RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and First Lady Anna Stein unveiled a pilot program focused on helping inmates with severe mental health needs successfully reenter their communities after they’re released from jail or prison. 

First Lady Stein announced the Forensic Assertive Community Treatment Team, also known as NC Fact, in front of NCDHHS staff and others at the headquarters Monday.

The $9.5 million investment will create FACT teams in Pitt, New Hanover, Wake/Durham, Buncombe, and Mecklenburg counties.

NCDHHS says the teams are part of a long-term effort by the department to support people when they are released from incarceration and will build on existing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams by addressing criminal behavior risks to divert people in need of treatment away from the criminal justice system. 

The FACT teams will provide care based on a person’s needs. Each team will assist up to 30 clients at a time.

NCDHHS says services include mental health care, housing, vocational/educational support, substance use disorder care, day-to-day living support, and referrals to other professional support services as required.

“I am pleased our state is making a targeted investment to make sure people with severe mental health conditions get the help they need,” Stein said.

NC DHHS says only a handful of states currently support FACT teams. They include a licensed professional who serves as team leader, a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, and a peer support specialist.

Other team members include substance use disorder specialists, vocational/education specialists, housing specialists, and a forensic navigator. The collaborative teams will bring in faith leaders, probation and parole staff, and family members and will include other service providers to help clients as needed.

“This new approach will improve outcomes for people with serious mental health needs by ensuring they have the resources and care they need to succeed in their communities,” said North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Providing them with housing, transportation, and health care will reduce the chances they will return to jail or prison. This improves not only their health and well-being but also public safety.”

Nathan Brunson is a clinical supervisor at Carolina Outreach who will serve as a provider for the FACT team for Wake/ Durham Counties. He says the services are needed.

“It’s probably no surprise that when you provide those things to the people who need them that they do stay out of jail, they stay out of hospitals, you can reduce recidivism, and you can provide hope and recovery for a person’s mental health,” Brunson said.

Each team will receive $636,000 per year for three years. NCDHHS says the funding will flow through the local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO) for each area. 
The FACT teams are expected to be up and running by the end of 2025 or in early 2026.

This initiative is part of a historic investment by the NC General Assembly to build a mental health care system in North Carolina that supports all North Carolinians when and where they need it and in the setting that is best for them based upon their individual circumstances.