The Guilford Center

The Guilford Center
Phone: 1-800-853-5163
Customer Service: 336-641-4981

The Guilford Center, Local Management Entity (LME) for the administration of public mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse treatment, is organized under the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (NCDHHS-MH/DD/SAS) and Guilford County. The LME is responsible for governance and administration of public mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services (MH/DD/SAS) for the single county catchment area. Administrative duties include policy development, collaboration with public and private organizations, development of a qualified provider network, strategic planning, stewardship of funds and other resources, and relationship with the Consumer and Family Advisory Committee (CFAC).

Additionally, the Guilford Center manages business functions, information technology and data systems as well as local, state and federal funds. The Center is charged with overseeing provider relations and assuring quality of services provided to MH/DD/SAS consumers. The agency recruits community providers, implements the State endorsement process locally, provides training and technical assistance to providers, monitors their performance, manages incident reporting, investigates/resolves provider complaints and concerns, and is responsible for overall system-wide quality improvement efforts.

Customer service/consumer affairs also fall within the managerial realm of the LME. In addition to handling consumer complaints, the Guilford Center investigates client rights violations, assures compliance with Title VI language access requirements, and provides information/education to the public in-person and via print, broadcast and Web media. The Guilford Center authorizes services through utilization management and review. It provides telephonic screening, triage and referral and authorizes the use of State hospitals and other facilities.