UNC Health, Wake County part ways in running mental health facility

Mental health advocates showed up at Wakebrook Tuesday afternoon urging the county and UNC Health to work out a contract resolution.

Wakebrook provides in-patient and out-patient mental health and substance abuse services.

Over the past decade, UNC Health turned the facility into a model for helping law enforcement find care for people instead of taking them to jail or the emergency room.

Wake County and UNC Health reached an agreement to extend that contract for inpatient and crisis assessment services for an additional year, through June 30, 2024. UNC Health also will provide other services at WakeBrook until November 30, 2023, which will allow new providers additional time to take over the delivery of services at WakeBrook.

Mental health advocate Ann Akland, whose daughter receives care at Wakebrook, doesn’t want to break up a vital community resource over a money dispute.

“It's a very integrated model of care that works for the patients with dignity and respect for the patients. I think that will be lost because another cheaper alternative is not going to provide that level of service,” she said.

According to a joint statement from the county and health care provider, "UNC Health will refocus its behavioral health services, providing a broader delivery model with a particular statewide focus on psychiatric care for children and adolescents. This vision addresses the behavioral health crisis in child and adolescent behavioral health in North Carolina. Under the extended agreement, Wake County will work with its managed care organization, Alliance Health, to plan for future services at WakeBrook and ensure the transition occurs with minimal disruption for the patients and their families."

Wake County spends close to $14 million a year on Wakebrook. A study commissioned to find a more efficient mental health service model is due out at the end of April.