Behavioral Health

convened 2015-2016

work is ongoing

The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health (IMPH) convened a taskforce comprised of behavioral health professionals and stakeholders from across South Carolina to address a set of priority areas related to improving care and outcomes to better serve our residents with behavioral health illnesses.

MISSION & ACTION

The taskforce mission was to create lasting improvements in our state’s system of behavioral health services and supports by developing and recommending cost-effective, actionable solutions to existing challenges. The Behavioral Health Taskforce envisioned an integrated and fiscally sustainable system of high quality, cost-effective and accessible behavioral health services and supports for South Carolinians who need them.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Behavioral Health Taskforce was chaired by Kester S. Freeman, Jr., Executive Director of IMPH. Dr. Gerald Wilson served as the liaison to the IMPH Board of Directors. A Steering Committee identified the need for two committees to more fully investigate specific issues: Integrated Care and Community Resources. These committees identified potential solutions by examining best and promising practices from our state and others. Committees researched their respective focal areas and made recommendations to the Steering Committee about how to improve behavioral health and related health care services in South Carolina.

Along with overseeing the work of these committees, the Steering Committee also addressed the issues of access to behavioral health services and the need for more behavioral health professionals. The recommendations approved by the Steering Committee are actionable and their implementation will be advanced by key stakeholders.

Members of the Advisory Committee

Mr. Kester Freeman, Jr.

Chair, Executive Director, South Carolina Institute of Medicine & Public Health

Ms. Trina Cornelison

Executive Director, Continuum of Care Office of the Governor

Mr. Jim Head

Senior Vice President, Policy and Education South Carolina Hospital Association

Dr. Ligia Latiff-Bolet

Director, Quality Management and Compliance South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Mr. John Magill

Director, South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Ms. Gloria Prevost

Executive Director, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc.

Mr. Bob Toomey

Director, South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services

Dr. Robert Bank

Executive Director, Columbia Area Mental Health Center Deputy Director of Medical Affairs South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Ms. Ann-Marie Dwyer

Director, Behavioral Health South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Ms. Joy Jay

Director, Mental Health America of South Carolina

Dr. Pete Liggett

Deputy Director for Long Term and Behavioral Health South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Hon. Amy McCulloch

Judge, Richland County Mental Health Court Co-Founder, Partners in Crisis

Dr. Kenneth Rogers

Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Greenville Health System

Dr. Thomas Uhde

Professor & Chair, Medical University of South Carolina Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Ms. Cheryl Johnson Benjamin

Senior Director, Health Council United Way of the Midlands

Dr. Alison Evans

Chair, South Carolina Mental Health Commission South Carolina Department of Mental Health

Mr. Thornton Kirby

President & CEO, South Carolina Hospital Association

Mr. Bill Lindsey

Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness-South Carolina

Dr. Meera Narasimhan

Professor and Chair, University of South Carolina Department of Neuropsychiatry & Behavioral Science

Mr. Bryan Stirling

Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections

Ms. Lathran Woodard

Chief Executive Officer, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association

In August 2017, the work of the ILC was folded into the SC Behavioral Health Coalition (BHC) and their leadership team. IMPH continues to support the BHC and participates on the Executive Leadership Team, the Core Leadership Team and each committee of the BHC.

Behavioral Health
Implementation
Leadership Council

Following the successful release of the final report in May of 2015, IMPH established a Behavioral Health Implementation Leadership Council (ILC). The role of the Behavioral Health ILC was to prioritize recommendations of the taskforce; provide the vision for how the recommendations will be achieved; keep continued, focused attention on recommendations; eliminate or minimize barriers to implementation; connect and mobilize stakeholders; promote and track progress related to implementation of taskforce recommendations and inform the content of an annual written report of progress towards implementation. The Behavioral Health ILC was chaired by Kester S. Freeman, Jr., Executive Director of IMPH. The Board liaison was Dr. Gerald Wilson.

Behavioral Health Implementation Leadership Council

Mr. Kester S. Freeman, Jr.

Executive Director, IMPH and Behavioral Health ILC Chair

Mr. Thornton Kirby

President and CEO, SC Hospital Association

Ms. Gloria Prevost

Executive Director, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc.

Dr. Alison Evans

Chair, SC Mental Health Commission

Dr. Pete Liggett

Deputy Director for Long Term Care and Behavioral Health, SC Department of Health and Human Services

Mr. Bryan Stirling

Director, SC Department of Corrections

Ms. Sara Goldsby

Acting Director, SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services

Mr. John Magill

Director, SC Department of Mental Health

IMPH Publications

June 2022

Press Release: IMPH Releases Guide for Local Policymakers in Use of Opioid Settlement Funds

READ THE FULL REPORT S.C. will receive more than $360 million over the next 18 years Left to right: Hunter Sox, IMPH; Jared Libet, Office of ...

May 2021

Press Release: IMPH and the South Carolina Behavioral Health Coalition (SCBHC) have jointly released the Behavioral Health 2021 Progress Report + One-pager in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month

Read the full Report Read the One-pager The South Carolina Institute of Medicine & Public Health and the South Carolina Behavioral Healt ...

November 2020

Policy Brief: Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Providers + One-pager

Data demonstrates that many communities across South Carolina cannot meet the behavioral health needs of their residents. According to Menta ...

December 2019

Addressing the Opioid Epidemic and Spread of Infectious Disease Through the Provision of Syringe Services Programs

Read the Full Report Read the One-pager IMPH has released a new policy brief, Addressing the Opioid Epidemic and Preventing the Spread ...

October 2016

2016 Progress Report – Hope for Tomorrow: The Collective Approach for Transforming SC’s Behavioral Health Systems

Read the Progress Report Significant Progress Made in SC Behavioral Health Services and Supports The South Carolina Institute of Medicine ...

May 2016

One Year Update – Behavioral Health Taskforce

“One Year Update – Behavioral Health Taskforce” provides a brief status update on the processes and structure developed to help achieve the ...

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CONTACT

For more information, contact Maya Pack