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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 10, 2011 <br />1 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. o~ <br />SUBJECT: OPC Area Program Update on Medicaid Waiver Expansion -Partnership <br />Proposed with Piedmont Behavioral Health LME <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager's Office PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />A. Update Summary <br />B. Frequently Asked Questions <br />C. Public Information Efforts <br />INFORMATION CONTACT <br />Gwen Harvey, Asst Co. Mgr, 245 -2307 <br />Judy Truitt, OPC/LME Director, 913- <br />4037 <br />PURPOSE: To receive an update from the Orange-Person-Chatham (OPC) Area Program <br />Director on expansion of the 1915 (b)(c) Medicaid waiver and expected impact on the mental <br />health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse service system in Orange, Person and <br />Chatham counties. <br />BACKGROUND: OPC is the local governmental agency (Local Management Entity -LME) with <br />responsibility for oversight and management of publicly-funded mental health, developmental <br />disability, and substance abuse services in Orange, Person and Chatham counties. OPC <br />provides screening, triage and referral for individuals needing services in the area; recruits and <br />monitors an array of community service providers; and manages the distribution of state monies <br />for services to consumers. OPC is governed by an Area Board comprised of one county <br />commissioner from each of the three counties and the three county commissions appointing <br />remaining board members, which exercises the powers and duties conferred by the North <br />Carolina General Assembly. <br />OPC was approached in February 2010 by Piedmont Behavioral Health (PBH), the LME <br />currently operating under a successful 1915 (b) (c) Medicaid waiver pilot project, about the <br />possibility of forming an alliance. PBH currently serves Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly, <br />and Union counties. The Medicaid waiver is an agreement between the state and the Center <br />for Medicaid Services to be released from certain Medicaid rules. Waivers are used to improve <br />access to and quality of services and manage costs. <br />Preliminary negotiations for an OPC-PBH alliance were authorized, commenced, and paused <br />while sanction for LME waiver expansion gained support in the General Assembly. On March <br />