The Power of Partnerships

This lesson highlights real-world practice examples of how local management entities/managed care organizations (LME/MCOs) in North Carolina’s behavioral health system focused on building capacity for co-creation partnerships with key partners involved in caring for children with complex needs to foster improved outcomes.

To realize desired implementation outcomes, providers recognize that it takes many cross-system and within-system coordinated efforts best accomplished through effective partnerships. Practically speaking, this approach includes cross-department teams and team structures, and intra-agency collaborations that build professional relationships among community providers and system partners. The “who” is a critical team or group to clearly identify and work together to carry out the “what”, referring to the identified practices, programs, and policies designed to meet the needs of children and families. The “what” also includes attending to the support system for what is being implemented. Co-creation partners help envision an optimal system where things go well, and work with partner to break down implementation barriers along the way.