Wake County approves $31.6 million for behavioral health services

Wake County commissioners approved a $31.6 million funding agreement with Alliance Health on Monday.

The county said the move was aimed at addressing gaps in crisis services, criminal justice, housing, system access/coordination, and other key areas.

The county also said it wants to ensure that more behavioral health services are readily available for those who need them.

"Investing in behavioral health services is crucial for the well-being of our community," said Wake County Commissioner Cheryl Stallings. "This funding and partnership with Alliance ensures that help is available for those who need it and it underscores our commitment to providing comprehensive and accessible health care for everyone."

Under this agreement, Wake County will allocate the funds across six service categories:

• Crisis services : $19.4 million for offering immediate assistance and stabilization for people experiencing mental health crises through services at WakeBrook, inpatient psychiatric care at local inpatient facilities and enhanced mobile crisis options.

• Treatment : $6.3 million to fund outpatient services for adults who have a behavioral health diagnosis or co-occurring mental health/substance use diagnoses and have no way to pay.

• Criminal justice : $180,250 to support the criminal justice system by providing outpatient/post-release treatments for adults who have co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnoses and are being discharged from the Wake County Detention Center.

• Residential : $1.2 million for residential programs and support to provide funding to support substance use transitional living beds, short-term supportive housing, and case management and peer support for adults with severe mental illness living in permanent supportive housing.

• Support assist programs : $3.1 million for programs that do not directly provide treatment but instead are used in conjunction with other programs. This includes school-based mental health programs, CASAWORKS perinatal programs, and recreation programming for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

• Recovery : $600,000 for support of recovery-focused services including a peer-led recovery center using evidence-based practices.