Easter Seals UCP and Mental Health Association to Form Alliance
Partnership will to help ensure continuum of care for individuals and families dealing with mental health issues across North Carolina.


RALEIGH, NC, June 18, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Easter Seals UCP North Carolina and Virginia President and CEO C.L. Cochran announced today a strategic alliance being developed between Easter Seals UCP and the Mental Health Association in North Carolina (MHA) to help ensure a continuum of care for individuals and families dealing with mental health issues across the state.

Easter Seals UCP, which has a history of partnering with other mission driven non-profits in order to enhance delivery of services, was recently designated a Critical Access Behavioral Health Agency (CABHA) by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The Department of Health and Human Services developed the CABHA classification to create a more clinically-sound provider community in North Carolina - one with integrated medical and clinical oversight and the assurance of service availability both locally and statewide.

Christie Foppiano, Interim Executive Director of MHA, stated, "The MHA Board of Directors is very pleased to begin the process of developing strategic non-profit alliances that will enhance access to care and provide a greater array of services options to the people of North Carolina."

Cochran indicated that Easter Seals UCP's alliance with the MHA may include a memorandum of agreement that will facilitate referrals between the two non-profits. "This will allow individuals and families access to a wider variety of service options, such as individual therapy, housing, and community-based services for persons who deal with symptoms of severe and persistent mental illness," said Cochran. "The goal for the proposed alliance is the creation of a seamless array of supports that would afford persons with mental health challenges across North Carolina access to the services they need, when they need them."

A number of synergies exist between Easter Seals UCP and MHA: both are mission-driven businesses that deal with the daily challenges presented by reduced reimbursement rates and increased service needs; both are advocacy organizations; both provide HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) and private housing and community supports; and both provide Assertive Community Treatment (ACTT) Teams. In addition, MHA also provides Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR), a form of rehabilitation that focuses on self help, friendship, emotional support, acceptance, recreational activities, housing, and employment.

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Press Release Contact Information:

Jane Phillips
Easter Seals UCP North Carolina
Director of Communications
5171 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 400
Raleigh, NC
USA 27612
Voice: (800) 662-7119
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