Agenda - 12-15-2009 - 3b - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE REPORT i. Task Force Creation and Activities On October 15, 2008 Mayor Kevin C. Foy announced the establishment of a Mental Health Task Force to discuss, examine and assess the provision of mental health care in Chapel Hill (see Attachment: A). The Mayor noted: The future of mental health care is uncertain. Over the past seven years mental health programs in counties across North Carolina (including Orange County) have either discontinued servi~;es or become independent nonprofit organizations operating with limited resources. The location of UNC Hospitals, a state hospital, uniquely affects Chapel Hill and Orange County. Patients from around North Carolina who need mental health services may choose UNC Hospitals as their treatment provider. UNC Hospitals can therefore serve as the initial access point to Chapel Hill for some patients. Patients who seek care at UNC may remain in the area upon discharge. Because of the current situation regarding treatment options, discharged individuals can have trouble getting access to ongoing treatment. Local nonprofits attempt to provide services, but often face the obstacles of limited budgets and limited staff. The Mayor asked the Task Force to: ^ assess the state of the mental health care system in the greater Chapel Hill community, focusing on the services provided, funding, and impact on the community as a whole; ^ create broader awareness of mental health care issues in Chapel Hill and generate discussion; and ^ provide recommendations regarding the future of mental health care services for residents of Chapel Hill and Orange County. From the outset, it was the intent of the Mayor that the Task Force understand "the community as a whole" to mean both the Town of Chapel Hill and its environs -extending to Orange County as a whole. The composition of the Task Force reflects this intent and to the extent possible this thought guided the Task Force's work. A BRIEF NOTE; From the outset, we wish to note that throughout its deliberations, and in this report, the Mayor's Menta/Health Task Force defined "mental hea/th services/system ~ to encompasses the menta/hea/th (community and institutiona/), deve%pmental disabilities and substance abuse domains. The initial "organizing" meeting of the Task Force was held on December 3, 2008 and subsE~quent meetings were held monthly through June 10, 2009. Agendas, brief summaries and full minutes, of these meetings are available at the Mayor's Mental Health Task Force section of the Town of Chapel Mill website (http: //www.ci. chapel-hil I. nc. us/). 2