Two new mental health resources for North Carolinians

Press release from N.C. Department of Health and Human Services: 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has two new mental health resources to support North Carolinians throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

The Hope4NC Helpline (1-855-587-3463) connects North Carolinians to additional mental health and resilience supports that help them cope and build resilience during times of crisis. As part of the state’s recent hurricane recovery efforts it served over 4,400 people in the most impacted counties, and now it is being made available to everyone in North Carolina’s 100 counties during the COVID-19 crisis. This initiative is in partnership with all seven of the state’s LME/MCOs and REAL Crisis Intervention Inc. in Greenville. Hope4NC is now available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to speak to a live person.

The Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) is a new initiative in partnership with the North Carolina Psychological Foundation. It provides mental health and resilience supports for health care professionals, emergency medical specialists, first responders, other staff who work in health care settings and their families throughout the state who are experiencing stress from being on the front lines of the state’s COVID-19 response. Hope4Healers is also available 24 hours per day, seven days a week for people to reach out for support; they will be contacted quickly by a licensed mental health professional for follow-up.

“These are challenging and uncertain times for everyone. We want to connect people to the mental health and resilience supports that they may need during this crisis to alleviate some of the anxiety and stressors that they are feeling,” said NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Kody Kinsley.

Hope4Healers is also recruiting and onboarding additional licensed behavioral health professional volunteers to support this helpline. Volunteers must register though the NC Training, Exercise, and Response Management System (NC TERMS). That system can be accessed through: www.terms.ncem.org/TRS.

Volunteers must follow these steps:

• Create a personal profile in NC TERMS
• In NC TERMS, click “Join a Team;” select “ESF8 – Public Health and Medical Services;” then select “COVID 19 Medical Response Volunteers.”
• From there select “Mental/Behavioral Health Personnel” and click “Request Membership.”
• Volunteers will be contacted for follow-up once their licenses have been validated.

Additional resources and information on staying physically and mentally healthy can be found on the “Managing your Overall Health” page on the NCHHS COVID-19 website at ncdhhs.gov/coronavirus. You can also visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov/coronavirus.