Western N.C. receives federal funding to support mental health after Hurricane Helene

Over 20 counties in western North Carolina received a total of nearly $3 million in federal funding to expand crisis counseling services in the wake of Hurricane Helene. 

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration granted The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services $2.9 million on Oct. 24 for support services for 25 counties in western N.C. The funding is a part of SAMHSA's Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program, a short-term disaster relief grant for states to address behavioral health needs throughout impacted areas.

Lisa DeCiantis, crisis services lead with the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services, said the NCDHHS applied for the grant to provide more crisis counselors to affected communities.

DeCiantis said the majority of the funding will go directly towards hiring more crisis counselors, who will offer behavioral health support and services.

“There are many individuals that don't know how to reach out for support, and by having an increased workforce out in the community, we are able to make sure that everyone out there is reached,” DeCiantis said. “That they don't need to seek the help, but that the help can come to them.”

Anita Everett, the director of the Center for Mental Health Services within SAMHSA, said some mental health challenges people are grappling following the impact of Helene with include sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, self-isolation, depression and a sense of hopelessness. 

“It's important for us to remember in any kind of mental health response that we put together that everyone's affected in some way, and some are going to be more seriously affected than others,” Everett said. “And so our intervention, our funding that we call the Crisis Counseling Program, is designed with that in mind.”

Everett added that it is common for people who experience disasters to feel a sense of survivor's guilt — stemming from both physical survival and impact on property and loved ones. 

Lizet Danielle, who lives in Spruce Pine, N.C., in Mitchell County, compared her emotional experience in the aftermath of the hurricane to the stages of grief. 

“I didn't lose a loved one personally, but I feel like I have lost something that I love dearly, and that's just a life that was mine before the hurricane hit,” Danielle said. 

Everett said reaching out to friends and family and getting together with others is a beneficial strategy in coping with disaster-related stress.

Executive Director of Resources for Resilience Ann DuPre Rogers said the organization has been offering multiple opportunities for connection to residents of western N.C. after Helene, including weekly listening circles. 

“It's an hour-long time for people to come together [and] learn a little bit about what's going on with their body and nervous system after a big event,” DuPre Rogers said. “[They] hear from each other what's hard about this [and] hear the message, ‘You're not alone.’”

While the majority of the SAMHSA funding will hire more crisis counselors, DeCiantis said a portion of it will expand the Hope4NC Helpline, a 24/7 hotline that offers support to first responders as they provide disaster response. The hotline is available at 1-855-587-3463. 

Valerie Arendt, the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers North Carolina Chapter, said NCDHHS created Hope4NC after Hurricane Mathew in Oct. 2016. She said it has since remained a resource for first responders and volunteers who experience additional stress during disaster response.

“They are dealing with their own loss and their own trauma while also trying to help others,” Arendt said. “So that's where this additional behavioral health need is going to be.”

Ardent said research has shown mental health needs typically peak around six months after disasters like hurricanes, making it crucial that people have continued access to mental health services. 

Danielle said her community is incredibly overwhelmed as a new reality sets in. She said she thinks it will be years before there's any semblance of normalcy. 

“There's also this feeling of fear that our communities will be forgotten,” Danielle said. “Especially as the election is coming in, news will shift in a different direction. We just feel this fear that our area will be forgotten, and people will just think life is back to normal when that couldn't be further from the truth.” 

For immediate counseling, people can call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is available for any reason, Everett said. SAMHSA also has a National Disaster Distress Helpline, available 24/7 at 1-800-985-5990. 

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