In October 2017 Wake County convened concerned citizens, healthcare providers, county administrators, law enforcement, advocacy groups, and social non-profits to discuss the state of Behavioral Health and to prioritize future work. Over two hundred folks attended and the input during - and feedback after - has been useful in making budget decisions and shaping the next phases of Wake County Behavioral Health. 
 
The summit highlighted five areas that have a heavy impact on Behavioral Health outcomes: housing, familiar faces (high utilizers of county services), criminal justice, access & coordination, and crisis services. By zeroing in on areas of focus, Wake County and other Behavioral Health stakeholders are more easily able to develop targeted strategies for improvement. We’re scanning our landscape for the places where targeted investment can have the greatest impact, and using stronger data to help us make these decisions.

The Wake County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identifies factors affecting our county, determines resources needed to address these factors, and develops a plan of action to address community needs. This is done by collecting information that identifies the community's strengths, resources and needs. The information is then analyzed and put into a report. The report includes information about the health of the community as it is today and the community's ability to improve the lives of the people who live there. After the report is complete, community members will come together to develop a plan of action to address the priorities identified through the assessment.

• 2016 Wake County Community Health Needs Assessment

Wake County has not been spared from our nation’s opioid crisis. Alliance Behavioral Healthcare has assembled a list of resources specifically for anyone impacted by opioid addiction. Family, friends, community activists, and folks seeking treatment will all find useful, life saving information here.

In November 2015, groups and organizations in Wake County working to prevent and respond to heroin and opioid overdoses formed the Wake County Drug Overdose Prevention Coalition. The Coalition meets quarterly for educational information and exchange, progress updates on the Coalition work plan and networking. Coalition work focuses on education & outreach, medical intelligence, syringe exchange, access to Naloxone, recovery initiation & maintenance, and law enforcement, policy and diversion changes.

An online resource that puts all Behavioral Health providers into one place online. One site. Every provider. Accurate and complete. 

There are lots of Behavioral Healthcare providers in Wake County. Some are run by Wake County government, some are nonprofits, and some are businesses. You can search through every Behavioral Healthcare provider on the Wake Network of Care website. You can find providers for different types of needs, learn more about health problems in the Wake Network of Care library, and find other social services that you might be looking for. The Wake Network of Care is a really big resource. 

• Start exploring on the homepage!
• Dive right into the different categories of care!
• There’s a great mobile site, too!

Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders in your community. They’re aiming to make this training as universal and accessible as CPR/First Aid.It’s a national program with the strong local endorsement of Alliance Behavioral Healthcare and Wake County. Find a course being offered near you!

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is a 40 hour course available to first responders. Wake County has a high percentage of first responders who have gone through CIT, and that number continues to grow. If you are experiencing a Behavioral Health emergency, you can request that your responding officer has received CIT training.  The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a great page explaining CIT more in-depth.

Wake County has earmarked more than 30 million Behavioral Health dollars for their 2019 budget. Three specific areas are highlighted to receive a portion of these new funds.  

• Wake County Behavioral Health Urgent Care – $750,000
• School Based Mental Health Teams – $400,000
• Mobile Crisis pilot programs – $850,000
• Find out more about Wake County spending in the 2019 Adopted Budget here.