NC House Committee Approves Telehealth Reforms for Mental Health Evaluations
House committee recommends jails use telehealth for mental health evaluations instead of hospital transport, as lawmakers tackle involuntary commitment reform.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — A North Carolina House committee voted Tuesday to approve interim recommendations aimed at improving the state’s involuntary commitment system, including allowing county jails to use telehealth for on-site mental health evaluations of arrestees.
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety recommended that jails consider using telehealth technology as an alternative to transporting individuals to hospitals for mental health assessments. The committee also approved several other measures to address the state’s mental health crisis.
Staffing and Capacity Challenges
The committee’s recommendations include increasing the number of providers authorized to complete commitment evaluations, recruiting and retaining staff to make more beds available, and expanding outpatient services. Additional proposals focus on improving data collection, establishing payment methods for outpatient commitment services, and evaluating legal standards for involuntary commitment regarding guardianship and incompetency.
Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) raised concerns about funding for the proposed changes. “We have 300 beds that aren’t being used because we aren’t able to staff them,” she said. “We’re not being able to pay the licensed professionals that we need to increase licensing requirements, to get more people able to be licensed.”
System Manipulation Concerns
Committee members acknowledged that while mental health issues have long existed, they require increased attention currently. Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) warned that changes could result in the state keeping more people in custody than previously.
“We have to figure out another way to look at those individuals that are not going to self-medicate,” Cunningham said. “They’re not going to self-medicate because they know how the system works, because they’re in and out of the system. They learn how to manipulate it.”
Temporary Committee Structure
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety operates as a temporary panel, unlike permanent standing committees. The involuntary commitment committee was established in late 2025, according to the report.
Lawmakers indicated that significant work remains on involuntary commitment reform despite Tuesday’s approval of the interim recommendations. The committee continues to examine ways to balance public safety concerns with appropriate mental health treatment for individuals in the criminal justice system.
The telehealth recommendation represents a potential shift in how mental health evaluations are conducted in county facilities, potentially reducing transportation costs and wait times while maintaining clinical standards for assessment.
