03/29/2024
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The changes coming for mental health services was a big topic at the Bladen County Board of Commissioners special session on Wednesday evening. The commissioners agenda was Mental Health and Parks and Recreation in the county.
First on the list was mental health and the changes coming to Bladen County. Susan Stroud, the CEO of Eastpointe, and Richard Topping, the CEO of Cardinal, updated the board regarding their services.  Eastpointe and Cardinal are two regional Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organizations, or LME/MCOs responsible for managing the mental health services in North Carolina.

Stroud told the Board Eastpointe is seeking consolidation with Cardinal for their 12 counties.
Topping said the State of North Carolina is in the process of changing how it pays for Medicaid and mental health services. Topping said North Carolina is allowing insurance companies to bid on mental health service contracts. The state has been taking bids for healthcare for years according to the MCO representatives.
Cardinal and Eastpointe are wanting to make the mental health services community and county based. Topping referenced the days of when mental health services were managed by the counties in NC. The positive to county managed mental health services was the providers had someone watching over them locally to insure things were ran properly. The negative to the county managed mental health system was it was not cost effective and according to Topping, “the services weren’t that good.”
Topping said Cardinal and Eastpointe are partnering to do is to find a way to provide a solution that is locally responsive to the county’s needs. After Topping stated the overview he offered to explain the new system as much as necessary.

Commissioner Ophelia Munn-Goins brought up a question. Will the mental health services be offered as a tool for law enforcement?

Topping noted he had met with the Sheriff before the meeting. The ideal situation is to help patients in need of mental health services before they get caught up in the justice system, but the Sheriff is a major stakeholder to the MCOs according to Topping.

Commissioner Michael Cogdell said he has noticed agencies providing mental health services are not local which makes it difficult for people who are trying to obtain services.  “Is it a closed market or an open market?” Cogdell asked.
Topping did not answer Cogdell’s question, but gave a response about working with local law enforcement and other local agencies and providers.
Commissioner Arthur Bullock asked if Topping is familiar with the Stepping Up Initiative.
The success of the Stepping Up Initiative is dependent on the county’s level of commitment to the program according to Topping. “It doesn’t work in all areas,” Topping stated.  He added one of challenges with the program Bullock mentioned is there are multiple stakeholders, like the county’s Sheriff’s Department, involved and the success of the program depends on those partnerships.
Commissioner Cogdell said, “Mental health here in Bladen County is a hidden service.”  Commissioner Ray Britt agreed with Cogdell about the mental health services not being advertised enough.
“Will you all put advertisements up or anything?” Cogdell asked.
Department of Health and Human Services Director, David Howard interjected, there are providers in Bladen County but they are not located in brick and mortar settings. He told the board that is difficult for a provider to come into Bladen County and rent a space and not have any clients. Howard said his staff is exploring the possibility of how they can assist providers coming into the county to provide services.
Topping did go back to Cogdell’s question. “We are advertising that we are here,” Topping said.
The two merging MCO’s are providing services for 1.1 million folks together and the goal is to leverage the amount of clients the MCO has as an incentive for providers to offer services to folks in the more rural counties according to Topping.
Eastpointe has a Kiosk located in the Bladen County Health Department and it is currently located in office.
Opinion: Mental health struggles
By: Charlotte Smith

Our county commissioners held a meeting Wednesday with two top executives of merging managed care organizations assisting clients with mental and behavioral health. The results of the meeting are lacking.

Susan Stroud, the CEO of Eastpointe, and Richard Topping, the CEO of Cardinal Innovation, appeared before the local elected board regarding the services they offer and plans to consolidate.  READ MORE

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