Committee on DHHS Mental Health meeting postponed one week until February 25th. While most of the attendees are the usual suspects from providers, local area mental health agencies, and lobbyists, anyone can attend -- it is an open meeting.
Raleigh, N.C. - The Mental Health Crisis Solutions Coalition will holds its second meeting on Tuesday, February 25th at 1 p.m. at The Royal Banquet in Raleigh. The Coalition, which represents a broad spectrum of hospital and law enforcement professionals, mental health care providers, patient advocates, legislators and advocacy groups has been tasked by Governor Pat McCrory to look at and implement evidence-based best practices for crisis care statewide.
What: Mental Health Crisis Solutions Coalition meeting
hat tip to Bob Geary for alert about this article. If you are concerned about the Democratic Party's repeated meltdowns, this will answer many questions. At least it did for me:
For years, the Tin Foil Hat caucus that supports Randy Voller now, and supported David Parker before, spent much of their time obsessing over conspiracy theories about hidden scandals within the state Democratic Party headquarters. One story line centers on consultants, like me, who have done work for the party in the past. According to the them, we’re all trying to get into the party coffers through manipulating our connections with party officers or staff.
Facing resistance, N.C. Democratic Party Chairman Randy Voller retreated from his intention to nominate civil rights leader and controversial figure Ben Chavis for a top post – at least for now.
In a contentious conference call with upward of 100 party executive leaders Tuesday night, Voller supported making state director Casey Mann the party’s interim executive director for up to 30 days as officials “explore a permanent replacement,” the party said in a statement. The executive council must approve Voller’s nomination.
The Executive Council of the NC Democratic Party met via teleconference call. The reason appears to be a requirement under the rules that a meeting must be held withing 48 hours after a vacancy in the Executive Director's position.
Nonetheless, there was inadequate notice, which is also a requirement under Party rules. According to the person counting votes 28 votes constituted a majority. I don't know exactly how many Council members were on the phone. According to info on the Wake County Party site, there are 51 members. It was said at some point on the call there were over 150 participants including non-voting folks like me.
I only learned how to call in as the meeting was being convened at 9:00 pm, not the 8:00 pm I had been told earlier. What a mess.
Of course I won't complain too much. If a vote on hiring Ben Chavis had happened, it could have been a lot more detrimental to the Party.
The chairman of the Senate Rules Committee said Tuesday that he is drafting legislation that would force Duke Energy to clean up 14 coal ash ponds around North Carolina like the one that dumped thousands of gallons of toxic sludge into the Dan River last week.
"Just letting them sit there is not the answer to the problem," said Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson.
Lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, have balked at legislation in years past that would have forced power companies to remove the waste from their coal ash ponds.
NC Democratic Party Chairman called and we spoke for several minutes about reports that Ben Chavis will be named as new Executive Director of the Party. Voller feels he is not getting fair treatment from some media outlets, especially the Raleigh News and Observer.
He appeared to be listening attentively to my questions about the firing of Dempsey and the hiring of Chavis. He did not want to get into details of Dempsey personnel matters, nor did I ask him to. However, he stated for the record that he "considered the situation like that of a coach who has to pull a player in the middle of a game. It is not easy, but sometimes it has to be done."
Looks like several Medicaid related items are on the Agenda including one addressed by Joseph Neff for the N&O
In August, the state’s Medicaid director asked the federal government for permission to postpone for three months the process for renewing Medicaid recipients’ coverage.
The federal government gave its approval, but the N.C. General Assembly didn’t. When lawmakers passed the state budget in July, they required the Department of Health and Human Services to get legislative approval for federal waivers.
Democratic Party to announce new executive director Wednesday
A new executive director for the N.C. Democratic Party will be announced on Wednesday.
That’s the word chairman Randy Voller sent out at midday Monday in a news release. Voller provided a couple clues: The new executive director is a North Carolina native and “national leader.”
I have sent emails to Casey Mann and to Micah Beasley at Democratic Headquarters, but no response received yet. My questions are about the question raised by N&O story and quote from member of the party's state Council questioning Voller's authority to fire the Executive Director without vote by Council.
WRAL NEWS in NC @WRAL
ALERT: Robert Dempsey, executive director of NC Democratic Party, fired http://www.wral.com/13374074 #breaking
By Kelly Gardner
RALEIGH, N.C. — After less than a year as executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, Robert Dempsey has been fired, multiple sources tell WRAL News.
According to those sources – some of whom talked to Dempsey – Dempsey said he was told Sunday that he's been let go.
Dempsey was installed as the party's executive director in May...
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