed by the end of April.
Following some last minute changes to allow for greater legislative oversight of any decision to close a state institution, the Mental Health Reform Bill (H381) passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate. For a summary of the bill’s major features go to http://www.naminc.org/reformbill.htm or to view the entire bill go to http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/billnumber/billnumber.pl?Session=2001&BillID=h381 . Passage of the bill caps a full year of effort to craft the bill which aims to strengthen the governance of the public MH/DD/SA. The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Verla Insko and Sen. Steve Metcalf, were tireless advocates on behalf of meaningful reform. No one, however, believes this one bill will solve all of the problems of the public MH/DD/SA system. But it establishes a framework, timeline, and clear expectations on how reform efforts should proceed. One centerpiece of the bill is the development of a state plan for MH/DD/SAS services. Work on this plan already has begun with the final plan will be presented to the Legislative Oversight Committee in December 2001.