After months of work, the Division of MH/DD/SA submitted "The State Plan 2001: Blueprint for Change" to DHHS Secretary Carmen Hooker Buell on November 1, 2001.

The state plan document was developed in response to reform legislation recently passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. The reform legislation intended the state plan to be a document that would implement the legislation and enact reform across the state. As such, the legislation was rather detailed about what should be included in the state plan. It also required that the Department present the state plan to the Legislative Oversight Committee on MH/DD/SA Reform on December 1, 2001.

NAMI North Carolina has attempted to summarize the draft state plan and its attachments. The summary does not review the sections of the state plan specific to Developmental Disabilities or Substance Abuse. It does summarize those sections on Adult and Child Mental Health and those sections common to all disabilities. The summary attempts to be as factual and unbiased as possible. Obviously, in condensing a document that is several hundred pages long to less than 30, a lot of detail has been left out. For those who want to review the plan itself, it can be found at

http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/mhplan/draftplan.htm

Following the summary is a second document, "Where We Stand on the Plan," which details NAMI North Carolina’s response to the proposed state plan.

When you review the state plan and the NAMI North Carolina summary you should be aware of a new term, LME or Local Management Entity. Sometimes referred to as local program. An LME is comparable to the current area mental health program. The name has been changed because the reform legislation allows counties the option of taking over the management of mental health services from the area programs if they choose. The name also reflects the expectation that the primary role of the LMEs will be the management of service providers versus providers of service.

NAMI North Carolina hopes these documents will help inform you and stimulate dialogue within your community on the future of mental health services. The Legislative Oversight Committee on MH/DD/SA Reform will review the plan in December.