Author: Mimi Tomei
July 24, 2018 – In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure in eastern North Carolina. But not all impacts were visible, and some North Carolinians experienced prolonged trauma and anxiety as they grappled with the storm damage.
North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS) created a program, HOPE 4 NC, to address the mental and behavioral health needs of those affected by the hurricane.
DMH/DD/SAS applied for funding for the program less than three weeks after the storm hit, and the program ran through December 2017 and more than 16,000 individuals received assistance in eight counties – Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Lenoir, Robeson, Sampson and Wayne.
“Much of the success of being able to reach so many people in only 11 months is because of the collaborative partnerships that were formed,” said Lisa Haire, associate director of quality management and operations for DMH/DD/SAS.
Hope 4 NC connected people with crisis counseling resources provided by Alliance Behavioral Healthcare and Eastpointe, the Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations (LME/MCOs) who deliver the state’s behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disability services in the affected counties. The Emergency Management division of the NC Department of Public Safety (DPS) worked to identify where these services were needed most.
Hope 4 NC carried out the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, a supplemental assistance program offering mental health assistance and training activities in disaster areas. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) collaborated through an interagency agreement to provide technical assistance, consultation and training for state and local mental health personnel, grant administration and program oversight.
FEMA funded Hope 4 NC through DPS’ Emergency Management division. This allowed Hope 4 NC to provide emotional support to survivors, enhancing coping strategies and linking survivors to recovery resources for 60 days. SAMHSA provided funding to meet ongoing needs for up to nine months.
Hope 4 NC involved partnerships with numerous other organizations, including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, community organizations, churches, and state and local agencies, including DHHS’ Division of Aging and Adult Services.
Crisis counselors were dispatched to hotels and shelters. Since much of the area affected by the hurricane is rural, a concerted effort was made to reach out to people in those areas for fear that residents were unaware that counseling resources existed or unable to access them.
Hope 4 NC staff utilized flyers, business cards and door hangers to communicate information about the crisis counseling being provided. Social media messaging and government websites also provided information about how to get assistance, and outreach was done anywhere people gathered – schools, businesses, government offices and community events.
One of the program’s success stories involved a couple who had been displaced by flood waters for over a year. After moving back in, problems with a contractor left repairs incomplete and debt accruing. These strains took a toll, emotionally affecting the couple to the extent that they sometimes struggled to get out of bed. Hope 4 NC counselors connected the family to Alliance Behavioral Health and Legal Aid to help them get back on their feet. Counselors also shared coping strategies.
In December of 2017, Hope 4 NC received the NC Council of Community Programs’ Program of Excellence Award for Crisis Response. The award recognized outstanding, innovative community programs created by LME/MCOs for crisis response. Recipients were selected based on a whole-person focus, accessibility, empowerment of providers and community partners, outcomes and simplicity of use.
The recognition shows how success can come from collaboration between organizations inside and outside government and the importance of addressing a community’s behavioral health needs.