Monarch History

In April, at the request of the Arc of North Carolina and the Arc of High Point, Monarch entered into a management agreement with the Arc of High Point. This agreement is for Monarch to be responsible for the day to day service delivery to the people supported by the Arc of High Point. It includes all aspects of running the organization which encompasses residential, day and VR services. Monarch is also responsible for the QA monitoring and financial oversight of the agency. On April 15, Monarch hosted its third annual “Dreams Take Flight” golf tournament at beautiful Tillery Tradition Country Club in Mt. Gilead, N.C. The event raised more than $40,000 in much needed funds for Monarch programs to directly support people who are living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness, and substance abuse issues in more than 55 counties throughout North Carolina. This year’s event had special importance as recent state budget cuts have endangered Monarch programs. Proceeds raised will help people who may be a victim of federal and state budget cuts and may be in jeopardy of losing critical services. Despite economic challenges, the business community stepped up making this the most successful tournament to date.

In May, the agency was awarded a Request for Proposals (RFP) by Wake County to manage the county’s current adult outpatient services. This will add five new Monarch outpatient sites in Wake County that will be located in Cary, Fuquay Varina, Raleigh, Wake Forest and Zebulon and these newly acquired services began on May 15. During the month of August, Monarch again expanded its services to manage and operate several existing group homes in Johnston County. On Oct. 4, Partners Behavioral Health Management (BHM) the managed care organization overseeing Medicaid, state and local funded behavioral healthcare for eight counties in North Carolina announced Monarch would deliver behavioral health services to approximately 400 individuals who previously contracted to True Behavioral Healthcare of Gastonia. Partners BHM immediately initiated a selection process to identify other organizations that could deliver these services and selected Monarch. True Behavioral operated a number of mental health, substance abuse and intellectual disability services including clinics in Gastonia, Lincolnton and Shelby. Monarch assumed these services and began operating on Oct. 7. Monarch partners with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) USA to bring an incredible community service to people in our area. MHFA reduces stigma and increases the understanding that mental illness is real, common and treatable. MHFA gives participants an overview of substance use disorders and mental illness such as depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, eating disorders and self-injury. They will also be introduced to the risk factors and warning signs of these illnesses. Participants will be able to connect individuals demonstrating or exhibiting these signs with appropriate professional care and resources. Monarch will first offer MHFA training to administrators in Stanly County Schools and have plans to extend to a broader audience in January 2014. In November, Monarch plans to embark upon a brand awareness campaign to further position its mission and services throughout the Piedmont. The agency is contracting with a Matthews, NC-based firm Big Idea Group to help develop concepts that best describe and leverage the agency’s services through a variety of print, broadcast and Internet-based mediums. The agency has plans to start in the Charlotte market (the Piedmont) which covers 14-16 counties, with possible expansion in the future to other counties where the agency provides services.

On Jan. 31, Monarch’s behavioral health marked 10 years of providing mental health services. The organization started in Stanly County with two therapists and served the first person, a child, during the first two weeks of opening as Foundations Behavioral Services. In 2014, Monarch supported 23,000 people in 18 offices statewide. In August, Monarch relocated its Forsyth Industrial Systems at 650 North Highland Avenue in Winston-Salem. The program, which has been housed on North Highland Avenue for decades and provided a large site for production work, also offered a day program, employment and community services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To help the program become more community oriented, the site that once housed several programs under one roof, now has three separate locations in Forsyth County. For more than a year a steering committee, comprised of people we support, families, community partners, CenterPoint Human Services representatives and Monarch staff, held meetings to solicit input from families, caregivers and partners to determine appropriate programming and decided several sites would help to more easily foster community engagement for the people who participate in the program.

