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Pitt County approves DHHS-funded pilot to provide mental health restoration at county jail
Summary
The board approved a contract and budget amendment to allow the sheriff’s office to partner with NCDHHS and Wellpath Recovery Solutions to provide in-jail restoration-to-competency services for up to 10 inmates; NCDHHS will reimburse $180 per participant per day and guarantees payment for a minimum of five spots.
Pitt County commissioners on Jan. 13 approved a contract and budget amendment allowing the sheriff’s office to participate in a N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) pilot to provide restoration-to-competency services for detained individuals.
The agreement — described by the sheriff at the meeting — will fund on-site psychiatric services at the Pitt County Detention Center for inmates who have been found incapable of proceeding to trial and are awaiting restoration at the state hospital. The sheriff and staff said Cherry Hospital, the designated state hospital for the region, is at capacity, resulting in long waits for capacity restoration.
Under the agreement, the jail may house a maximum of 10 participants in the pilot. NCDHHS will reimburse at a per diem rate of $180 per participant per day, starting the day a participant is admitted. DHHS agreed to reimburse for a minimum of five spots regardless of actual participation; remaining reimbursements depend on program enrollment. Wellpath Recovery Solutions is the service provider named in the agreement as presented to the board.
The board voted to approve the contract and budget amendment. The transcript records the motion, a second and that the motion carried; no roll-call tally by name appears in the record.
Sheriff officials and commissioners framed the pilot as a way to expedite evaluations and treatment locally and reduce delays caused by state hospital capacity limits. The transcript notes the program is voluntary and that a similar program exists in Charlotte, which officials said has had success addressing lower-level cases.
The pilot is intended to allow local treatment for eligible detainees and to reduce time spent in the detention center while waiting for state hospital placement.
