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As the week draws to a close, we want to share the latest updates and resources available to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Since our Monday update, we’ve added several new resources to aid in the recovery process, and our Hurricane Helene Resource Hub remains continuously updated with essential information and support services. Yesterday, DMH/DD/SUS sent information about hardship advancements, stabilization payments, and retainer payments as well as additional information from LME/MCOs and other Medicaid Service Plans. We've included that information here for convenience.
This week also marked the first legislative session day since Helene, with the first of what we expect to be several bills moving focused on long-term support for Western North Carolina. House Bill 149, also known as the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024, establishes the Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund and allocates state funds to aid in relief efforts, focusing on rebuilding infrastructure, supporting public safety, and providing resources for affected schools. The bill also includes provisions for extending emergency declarations, offering educational flexibility, and appropriating funds for election modifications to assist communities in recovery. While there are no specific measures for SUD or MH funding, APNC expects the legislature to continue to consider additional disaster relief legislation. As your voice in Raleigh, we seek your input on where you feel the legislature can best assist in recovery efforts. Please complete our survey and include any specific recommendations for legislative action in the comments section.
As we continue our efforts here, we’re also thinking of those affected by Hurricane Milton in Florida as they begin their recovery. APNC is here to help, so please reach out if you need support or have resources to share.
Sara M. Howe, APNC CEO |
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Read an update from our Board Chair, Suzanne Miszur-Porter, Executive Director of The United Way of Rutherford County here. |
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NEW! Updates from DHHS
NC Medicaid has published a provider bulletin Hurricane Helene Policy Flexibilities to Support Providers and Members - Oct. 11, 2024, updating flexibilities implemented by NC Medicaid due to the Hurricane Helene Public Health Emergency. The flexibilities in this bulletin are effective from Sept. 26, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024 (unless otherwise communicated by DHHS). Additional updates will be provided as they become available. This bulletin replaces in full the Update on NC Medicaid Temporary Flexibilities Due to Hurricane Helene – October 1, 2024 bulletin. New sections added from the previous bulletin are:
- Behavioral Health Services
- Dental
- Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies
- Family Planning
- Long Term Services and Supports
- Additional Nursing Facilities Flexibilities
- Obstetrical Services
- Outpatient Specialized Therapies
- Pharmacy
- Additional Pharmacy Flexibilities
- Key Reminders for Providers
- Information on Checking Beneficiary Eligibility
- Reminder to Provide Services Regardless of Copayment
Information on the flexibilities in place for Hurricane Helene can be found on the NC Medicaid Bulletins webpage. Visit the NC Medicaid Hurricane Helene Virtual Bulletin Board for information and resources for NC Medicaid beneficiaries and families impacted by Hurricane Helene.
With kind regards,LaQuana
LaQuana Palmer, MPA
Pronouns: she/her
Deputy Director, Communications and Engagement
Division of Health Benefits
NC Department of Health and Human Services |
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NEW! Updates from DHHS State Health Director
Dear colleagues
Some updates. Thank you for your continued partnership. Please see earlier emails for updates in the past
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New Executive Order 319 – Health and Human Services Flexibilities, including Child Care, Medicaid, Social Services, Voc Rehab and Public Health
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State Health Director's Memo grants an extension of the deadlines for vaccination and health assessments for school.
- The time period from the first day of attendance through October 31st, 2024, will not count toward the 30-day grace period for students to comply with immunization requirements.
- The 30-day grace period will start November 1st, 2024, and the exclusion date is December 1st, 2024.
- Financial Supports for Practices - The following financial supports may be available to providers, even if they are unable to submit claims or perform services. Information on the flexibilities in place for Hurricane Helene can be found on the NC Medicaid Bulletins webpage.
- Hardship Advances: All health plans and NC Medicaid Direct have processes to make hardship advances for providers unable to meet financial obligations.
- Stabilization Payments: The health plans have the flexibility to make stabilization payments to support provider sustainability and beneficiary access.
- Retainer Payments for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS):<> NC Medicaid is seeking authority to make retainer payments for 1915(c) waiver services to support certain HCBS providers with maintaining staff and capacity, even if service delivery is temporarily interrupted.
