• By Todd Luck
• Posted Monday, March 29, 2021

Forsyth County seeks public comment on disengagement from Cardinal

Forsyth County Government is seeking public comments on its disengagement plan with Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, the county’s Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME/MCO).

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted on November 12, 2020 to begin disengagement from Cardinal, and has chosen to pursue a relationship with Partners Behavioral Health Management to manage the county’s behavioral health services funded by federal and state dollars, including Medicaid, in order to improve the delivery of those services to residents.

The disengagement plan can be found at https://forsyth.cc/disengagementplan.aspx. The link to leave a comment can be found near the bottom of the page. The public comment period ends May 5, 2021. Comments can also be mailed to:

Forsyth County Manager’s Office
ATTN: LME/MCO Realignment
201 N. Chestnut Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101

“This is not a decision that was made lightly, and we strongly believe it is in the best interest of our county.” said Deputy County Manager Shontell Robinson. “After working with Cardinal for many years to try to resolve ongoing issues affecting our residents’ ability to get the services they medically need, Forsyth County (like five other counties in North Carolina) voted to begin the disengagement process from Cardinal Innovations.

With Medicaid transformation upon us, it is even more critical that we act now to transition to a LME/MCO who has a proven track record of partnership and collaboration. We are committed to a seamless transition and are working with a Transition Planning Team, comprised of stakeholders, providers and consumers. We hope you will take the time to view our disengagement plan and welcome your feedback.”