New Program To Provide Paramedics With Training In Mental Health Care | Eastern North Carolina Now

    A new state grant will help train McDowell County paramedics on how to provide mental health home wellness checks and connect local people to mental health and addiction treatment programs.

    A $5,000 Crisis Solutions Initiative grant to Smoky Mountain LME/MCO, a regional public managed health care organization, will pay for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for the McDowell County Emergency Medical Services. The CIT program trains law enforcement officers and first responders to better help people experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis, according to a news release.

    This grant funding from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will soon allow McDowell County paramedics to better connect residents with mental health and addiction treatment and perform home wellness checks on people who are at risk for psychiatric hospitalization.

    Smoky's key partners in the project include McDowell County EMS and RHA Health Services, Inc. (RHA), a behavioral healthcare provider. The CIT training, scheduled to begin in May, will equip EMS staff with the knowledge and skills to help people find treatment resources and will add a behavioral health component to the department's already successful Community Paramedic Program, which provides wellness checks on people with serious physical health conditions, according to the news release.

    "Community support can make all the difference in the world for individuals diagnosed with a mental illness or addiction issue," said Genny Pugh, Smoky's senior director for community collaboration. "This robust program will help give people the resources and attention they need to stay healthy, find treatment if needed, prevent crisis situations and support people in their journey toward recovery."

    The CIT training is part of a larger effort to improve the availability and quality of behavioral health services available to McDowell County residents.

    "The physical health component of the Community Paramedic Program has already prevented nearly 300 emergency department visits and 36 inpatient readmissions, saving approximately $460,000 in the first year," said EMS Director William Kehler. "We look forward to bringing this innovative program to our local residents with mental health and substance use treatment needs."

    Plans are underway to enhance RHA's behavioral health comprehensive care center in Marion, which provides same-day assessments and referrals. The center will soon offer expanded hours and serve as a screening location to determine if people in a behavioral health crisis can be effectively treated without having to visit an emergency department.

    This program is the result of a community partnership working to improve local mental health/addiction treatment and includes McDowell County EMS, the McDowell Health Coalition and the McDowell County Department of Social Services.

    Additionally, in a joint venture with other communities and agencies, RHA will open a new behavioral health crisis stabilization facility early next year in Lenoir that will also serve McDowell County residents. These facilities help reduce the number of people seeking behavioral healthcare in hospital emergency departments, where wait times may be long and specialized psychiatric services may be lacking, according to the news release.

    RHA Vice President of Operations Sandy Feutz said, "RHA is committed to providing high-quality supports and services for people with all kinds of behavioral health needs. We're excited about these opportunities to provide professional, specialized treatment to McDowell County residents seeking treatment."

    The DHHS Crisis Solutions Initiative aims to ensure that people experiencing a behavioral health crisis receive timely, specialized treatment in coordination with community resources. Each year, there are an estimated 150,000 visits to emergency rooms and emergency departments in North Carolina related to an acute psychiatric or addictive disorder crisis, and 13 percent of individuals with a mental health crisis treated in an emergency department will return within 30 days, according to DHHS.

    Since 2008, Smoky has trained more than 550 officers and first responders in CIT. Additional partners involved in the McDowell County EMS initiative include the McDowell Health Coalition and its Substance Abuse and Mental Health work groups, the McDowell County Crisis/ED Initiative, the Adult and Child Mental Health Collaboratives and the McDowell County Department of Social Services.

    Smoky Mountain LME/MCO manages public funds for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disability services in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties in North Carolina. Access to services is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-849-6127. Visit Smoky online at www.smokymountaincenter.com.

    NC Department of Health and Human Services

• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• news@dhhs.nc.gov •(919) 855-4840