In May, Monarch was selected as the partnering non-profit and will begin offering all support services to enrolled students in Beyond Academics program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) beginning July 1, 2017. Over the last 10 years, Monarch has offered post-graduation support services for students who graduate from the Beyond Academics Comprehensive Transition Program. Beyond Academics was the first post-secondary program for students with I/DD in North Carolina, with its inaugural class graduating in 2007. Monarch’s support services offered to students that are enrolled in the Integrative Community Studies (ICS) program are specifically designed for students with I/DD to maintain or enhance their ability to live independently while living on a college campus or in their desired community during their college experience. There are currently 60 enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year. On Aug. 28, approximately 50 community members, elected officials, representatives from the hospital, social services, school system, and Eastpointe, the region’s managed care organization (MCO), gathered at Monarch’s Facility-Based Crisis (FBC) center in Lumberton for a grand reopening ceremony. The facility was recently renovated and expanded from 11 beds to 16. The renovated crisis program provides in-patient treatment options for adults who are experiencing a mental health crisis or need non-hospital substance use and detoxification services requiring 24-hour secure and medically supervised care. Monarch received more than $2 million in support from Eastpointe and federal and state funding streams. The Cannon Foundation also contributed to the renovation and expansion of the FBC center. In early September, Monarch announced an expansion of long term services in Cabarrus, Rowan and Gaston County. The organization began managing services formerly provided by Community Living Concepts on Sept. 1. The supervised living and community network locations affected by this acquistion are home to 19 residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and approximately 40 staff. The group homes will keep their names and simply add Monarch to the moniker. Monarch’s leadership team also is working to ensure that people who receive services will not experience a disruption of those services. On Oct. 24, Monarch earned The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® by demonstrating continuous compliance with the Commission’s performance standards. Monarch voluntarily underwent The Joint Commission’s thorough an assessment survey from Aug. 7 – 17, 2017, to evaluate its performance standards and commitment to delivering safe, quality care in both its behavioral health facilities and long-term services and support programs statewide. During the nine-day review, more than 100 of Monarch’s sites were rigorously evaluated for compliance with healthcare standards related to care, treatment, and services; environment of care; leadership; and screening procedures for the early detection of imminent harm. Onsite observations and interviews also were conducted.The Joint Commission accredits more than 21,000 organizations worldwide and focuses on continually improving health care by setting the highest standards for health care quality throughout the world. Monarch President/CEO Dr. Peggy Terhune said of the accreditation: “Monarch is pleased to receive The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval®, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation. Monarch staff from across the organization continue to work together to develop and implement approaches and strategies that have the potential to improve care for people in our communities.” On Dec. 29, Monarch opened North Carolina’s first Youth Crisis Center, located at 1810 Back Creek Dr. in Charlotte, to offer help and hope to the families of the tens of thousands of young people, ages 6-17, who are in crisis and need of urgent mental health care around the clock in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties. The member-funded State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation provided a very generous one-time grant also joined Monarch and other partners to help address the mental health needs of youth and adolescents in the Charlotte area with the opening of this 16-bed facility. Until now, children in this region facing a mental health crisis have been sent as far as 250 miles from the Charlotte area for similar services, and distances like these too often impede crucial family support and involvement in treatment.

On August 8, Monarch was one among 22 Charlotte-area businesses to receive the honor of Middle Market Leader by the Charlotte Business Journal. The publication identified local, middle-market companies that play a critical role in the Charlotte region’s economy. They measured revenue growth, job creation and economic impact of companies from 16 area counties throughout the Charlotte area with annual revenue between $50 million and $2 billion. Annual revenue figures were verified by accounting firm Elliott Davis.

On August 9, Monarch wins Best Agency of 2019 IPS Award. The Institute for Best Practices, University of North Carolina Center for Excellence in Community Health presented the award. Monarch received the award based on meeting a number of criteria including incorporating employment into our mission, sharing success stories, collecting outcomes, setting employment goals and educating staff. Monarch is one of 19 providers in the state and currently has seven IPS teams.

While navigating the coronavirus pandemic, Monarch continued to make system improvements to provide support to people with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Monarch launched MyPortal client portal system that will allow people we support to connect directly with their health record and the Credible electronic health record system to engage in care at Monarch.

Monarch successfully incorporated occupational therapy into incorporating occupational therapy services into behavioral health services. This innovative use of occupational therapy services supports recovery and independence for the people Monarch supports.

The therapeutic boarding school program combines comprehensive clinical care for substance use and co-occurring disorders with an accredited academic program, family support and a variety of health, wellness and recreational activities to create an individualized recovery experience for boys ages 14 to 17.

Monarch continued its work as part of the Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented (TIRO) Equity Call to Action Community of Practice, coordinated by the National Council for Behavioral Health, surveying staff and working toward improved equity in care.

In October, Monarch launched ShopMonarch.org, an-ecommerce site featuring the work of Monarch artists who participate in activities at Studio 651 day program in Winston-Salem.

In December, Monarch Monarch’s Joint Commission Triennial Survey took place, following which Monarch again received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for the provision of high quality health care services.

In late October, UMAR, a long-time provider of long-term services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities joined the Monarch family of services, extending our network of care further across Western North Carolina.