Providers in need of financial supports should work directly with the health plans to learn what supports each plan is offering and their associated process(es)
Press Release - Behavioral Health Resources Available for People Impacted by Hurricane Helene
Press Release - Well and Septic Safety Following Hurricane Helene | NCDHHS
Resource page - Hurricane Helene Recovery Resources | NCDHHS and Hurricane Helene Recovery Communications Toolkit | NCDHHS
Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, MD, MPH
State Health Director
Chief Medical Officer
NC DHHS
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NEW! NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley Joins Governor Roy Cooper to Survey Damage and Meet with People Impacted by Hurricane Helene in Mitchell and Yancey Counties
NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley toured Mitchell and Yancey counties with Governor Roy Cooper on Tuesday, surveying storm damage, meeting with community members, and thanking first responders at the Burnsville and Spruce Pine fire departments. The trip concluded with a visit to Sibelco Quartz Mine, a top employer of Mitchell County with about 500 employees. While speaking with members of the media, the Secretary shared updates from the department’s work in collaboration with local, state, and federal partners to get the needed care and resources to the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Helene. Read the full press release here. |
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NEW! PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Governor Cooper, FEMA Administrator Criswell, Federal Highway Administration Officials Travel to Yancey and Mitchell Counties to Survey Damage, Thank First Responders
Today, Governor Roy Cooper traveled to Burnsville in Yancey County and Spruce Pine in Mitchell County and was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Federal Highway Administration Acting Administrator Kristin White and other state and federal officials to assess storm damage, thank volunteers and speak with people impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Governor visited the Burnsville and Spruce Pine fire departments and toured the Sibelco Quartz Mine in Spruce Pine, a facility that is integral to the global production of solar panels and semiconductor chips and a major employer in Mitchell County. The facility has been temporarily shut down due to impacts from Helene. Read the full press release here. |
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NEW! The City of Asheville is providing important information about Tropical Storm Helene response efforts through AVL Alert. Sign up at http://ashevillenc.gov/avlalert. |
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NEW! Side By Side Addresses Hurricane Helene Response
Director Crosbie was joined by LME/MCO Chief Executive Officers to discuss ongoing actions in response to Hurricane Helene. In addition to current information and resources, Director Crosbie also talked about ways to take care of yourself during challenging times. A video recording is available to watch and the presentation is available here.
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NEW! Recovery from Helene and addiction, how treatment centers are keeping clients connected:
Michael Roberts knows about the process of recovery. And so, the morning after Tropical Storm Helene he stepped outside his Haywood Road home and got to work, helping his neighbors remove downed trees in the neighborhood.
Amid the cleanup, he noticed a need for another kind of recovery.
"I saw just folks walking through the street going through withdrawals," Roberts said. "Or they were on substances. I know the feeling. When I was getting high there was no barrier stopping me from getting to that need. In my mind, my body needed it to survive."
After going through substance abuse treatment 26 times, the Asheville native has been sober for nine years. He now serves as the outreach director for Addiction Professionals of North Carolina, or APNC, and said efforts to keep centers open in Asheville began right after the storm so that people in recovery could still get resources. APNC serves as a statewide anchor for treatment and recovery resources. Read the whole article here.
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This section provides links to all previous updates related to our Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Moving forward, only new items will be highlighted in the newsletter, but you can still access all past updates here and at our Hurricane Helene Resource Hub for reference and ongoing support.
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Crisis Intervention Strategies for SUD Professionals
October 15th, 12:00 - 1:00PM
Presented by: Geri Miller, Ph.D.
Description: SUD professionals need to learn and practice a calm and encouraging approach during a crisis. The theoretical approach and specific techniques of crisis counseling assessment and treatment can readily be integrated into the professional’s overall framework. Suggestions on beneficial approaches and techniques are provided.
Objectives:
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Understand theories and techniques of crisis counseling assessment and treatment.
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Describe specific techniques of crisis counseling assessment and treatment.
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Apply approaches and techniques to one’s own SUD work setting.
This training is free to all.
Please register here: https://cvent.me/vxgqDL |
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| Disaster Recovery Survey |
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Taking this survey will help APNC understand the state of the members of our community, and will allow us to better understand the needs of our communities. |
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For those unaffected by the storm, but still looking for ways to help, you can donate to the official North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund here: |
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If you’re looking for ways to give, here are four funds you can support. These funds are getting urgently needed resources to people directly affected and hardest hit by the storm, including communities with less access to philanthropic dollars:
- Appalachian Helene Response Fund: Donate directly to mutual aid efforts or a recovery fund facilitated by Appalachia Funders Network. Recovery fund donations go through Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky; donors can designate support for NC in notes.
- Emergency and Disaster Response Fund: Support relief efforts by frontline nonprofits in 18 WNC counties and the Qualla Boundary, administered by the Community Foundation of Western NC.
- Organizing Resilience: Provide direct relief through mutual aid and community groups, support economic recovery and small businesses, and promote systemic change to prevent future disasters.
- NC Counts: Donate to grassroots organizations doing recovery work in vulnerable communities. NC Counts Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to building a healthy, just, and equitable North Carolina through cross-sector partnerships that advance systemic solutions for communities facing systemic barriers, including BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+, low wealth, immigrant, and other communities
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| NC Disaster Relief Fund |
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APNC has created a Hurricane Helene Resource Hub on our website. This hub serves as a centralized location where you can find all of our messages, updates, and important resources related to disaster recovery efforts. We will be archiving our daily communications and adding key links to help support individuals and communities impacted by the storm.
You can visit the Resource Hub here: |
| Hurricane Helene Resource Hub |
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