Resource Type

Legal Aid Integrated Care Rounds (July 2025)

Posted on by Lindsay Kenton

Description

NC InCK’s July 2025 Integrated Care Rounds discuss how legal remedies can support families facing housing instability, benefit denials, and discrimination. This session shares practical resources and insights on how to connect families to Legal Aid of North Carolina’s services. 

Video

Click this link for the July 2025 Legal Aid Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Accessing Legal Aid Is free, confidential, and accessible – Clients can apply via the helpline, online, or be referred by health and community partners. Legal Aid provides multi-language support and an online self-help library for clients who prefer to or need to self-navigate. 
  • Legal Aid offers broad legal support for low-income individuals – Services span public benefits (e.g., Medicaid, SSI, FNS), housing, employment, education, and domestic violence. Legal Aid of North Carolina serves all 100 counties in North Carolina and served more than 69,000 North Carolinians in 2024. 
  • Legal Aid of NC is a critical partner in addressing Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) – Up to 80% of health outcomes are influenced by social and economic conditions. Legal Aid helps individuals address civil legal problems (like housing, benefits, and discrimination) that directly impact health outcomes. Their services can be a powerful intervention when integrated into health care settings.

Resources

  • Legal Aid of NC Website – Comprehensive hub for legal resources, self-help tools, and application access
  • Self-Help Library – Free digital resource with guides, forms, and videos on legal issues like housing, benefits, and family law
  • Statewide Helpline – Individuals can apply for legal assistance by phone. Particularly helpful for those without internet access or who need direct conversation
  • NC Medicaid Ombudsman – Independent resource for Medicaid beneficiaries who need help resolving coverage or care disputes

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Integrated Care Rounds (May and June 2025)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK's May and June 2025 Integrated Care Rounds discuss autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through a trauma-informed, strengths-based lens. These sessions share practical resources and insights that offer a deeper understanding of how we can best support individuals with ASD and their families.

Click this link for the May 2025 ASD Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Click this link for the May 2025 ASD Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents with varying degrees of severity and may require different levels of support. If developmental concerns are present, getting evaluated can be critical to accessing services and supports.
  • Evaluation referrals can be made by the individual’s pediatrician, primary care provider, or school for students in grades K-12. Due to the volume of referrals, individuals are encouraged to get on several wait lists and to follow up often on any cancellations or no-shows.  
  • While waiting for an evaluation, learning more about autism spectrum disorder is encouraged, as it can provide helpful context and informed decision-making. It may also be helpful to practice coping skills while not in a state of crisis to reduce the inability to access them during times of stress. 
  • Getting connected to therapies- such as outpatient behavioral health, speech/occupational/physical, or music/art/equine- could also be beneficial while waiting to be evaluated. 
  • Most individuals with an autism spectrum diagnosis will be eligible for tailored care management provided by the MCO specific to their county. 

Resources

  • Autism Society of NC (ASNC) - Aims to improve the lives of individuals with autism, their families, and communities through advocacy, education and direct services. ASNC offers a directory of resources for evaluations, support groups, training, and advocates for policies that support the needs of individuals with ASD.
  • Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) - Provides early intervention supports and services for families and their children ages 0-3 with special needs in the form of assessments and evaluations, service coordination, and transition planning. 
  • Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC) - Provides information, support, training, and resources to assist families caring for individuals with special needs from birth to age 26. 

Interpersonal Violence (IPV) Integrated Care Rounds (April 2025)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK's April 2025 Integrated Care Rounds discuss interpersonal violence (IPV) and resources that can help strengthen protective factors and reduce harm.

Click this link for the April 2025 Interpersonal Violence Slide Deck

Key Takeaways

  • Interpersonal violence is widespread and has great financial and psychological impacts on survivors. The daily work care managers do with families, such as connecting to economic, behavioral health care, and parenting supports, increases protective factors and reduces harm from IPV. 
  • Understanding the warning signs and stages of abuse can help care managers screen and talk with clients about IPV.  Best practices for screening include asking in private, providing multiple opportunities for disclosure, and being prepared to offer resources and safety planning when discussing IPV. A variety of assessment and safety plan tools are available in the slide deck. 
  • When talking with someone about IPV, it is important to be empathetic and non-judgmental in your approach. It is important not to pressure individuals to share information or take steps they are not ready for. Instead, they should be offered options for support and given space to make decisions when ready. 

 

Resources

Family Engagement Research Part 2 Integrated Care Rounds (February 2025)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

Check out NC InCK's February 2025 Integrated Care Rounds where we dive into findings from our conversations with families engaged with the NC InCK care model.

Click this link for the February 2025 Family Engagement Research Part 2 Slide Deck

Key Takeaways

  • Families who chose not to participate in NC InCK care management expressed skepticism about the usefulness, legitimacy, and/or confidentiality of care management.  
    • Many of these families were unfamiliar with care management and made assumptions based on prior negative experiences with the healthcare system or other social services.
  • Families who initially participated but then were lost to follow up often talked about competing priorities (work, childcare, life events, health challenges) that made it hard to keep up with regular scheduled care management phone calls during business hours. Texting was helpful to keep busy families connected. 
    • Others felt they hadn’t received services they expected to receive, like financial or housing assistance, because resources weren’t available or there were long wait lists
  • Many families in both groups were interested in being reconnected to the program, either because they felt they had a better understanding of care management or because their needs had changed since the initial outreach.