New Peer-Run Mental Health Respite Opens in Cabarrus County, Offering Compassionate, Low-Barrier Care

In a major step forward for accessible mental health care, Partners Health Management joined community leaders and state officials Wednesday to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Retreat @ The Cabin, a newly renovated, peer-run respite center in Cabarrus County.

The facility is the result of a powerful collaboration between the Promise Resource Network (PRN), Partners Health Management, Cabarrus County and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

Designed as a serene, trauma-informed alternative to traditional clinical settings, Retreat @ The Cabin offers individuals experiencing emotional distress a welcoming, zero-to-low barrier environment to stabilize and heal. The peer-led model serves as a highly cost-effective alternative to traditional hospital emergency departments, which can cost the healthcare system $2,700 per individual per day while staying at Retreat @ The Cabin costs just $150 per person per day to run.

For Cherene Caraco, CEO of Promise Resource Network (PRN), and her team, the opening represents a deeply personal milestone. “These spaces are everything I needed when I came in through mental health systems and I didn’t have. So, the fact that we’re able to bring them into our state is heartwarming for me,” said Caraco, a psychiatric, trauma and suicide attempt survivor who has worked for 28 years to advocate for services and systems that foster wellness. Reflecting on the transformation of the property, she added, “This cabin took us about five months to renovate, and I hope that you see when you walk through it that it is curated with a lot of love [and] intentional design.”

Kelly Crosbie, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services at NCDHHS, echoed the profound need for these non-traditional healing spaces. Drawing on her own lived experience and background as a licensed clinical social worker, Crosbie emphasized the importance of empowering individuals.

“This notion of people owning their own recovery, and the rest of us are merely here to support, I just think is the system that we need here in North Carolina,” Crosbie said. “Having places and spaces and creating an environment where people can find recovery, healing from trauma in the way that makes sense to them is the kind of system, communities and worlds that we need to have. Mental health and healing doesn’t have to look like this very traditional, scary, clinical way. There are many, many ways to heal.”

Accessing the facility is intentionally straightforward, requiring only a phone call to arrange a tour or a stay, effectively removing the systemic gatekeeping that often delays care.

Libby McCraw, CEO of Partners Health Management, highlighted the initiative as a prime example of the public system’s potential when agencies unite with a shared vision.

“What we see here today is really an example of the value of the public system and how when we come together to solve problems, and we do it in a way that provides the right care at the right place at the right time, that’s what really makes a difference,” McCraw stated. Noting the unconditional welcome the facility provides, she added, “It really is intended to be a retreat.”

Aalece Pugh, PhD, Assistant County Manager and Human Services Director for Cabarrus County, championed the project as a critical addition to the local continuum of care, crediting the Cabarrus County Behavioral Health Department for their diligent work in expanding crisis services.

“It offers individuals experiencing distress a welcoming, peer-led, and serene environment—one that can help stabilize situations before they escalate, but also helping to divert people away from higher, costly levels of care that may not be necessary,” Dr. Pugh noted. “That’s smart public service. But more importantly, it’s compassionate public service.”

Retreat @ The Cabin is now officially open, serving as a beacon of hope, dignity and recovery for the Cabarrus County community and beyond.

ABOUT PARTNERS

Partners Health Management is a leading local management entity/managed care organization (LME/MCO), providing access to care for individuals in central and western North Carolina with the most complex health care needs. Partners manages Medicaid, state, and local funding for mental health, substance use disorder, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injury (MH/SUD/IDD/TBI) services in our covered areas. Through the operation of the Partners Tailored Plan, we integrate behavioral health, I/DD, TBI, physical health, and pharmacy services to ensure whole-person care for our members.

Partners is one of four LME/MCOs that are the cornerstone of North Carolina’s public MH/SUD/IDD/TBI managed care system, which is designed to improve quality and timely access to care for individuals and families. Established by the General Assembly in 2011, the LME/MCOs are built on a 50-year legacy of county-area programs with deep local, community roots. The LME/MCOs ensure access to high-quality provider networks, strong community collaboration to support a robust system of care, and budget predictability through the efficient and effective use of public funds and resources.