North Carolina is strengthening behavioral health support for individuals with mental illness transitioning from incarceration through expanded peer-led initiatives and improved care coordination. FIT Wellness, a community health worker program, has demonstrated significant impact. Mary Steeley, who was most recently released from prison in 2024 after four incarcerations, credited the program with her recovery: “This time, I’m clean and sober, but I could not have done that without NC FIT being there to help me along every step of the way. I’ve gone back to school. I’m getting my bachelor of science. I want to be a substance abuse counselor.”
Shawn Baker, a FIT Wellness community health worker who spent 15 years incarcerated, noted that peer workers address trust barriers: “A lot of our guys come out and they don’t trust the doctors, and I’m the guy to say, ‘Hey, this is a different doctor.’” State officials have called for FIT Wellness expansion across all counties in North Carolina, emphasizing the importance of continuity of care from in-reach inside prisons through community follow-up treatment.
Vaya Health, the mental health management agency serving 32 counties in western North Carolina, has achieved dramatic improvements in behavioral health appointment attendance. A Quality Improvement Committee found just a 22 percent attendance rate in August 2019 and set a goal of increasing attendance to 50 percent — a benchmark reached last year. During the most recent quarter from January through March, the attendance rate climbed to 62 percent.
The improvements came from scheduling behavioral health appointments about five days after release, rather than within 24 to 48 hours, and enlisting probation/parole officers as touchpoints to support treatment. Governor Josh Stein signed Executive Order No. 33 on February 5, which seeks to strengthen the state’s behavioral health and criminal justice systems, targeting system gaps that have been impairing outcomes.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.qcitymetro.com/health/nc-works-to-strengthen-support-for-people-with-mental-illness-leaving-prison-9ffe4a67