Behind each organization in North Carolina are the partnerships, ideas, and people that fuel our state’s success. Alliance Health is one such organization, with deep roots in the communities it serves and a history of working to meet pressing health needs.

Serving more than 470,000 Medicaid-eligible and uninsured individuals across seven counties in North Carolina—including Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Wake—Alliance Health manages the full spectrum of health care for some of our state’s most vulnerable residents. This includes physical health, behavioral health, pharmacy, and long-term services for individuals with complex mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injury.

North Carolina Counties Alliance Health Serves.

“Alliance Health’s work reflects the critical role behavioral health organizations play in strengthening North Carolina’s communities,” said NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido. “By investing in crisis services, housing, and local partnerships, Alliance Health is expanding access to care and building healthier futures across the state. We are proud to count Alliance Health among our NC Chamber membership and value their ongoing commitment to the well-being of North Carolinians.”

 

Community Partnerships at the Core

Since inception, Alliance Health has built its work on collaboration with county governments, community providers, and local organizations. These partnerships allow Alliance Health to respond to community-specific needs with solutions that make sense locally. This includes opening a new urgent care center, funding innovative housing options, and embedding mental health expertise within first response systems.

The Smith Family Wellness Center Behavioral Health Urgent Care in Charlotte was created through a partnership with Mecklenburg County government and the Steve Smith Family Foundation, and the Good Hope Behavioral Health Urgent Care in Harnett County is a partnership with county leaders and community providers. These local solutions are rooted in the commitment to make behavioral health care accessible where and when people need it most.

 

Building a Robust Crisis Continuum

One of Alliance Health’s most notable achievements is the development of a comprehensive crisis continuum—a network of services designed to de-escalate crises quickly, stabilize individuals, and connect them to ongoing care.

This includes:

• Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUCs): Community-based facilities that reduce unnecessary ER visits, hospitalizations, and incarceration. In 2024, Alliance Health’s Durham and Wake BHUCs served 1,675 people, with 81% seeing a physician or prescriber the same day.
• Mobile Crisis Teams and Enhanced Mobile Crisis Services: Deployed in partnership with EMS systems, these teams provide on-scene risk assessments, provider referrals, and follow-up support—helping families remain safely in their communities and avoid hospitalization.
• Facility-Based Crisis and Detox Centers: Short-term care facilities where nearly 2,000 people began their recovery journey in 2024.

Through this network, Alliance Health diverted nearly 9,000 people from hospital emergency departments last year— evidence of the impact of community-based crisis response.

The Hope Center Expands Facility-based Crisis Unit

 

Investing in Health Beyond Treatment

Recognizing that health extends beyond clinical services, Alliance Health has invested heavily in housing, which they view as a critical healthcare intervention. A $5 million housing investment helped secure 69 housing units to support housing options for vulnerable community members.

Alliance Health’s Better Together initiative has directed more than $25 million into local projects that build provider capacity.

Alliance and Partners Celebrate Opening of Wake’s First Supportive Housing Development

 

Training, Education, and Leadership

Alliance Health is at the forefront of equipping North Carolinians with tools to respond to mental health challenges. Through statewide leadership in Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention Team training, Alliance Health strengthens community members with skills to de-escalate crises and connect people with care.

 

A Community-Rooted Vision for the Future

Alliance Health is more than a managed care organization—it is a community partner, problem solver and advocate. By working closely with counties, providers and community leaders, Alliance Health is helping to build a future where behavioral health services are responsive, effective and accessible.

Alliance Partnering to Bring Critical Care Where It’s Needed