Mecklenburg County may be unable to split from state mental health care provider

CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County may be stuck with a behavioral and mental health care provider that some county leaders said the community does not trust.

Some families and county leaders said there have been many problems with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, including children who have to wait months in the emergency room for mental health help.

Cardinal provides care for people in five counties in our area. Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly and Union counties have requested to break away from the provider.

State officials have approved the split for some, but Channel 9′s Allison Latos explains why Mecklenburg County is out of options.

More than a dozen children in Mecklenburg County are still in the emergency department -- living in the emergency department. Some have been waiting more than 200 days for a spot at a residential treatment facility.

It appears Mecklenburg County may be losing the fight to split from the company that coordinates care for those children.

“There was this really anxious feeling because you were stuck in there,” said 18-year-old Jordon Garrity.

Jordon Garrity and his father said a mental health crisis landed Jordan in a Wake County emergency department in 2019, where he waited for care for five days.

With people having withdrawals and symptoms like that, and he was squeezed on a cot,” Bill Garrity said.

Joonu Coste is Jordan Garrity’s attorney.

“One of the reasons a young person like Jordan will spend multiple days, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, waiting for mental health services is, because there is a lack of providers.”

[PAST COVERAGE: ‘We are in a mess’: Meck County considers cutting ties with Cardinal Innovations]

Coste is with Disability Rights NC, which is an advocacy organization that’s been extremely critical of Cardinal Innovations, the company that coordinates mental and behavioral health care across 20 counties in North Carolina.

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said the state won’t allow the county to leave the provider, because the county is too big.

“The state is very concerned, because they believe that if we were to break away, it would really destabilize Cardinal,” Diorio said. “We’re kind of stuck, but we’re going to try to make lemonade out of lemons.”

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Cardinal Innovations said they’re working to reduce treatment delays and add more providers for Mecklenburg County, saying; “We continue to address their concerns while also looking for new opportunities to improve the health and wellness of the county’s most vulnerable residents.””

[PAST COVERAGE: ‘It’s too late’: Meck County agrees to cut ties with Cardinal Innovations]

Fourteen children waiting in the emergency department is actually an improvement, but the county manager tells Channel 9 she is nowhere near satisfied with Cardinal’s efforts.

Late last year, Latos reported on a contract between the Department of Health and Human Services and Cardinal. It included the possibility of fines if Cardinal didn’t meet benchmarks.

Latos contacted the state twice over past few days and asked if any financial penalties have been assessed. They have not responded.