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Launching NC-BELL: A Collaborative Evaluation of Crisis and Child Behavioral Health Systems in North Carolina

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Dr. Paul Lanier

A research team from the Program on Behavioral Health Services Research is partnering with the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) to conduct a three year evaluation of the state’s crisis and child behavioral health systems.

In the fall of 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a historic investment of $835 million dedicated to strengthening and reforming the state’s behavioral health system. Nearly 15 percent of those funds were allocated towards improving behavioral health crisis services for individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crises. Another $80 million these state investment dollars have targeted a range of initiatives to improve the children’s behavioral health service system.

Dr. Helen Newton

The crisis system evaluation is led by Dr. Helen Newton (School of Medicine); the child behavioral health system evaluation is led by Dr. Paul Lanier (School of Social Work). This new initiative, the NC Behavioral Health Evaluation and Learning Lab (NC-BELL), is supported by the Sheps DATA+ team and campus partners including the Carolina Survey Research Laboratory and the UNC Gillings Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health.

Joining the Sheps NC-BELL team are four Research Associates: Drs. Sasha Zabelski and Amanda Dale (crisis evaluation) and Drs. Monica Landers and Emily Forrest Hutchens (child behavioral health evaluation).

Sasha recently received her PhD in Public Health Sciences from UNC Charlotte and completed a fellowship with AcademyHealth. Prior to beginning her PhD, she worked as a community mental health clinician in a psychiatric emergency walk-in clinic and later as part of a mobile crisis team.

Amanda graduated from Gillings with a PhD in Maternal and Child Health and has worked the past year with the NC Institute of Medicine. She has led state health policy projects related to substance use and the direct care workforce and supported research projects related to maternity care and mental health and substance use among people living with HIV.

Monica received her PhD in Behavioral and Community Sciences from the University of South Florida where she also worked for 10 years as a Social and Behavioral Health Researcher. Her research topics included behavioral health, improving child welfare systems, substance use, and police and behavioral health integration.

Emily is a behavioral health researcher and former public school teacher. She has research experience in emergency medical services for children, worker health, healthcare delivery, adolescent violence and substance use, and adult and children’s mental health services..

Join us in welcoming our new team members as we launch this new partnership!