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Partners Influences National Conversation on Youth Mental Health Crisis with Suicide Screening Tool

GASTONIA, N.C. [March 4, 2026] – A Partners Health Management pilot program to use a suicide risk assessment screening tool as part of its Mobile Outreach, Response, Engagement and Stabilization (MORES) Model is influencing the national conversation on how to address the youth mental health crisis.

With youth mental health needs rising nationally, Partners has taken steps to significantly improve crisis response and early suicide risk detection among youth in Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties.

Through partnerships with Catawba Valley Health (CVH) and Phoenix Counseling Center, Partners integrated a standardized suicide risk screening tool, the Columbia Suicidality Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), into its MORES Model in 2025. The C-SSRS is a tool to support suicide risk assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that anyone can ask. Partners incorporates the screening tool into MORES assessments at the start of services and again at discharge, bringing greater consistency and clarity to youth crisis services.

Partners’ work aligns with the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) initiative on Addressing Mental Health through Screening, which focuses on improving access to screenings, selecting appropriate tools and standardizing practices across care systems.

Throughout 2025, Partners presented monthly updates to the NQF’s panel of experts, helping shape recommendations to improve access to youth mental health screenings, use of appropriate, evidence-based tools and consistent, standardized screening practices.

“Adding the C-SSRS strengthens our ability to support youth and families during their most vulnerable moments, enhancing local crisis care and contributing valuable insights to national efforts aimed at improving youth mental health outcomes,” said Partners Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Libby McCraw.

Early successes included:

  • Clearer communication: The C-SSRS encourages straightforward, age-appropriate conversations about suicide risk in community settings.
  • State interest: North Carolina officials have expressed interest in reviewing the project’s outcomes as they explore statewide MORES development.
  • Stronger data: Incorporating C-SSRS scores into Partners’ Mobile Crisis database will provide ongoing evidence of MORES effectiveness.

CVH and Phoenix piloted the tool, and early data showed improvement among youth and families receiving MORES services, with C-SSRS scores remaining moderate or decreasing at discharge.

Partners Clinical Systems Development Specialist Ann Jackson said that as of Jan. 13, 2026, CVH and Phoenix had received 186 calls for individuals eligible to enroll in MORES. Of those, 177 received an initial risk assessment (the C-SSRS) and 38 assessments were completed at the time of a MORES discharge. About 95% of members who received the C-SSRS both at the time of their MORES admission and again at discharge showed a decrease in severity and/or maintenance of a low-to-moderate risk level. “This demonstrates MORES’ stabilizing effect,” Jackson said. “The majority of the assessments and service took place in the home and community—with youth and their family.”

Referrals for MORES come from local stakeholders, community members, schools, behavioral health providers and other healthcare professionals. C-SSRS implementation and data collection remain ongoing, Jackson said.

“Collaboration is key to expanding safe, standardized care,” said Partners Deputy CEO Rachel Porter. “Our partnership with CVH and Phoenix strengthens the MORES model and improves outcomes for youth in crisis.”

Officials with CVH and Phoenix said the changes made a difference in how their teams connect with families during their most vulnerable conversations about safety and support. “The screenings help us meet families where they are and guide them through conversations that truly matter,” said Tim Lentz, CEO of CVH.

Phoenix CEO Kevin Oliver said, “This screening tool has made it easier to identify and respond to suicide risk, strengthening both our practice and the broader system of care.”

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.