A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT establishing a central assessment and navigation system pilot program in new hanover county to reduce the number of individuals utilizing hospital emergency departments for mental health and substance use disorder services.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Pilot Program Created. – The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, in consultation with the local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO) responsible for the management and provision of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorder services in New Hanover County under the 1915(b)/(c) Medicaid Waiver, shall oversee the establishment of a two‑year pilot program in New Hanover County to focus on assessing and navigating individuals seeking mental health or substance use disorder services, or both, to appropriate community‑based services or other community resources in order to reduce the utilization of hospital emergency department services for mental health and substance use disorder services.
SECTION 1.(b)  Program Design and Location. – The pilot program shall be conducted at New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) and at Wellness City, operated by Recovery Innovations, Inc., by a three‑person centralized team. The three‑person team shall consist of the following individuals:
(1)	A master's level, fully licensed clinician to perform comprehensive clinical assessments of NHRMC patients and other New Hanover County residents exhibiting symptoms of mental illness or substance use disorder who are referred to the pilot program.
(2)	A qualified professional to assist patients, particularly those with a completed comprehensive clinical assessment, with identifying and accessing appropriate community‑based services or other community resources.
(3)	A North Carolina certified peer support specialist, with specialized training and personal experience in successfully managing his or her own serious mental illness or substance use disorder, to provide peer support services, including encouraging patients to take personal responsibility for managing their condition, assisting patients in establishing meaningful roles in society, and providing patients with transportation to and from appointments.
SECTION 1.(c)  Reports. – The LME/MCO responsible for the management and provision of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services in New Hanover County, in collaboration with New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Recovery Innovations, Inc., shall make an interim report to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, and the Fiscal Research Division on the effectiveness of the pilot program by July 1, 2018. The Division shall then make an interim report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services by October 1, 2018, on the effectiveness of the program and the costs associated with administering the program. By July 1, 2019, the LME/MCO responsible for the management and provision of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services in New Hanover County, in collaboration with New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Recovery Innovations, Inc., shall make a final report to the Division on the effectiveness of the program. The Division shall make a final report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division by October 1, 2019, on the effectiveness of the program, along with any recommendations for sustaining or expanding the program.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for the 2017‑2018 fiscal year and the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for the 2018‑2019 fiscal year to fund the central assessment and navigation system pilot program established under Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.