North Carolina ‘Closer to Home’ Initiative Reduces Number Of Youth Living In Mental Health Facilities

North Carolina’s “Closer to Home” initiative has reduced the number of youth housed in psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs) by 40% since the initiative launched in 2013. For the initiative, the North Carolina Department of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS) required the state’s public behavioral health managed care organizations/ local management entities (MCO/LMEs) to develop a business plan specifying how they will reduce the number of youth housed in PRTFs and how they will reduce the number of children housed in out-of-state PRTFs.

The state’s progress was reported . . .