Benefits & Services

SERVICES/BENEFITS TO MEMBERS

 The NC Council was incorporated in 1983 as a non-profit association dedicated to helping its member Area/County MH/DD/SA Programs improve their service quality and program effectiveness.  The Council provides its member programs with a strong, cohesive statewide voice through:

• Legislative Advocacy
• Government Relations
• Representation in State Coalitions
• Publications/Communications
• Council Work Groups
• Professional Staff Forums
• Training/Education
• Optional Services – Technical Assistance, Compliance Verification and Accreditation
• Recognition of Excellence Awards and Public Relations

 The Council works to build consensus positions on statewide policy issues among our members.  We then follow up with state agencies, the General Assembly and others to influence state policies affecting community services.

 A 20-member Board of Directors consisting of an equal number of citizen board members and professional area directors governs the Council.

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

The Council represents the interests of Area/County Programs in the General Assembly.

• NC Council has two registered lobbyists, one is a contract agent and one full time staff person.
• NC Council is an active member of Coalition 2001.We work with the Coalition on the legislative budget process and on related legislation.
• NC Council Grassroots Network – is a network of local individuals (board members, staff and others) that already have or are willing to develop personal relationships with their State and local representatives.These individuals are called upon by the Council to quickly and effectively present Council positions to legislators when issues of importance arise.
• The NC Council provides a recognized voice within the General Assembly as “the” representatives of area/county program and their constituents.
• The NC Council monitors the legislative process to ensure that legislation is in the best interest of our members.
• Regularly communicate legislative issues to membership and to request action and feedback.

GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

The Council infrastructure includes a consensus-building process that culminates in Council positions on proposed and on-going State policies and rules.  These positions are carried forward through Council representation on important State work groups, task groups and committees.  Updates, on-going input and evolving positions are coordinated through the Council work groups, committees and forums.

• Council members participate in statewide policy-making groups to represent the Council positions and influence State policies and rules development.
• Council members receive information and updates that help them to advocate locally for Council positions.
• Council leaders spearhead one-on-one meetings with key State leaders when needed to promote Council positions and negotiate on behalf of the Council membership.
• Council leaders actively collaborate with the NC Association of County Commissioners and other professional associations when issues of interest are identified.Collaborations occur through joint meetings and trainings.

REPRESENTATION IN STATE COALITIONS

The Council actively participates in coalitions of service providers and advocacy and consumer groups in promoting community-based services for persons with disabilities.

• The Council is a founding member and active participant in Coalition 2001 whose mission it is to represent those with MH/DD/SA in the NC General Assembly.
• The Council is a member of Coalition for Persons Disabled by Mental Illness – an affiliate of Coalition 2001 that develops policies to represent those with mental illness.
• The Council is a member of the Substance Abuse Federation – an affiliate of Coalition 2001 that develop policies to represent those with substance abuse disorders.
• The Council is a member of the DD Consortium, an affiliate of Coalition 2001 that develop policies to represent those with developmental disabilities.
• Provider Relations Leadership Forum – The Council staff and participate in this work group that is charged with dealing with issues that concern area programs and private providers.
• State Collaborative On Systems Of Care for Children’s Services—The Council participates in this statewide collaborative whose charge it is to work toward a system of care model for children’s services across all public agencies, MH/DD/SA, Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, schools, etc.
• Other Coalitions or Groups we participate—Covenant for Children, Mental Health Care Coalition, Mental Health Planning Council, NC Behavioral Health Access Initiative.

COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLICATIONS

The Council communicates a wide range of information through newsletters, a webpage, bulletins, emails, meeting minutes, and other publications and documents.

• Policy Positions – formal policy statements that reflect the consensus of the membership on important policy issues.
• Community News Update - a monthly newsletter focused on policy issues affecting MH/DD/SA services and area/county programs.This publication won a national association award in 2000.It is produced 11 times a year with a distribution of over 2,000 statewide and includes Legislators, County Managers, Advocacy Groups, state agency staff and others.
• NC Council Directory – a yearly directory that lists all area programs, their staff, board members, local advocacy groups, private providers, State Agency staff, State Institutions, AHECs, State and National Advocacy Groups, State and National Legislators, Commission on MH/DD/SAS and more.
• Council Webpage – posts information that area program staff will find useful on policies, legislation, work group minutes, publications, best practice, etc.
• Meeting minutes – meeting minutes are provided for all Council Work Group and Forum meetings to reflect the discussion, decisions and actions requested by each group.
• Electronic communications – the Council staff utilizes email on a daily basis to provide area program staff the most up to date information available on issues affecting MH/DD/SA services.
• ListServs – A listserv is a method of communication via email for groups of professionals to participate in statewide discussions and pose questions about issues to like professionals.

COUNCIL WORK GROUPS

All Council Work Groups meet regularly to develop policies and positions statements on behalf of Area Programs and the Council.  These policies and positions are presented to the appropriate State Leaders and Agencies – the Department of Health and Human Services, the Division of MH/DD/SAS, Division of Medical Assistance, Legislators, State Advocacy Organizations, Private Providers and others.

