Wake County HHS committee reviews strategic-plan initiatives to reduce barriers to care, streamline benefits and support veterans

Wake County Health & Human Services Committee members on April 7 reviewed proposed implementation initiatives tied to the countystrategic plan that aim to lower barriers to health and behavioral services, expand benefit navigation and strengthen services for veterans.

The initiatives presented by staff are meant to advance the countystrategic plan adopted in April 2024, which sets 24 goals across six focus areas. For the community health and well-being focus area, staff said the committee will measure progress on Goal 3 by tracking whether 5% more residents report lower barriers to care by 2029 using a community survey conducted every two years.

The presentation identified a set of initiatives intended to contribute to those goals: conducting a comprehensive review of behavioral health services for youth; encouraging facility co-locations and mobile service models to bring care into neighborhoods; improving early identification and assessment of people entering care; updating a maternal and infant health plan; evaluating ARPA-funded health and behavioral pilots…