Crisis Pilot Project Evaluation

Joseph P. Morrissey, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

As part of the effort of the state of North Carolina to reduce state psychiatric hospital admissions and shift mental health utilization to community-based services, the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services is contracting with the Sheps Center to conduct an evaluation of the “Pilot Program to Reduce Psychiatric Hospital Use and to Increase Local Services for Persons with Mental Illness,” as set forth in Session Law 2007-323, House bill 1473, Section 10.49(s). Four Local Management Entities (LMEs) were chosen to participate in the pilot: CenterPoint, Mecklenburg, Smoky Mountain, and Western Highlands. The first three are served by Broughton Hospital in Morganton, NC, and the fourth by Central Regional Hospital in Butner, NC.

The Crisis Pilot Project Evaluation will address four questions specific to the crisis pilot LMEs and their respective state psychiatric hospitals:

1. Were the LMEs successful in meeting their state hospital reduction targets?
2. How were state hospital reductions accomplished?
3. How did the LMEs finance their local crisis services?
4. Were there cost savings to the state psychiatric hospitals?