• Operations Steering Committee – focused on policies surrounding mandates, initiatives, and state policy emanating from the Department of Health and Human Services including Medicaid, administrative functions of the area programs, cost finding/rate setting, contractual arrangements with DHHS, etc.
• Advocacy Action Work Group – develops policy and strategic planning concerning area program positions and the current system reform efforts.
• Clinical Services and Supports Work Group – develops policies on behalf of members related to services for those with long term care service needs.
• Rules Work Group – develops policies and positions related to proposed rule changes, both Commission and Secretarial, which affect MH/DD/SA services.
• Other task forces are developed as needed.Current task forces include the Service Definition Task Force and the Endorsement Task Force.

PROFESSIONAL FORUMS

The NC Council organizes structured forums for groups of LME professionals.  Some of these forums meet on a regular basis or use a forum specific listserv that allows professionals to share ideas.  Participants use the forums to become more knowledgeable and effective and in some cases to develop policy recommendations. 

TRAINING/EDUCATION

The Council offers training and educational opportunities directed toward Area Program staff (and others when appropriate) to assist them in preparing for policy changes, to learn about best practice or other issues of importance. 

• The Council hosts two yearly conferences, which offer trainings by national experts on issues of the day- one in the Spring and one in the late Fall
• The Council provides numerous trainings around the state.
  Recent topics have included (or will include):
• Person Centered Thinking
• Documentation Training
• Intensive In-Home
• Crisis Response and Client Rights
• Community Support Team Training

OPTIONAL SERVICES – TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The Council developed and maintains the Provider Operations Database, which houses the following provider information:

• Demographics
• Compliance Verification History
• Monitoring History
• Endorsement Status (including detailed corporate verification information and service endorsement)
• Monitoring Tools and Endorsement Checksheets
• Individual Practitioner Credentialing
• Statewide DFS reports.

Variable levels of access to the database are available for purchase by LMEs on an annual basis.

The Council is available to conduct Endorsement, Monitoring, Compliance Verification, and Practitioner Credentialing on behalf of LMEs.  Arrangements for this service can be initiated on a per-event basis.

RECOGNITION OF EXCELLENCE/PUBLIC RELATIONS

The Council works to communicate the positive services and supports offered by Area/County Programs to the media, legislators, county government officials, stakeholders and others.  We also offer awards and recognition for services and individual leaders in Area Programs.  

• Excellence Award Program – This yearly award recognizes excellence in the provision of services by area programs in the categories of Best Practice, Community Collaboration to Benefit Non-Target Population Consumers, Consumer Directed Supports, Crisis Response, Media and Public Relations, Partnerships to Improve Services, and Prevention, Outreach and Wellness.
• Excellence Awards Publication – produced yearly to highlight the Excellence Award winners – highlights the client and how the community services have improved their lives.Publication can be used as public relations piece for Area Programs.This publication is distributed to over 2,000 statewide including County Commissioners, Legislators, Advocacy Groups, the Commission on MH/DD/SAS and others.
• Area Program that win the Excellence Award are sent news releases to distribute locally on their winning program.
• Excellence winners and their services are highlighted in Community News Update.
• Allan D. Spader Award was created to recognize an Area Program staff members that has worked to collaborate with others on an issue of importance to the MH/DD/SA System.Award winners are honored at Spring Policy Forum, news release sent to winning program and highlight in Community News Update.
• Leadership Awards – this yearly award recognizes the dedication of leaders in our system.Categories include:Area Board Member, County Commissioner, Citizen Volunteer, Consumer and Family Advisory Committee, Lifetime Career, State Representative and State Senator.
• New Emerging Leadership Award was created in 2006 to recognize area directors that have come into the system and offered innovative leadership in their catchment area.
• News releases are sent to the winning Area Programs about their Leadership Award winner to share and distribute to their local media.
• Who We Serve – a monthly column in the Community News Update that highlights an area program client and tells the story of how their lives have improved because of the services they have received.
• Spotlight on Area Programs – a monthly column in Community News Update that highlights innovative and effective Area Program services.
• The Council produces news releases when needed to highlight the achievements of Area Programs, i.e. COA Accreditations, Consumer Satisfaction Surveys, etc.
• The Council offers “Letters to the Editors” when issues that affect MH/DD/SA services are addressed in the media.
• The Council works to keep public relations/communications staff informed on issues of importance via the listserv.

SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM/RELATIONSHIP W/PROVIDERS

• The Council has an extensive sponsorship program in which they work with private MH/DD/SA providers, organizations and various businesses to offer an opportunity to have their product or services advertised to Area/County Programs and the MH/DD/SA community at large.
• The sponsorship program has generates a portion of the Council’s non dues revenue budget.
• The Partner Support Network (PSN) is a service for private MH/DD/SA providers that was created in 2001.PSN is an email subscription service that allows private providers to receive information via email from the Council that will allow them to stay up to date on policy and system changes in our state.