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2 <br /> Senator Foushee said it has been her pleasure to serve with the commissioners in her <br /> current position. She said she looks forward to the legislative breakfast every year. She said <br /> they have always felt badly about not bringing forward positive things for Orange County by way <br /> of the General Assembly. She said they will go into the short session with the hope that by the <br /> end of the calendar year, there will be an opportunity to expand Medicaid. She said there might <br /> be an opportunity to disperse federal funds for education, health care, and housing. She said <br /> that where possibilities exist, there is also opportunity. She said she looks forward to her last <br /> few months as a legislator. <br /> Chair Price said there was background information in the agenda packet that everyone <br /> received. She reviewed the list of priority items. She also referred to a larger list of additional <br /> concerns that was in the agenda packet. She asked if there was anything specific that the <br /> group wanted to discuss further. <br /> Representative Insko said she wanted to get an update on environmental issues. <br /> Senator Foushee said she asked if the county could be more specific about the request <br /> to "structure appropriate county participation in governance" under the mental health category <br /> in the priority list. <br /> Commissioner Bedford said the item was first written when the county was with Cardinal <br /> Innovations and there was not an Orange County representative on the board. She said now <br /> that the county is with Alliance, Commissioner Fowler is on the board, and they are soliciting <br /> applications for a second board member. She said the mental health board structures are <br /> inconsistent across state between the MCOs. <br /> Chair Price said that the state association has advocated that counties know more about <br /> what is going on than the state. The goal would be to allow counties to have more of a say. <br /> Commissioner Bedford said part of it is related to pass through mental health funding. <br /> She said it would be nice if counties could have more of that funding to do more specific work in <br /> the community. She said Orange County has a behavioral health task force working on the <br /> designs for a mental health crisis center because MCOs are not doing it. She said that MCOs <br /> are sitting on huge fund balances, more than what is needed. She said MCOs need closer <br /> management and greater supervision from NCDHHS. <br /> Representative Insko referred to the request under the mental health category to <br /> "reduce the number of people with mental health issues in county detention centers." She said <br /> intervention needs to happen earlier, even as young as elementary school. She said there <br /> should be more access by psychologists and psychiatrists at school to identify children that <br /> aren't adjusting well. <br /> Chair Price said the county provides funding to schools for mental health support. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager, said in the past year the county provided funding <br /> for behavioral health in the schools as well as to address the achievement gap. She said the <br /> schools presented their plans for spending the funds to the Board. She said both school <br /> districts used the funds for staff to address behavioral health issues. She said Chapel Hill <br /> Carrboro City Schools' request was more comprehensive, but Orange County Schools looked <br /> at both the behavioral health of children and staff. She said that was done recently due to <br /> higher sales tax revenue than anticipated. She said the recommendation was to use that <br /> funding for the behavioral health issues in the schools. <br /> Representative Insko said when a young person is arrested and they are identified as <br /> having a mental health issue, there are intermediate steps before they are incarcerated. She <br /> said when there were changes in service provision between the LMEs and state, there was an <br /> increase in the number of people going to jail. She said it is still a serious problem that needs <br /> to be dealt with. <br /> Bonnie Hammersley said it is an ongoing problem. She said the Criminal Justice <br /> Resource Department is looking closely at that with the social workers employed in the <br />