For Immediate Release 1/6/2016
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Penny Casto, CenterPoint Consumer and Community Affairs Manager
Phone: 336.778.3545 Email: pcasto@cphs.org
CenterPoint, Daymark Expand Integrated Health Care
(Winston-Salem, NC) Central North Carolina is well represented in a national effort to systemically
expand integrated health, the coordination of general and behavioral healthcare to produce the best
outcomes for people with multiple healthcare needs. The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Integrated Health Solutions recently notified Winston-Salem
based managed care organization CenterPoint Human Services (CenterPoint) and its contracted provider,
DAYMARK Recovery Services, Inc. (DAYMARK), of their inclusion in its 2015-2016 Innovation
Communities program. DAYMARK is a not-for-profit behavioral health provider serving 28 counties in
mid- and western NC.
Under the initiative, community groups will focus on expanding integrated care. CenterPoint’s group will
study “Hiring and Supervising Peers to Support Integrated Care.” DAYMARK’s group will focus on
“Integrating Primary Care and Wellness: Sustaining Integrated Care.”
A December 2015 kick-off webinar reviewed goals, timeline and expectations. Web-based coaching for
the groups will include expert teaching and participant presentations to support learning. The groups will
complete their work in August 2016 with a webinar reporting on organization progress made by each
Innovation Community.
Billy West, Chief Executive Officer of DAYMARK, stated “DAYMARK has been in the forefront of
sustainable integrated care in North Carolina through the use of our I-CARE Solution (Integrated Care
Alerts for Review and Engagement). I-CARE allows access to physical health information of Medicaid
eligible clients receiving behavioral health services at DAYMARK. This initiative will support a
continued emphasis on “whole person” care.
Dr. Chad Stephens, CenterPoint’s Chief Clinical Officer, offered his perspective on CenterPoint’s
participation in the Innovation Community: “We are looking forward to working with other Innovative
Community members to establish best practice guidelines for the training, employment and supervision of
peers (individuals with lived experience with behavioral health conditions) in the integrated health care
setting. CenterPoint, as a leader in the promotion and support of personal recovery and peer support,
recognizes that well trained and adequately supported peers are an integral component of integrated care
teams.”
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