Everything went as planned this morning when board members of Western Highlands Network unanimously adopted a management agreement with Smoky Mountain Center — making the legal document effective immediately and the eventual merger between the two entities ever closer.
As the July 31 deadline looms for ending Western Highlands Network’s state Medicaid contract, its board hopes to keep mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services close to home. (Above, WHN board member Steve Wyatt announces the board’s the resolution of intent to merge with Smoky Mountain. Photo by Caitlin Byrd)
One week after state officials notified Western Highlands Network that its Medicaid waiver contract will end July 31, WHN board members report that the Asheville-based organization’s future will come in one of two ways: merge with another local management entity, or pilot an integrated health-care program.
On Friday, April 5, the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance notified the Asheville-based Western Highlands Network that it’s terminating its contract, effective July 31. WHN coordinates mental-health, substance-abuse and developmental-disability services in in Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, Polk and Rutherford counties.
With a multi-million dollar deficit still looming over Western Highlands Network, the organization’s board members will have to find another way to balance the budget after they withdrew their most recent budget reduction plan. (Photo of interim CEO Charles Schoenheit by Caitlin Byrd)
After a consultant discovered a $3 million shortfall, the Western Highlands Network must undergo close state oversight aimed at getting the agency back on track. And if the managed-care organization doesn't strictly adhere to the recommendations in the state’s Aug. 1 correction plan, it could face severe consequences. The board has already fired CEO Arthur […]
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services plan of correction for the Western Highlands Network’s recent financial difficulties.
After a 10-page report revealed the organization’s $3 million debt, Western Highlands Network faces another 10-page document: an extensive plan of correction from the state. However, if the managed-care organization doesn’t adhere to the recommendations, consequences could be great.
Our VOINCAs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on, another threat is growing here at home. And though it’s invisible, it has the same potential to spawn abuse, maiming and death. This threat targets the families and loved ones of untreated or poorly treated soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and other emotional conditions […]
