In 2020, TAC was awarded a contract to assist the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with developing and implementing an Olmstead plan. TAC’s system assessment and analysis, delivered in early 2021, provided the data as well as a framework for drafting a comprehensive Olmstead plan that addressed cross-disability needs. TAC provided recommendations for subsequent phases of plan development; TA to support implementation activities; and development and implementation of a performance evaluation and outcome measurement system to monitor progress.
Since 2019, TAC has also supported DHHS, its managed care entities (MCEs), and their provider networks in delivering best-practice tenancy support services for individuals with serious mental illness as part of the state’s Transitions to Community Living (TCL) program, which resulted from a U.S. Department of Justice Olmstead settlement agreement. TAC initially developed and delivered four skill-building training modules for community-based providers; TAC then worked with MCE staff, using a train-the-trainer approach to ensure their ability to continue using the modules, and to assess overall provider competency for service delivery under a new Medicaid Community Support Team (CST) housing tenancy support benefit.
More recently, TAC and the University of North Carolina’s Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health provided specialized coaching and training for CST providers, using combined virtual and face-to-face delivery methods. To identify strengths and challenges in service delivery and inform curriculum development, TAC completed a comprehensive assessment of community providers; we also provided both training facilitation and 1:1 TA to direct service providers and agency leadership. TAC created two provider toolkits to promote recovery-oriented best practices in housing tenancy service delivery; offer guidance on working effectively with peer support specialists; and define team leadership roles/expectations and best practices for supporting behavioral health providers in delivering CST housing tenancy services.
