The Governor’s Crime Commission today adopted a resolution in support of Medicaid expansion that will help lift the burden of mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment from law enforcement and first responders.
Chairman Robert Evans called the vote on the resolution following intense discussion of strategic priorities impacting criminal justice in North Carolina. “Our police departments and our jails too often are tasked with filling the health service gap that exists in our state,” Evans said. “Expansion of Medicaid would have a direct impact on the viability of healthcare services -- particularly in rural communities.”
“This is a criminal justice issue impacting the safety of our communities,” said N.C. Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr., who sits on the Governor’s Crime Commission. “North Carolinians need access to critical care, outside of our law enforcement agencies and jails.”
“In rural communities, the biggest treatment facility often is the jail,” said Pamela Thompson, a member of the Governor’s Crime Commission and an Alamance County commissioner. “The jail has become the new hospital. Expansion of Medicaid will help shore up healthcare resources across the state, ensuring North Carolinians have access to critical services.”