[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6671044,"mediaKeyId","2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9","parentId",2171627,"title","Trillium Healthcare updates Lee County commissioners on Medicaid \"tailored plan\" rollout, enrollment and service changes","audioSeconds",792,"startMs",311000,"endMs",1103000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9&start=311&end=1103","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9/thumbnail_311000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671044/Lee-County/North-Carolina/Trillium-Healthcare-updates-Lee-County-commissioners-on-Medicaid-tailored-plan-rollout-enrollment-and-service-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671044-c4acdff493cc990bd68af8a562b02c97/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188915&Signature=g5qn7qjjGniGwflttbmYzqGxGRCHfOXRDAs5vbFMAORPbq7gfEExedJ7cqD-CFCyEwUstZklETTUnuubZfSkJowwEozwFBNbrPWMqdaJTB0uKsnqcGqO~xP0QA2HYQpx9DQnp9G1gNMr2LGFQmXsg~w~4eQDckscmVtoOgp8PWDmEZlIU8OBKbBUxWjo8UuLsbfSreZB9AU-62vWNMyMmElon302UjifRTWeX54KrRJAHpeRUCUC~YUPm~xudpXw6p6wqQDGfnv3gw~EhoR1rjj3JXaPgnDoFeaFErKRsHE18BspHiKxn6OQLUu669EOxHjleQ6Ei6GZt8PUtzFvwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lee County","date","2025-01-01T05:09:34.213Z","article","Trillium Healthcare, the local management entity and managed care organization covering Lee County, briefed the Lee County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 about the early months of North Carolina's Medicaid tailored-plan rollout and how it is affecting members and providers.

The presentation, given by Cecilia Peers of Trillium and Anne Kimball, head of community engagement and empowerment, summarized enrollment, covered services, operational impacts and supports Trillium is offering to members in Lee County.

Trillium said there are about 18,892 people on Medicaid in Lee County (July state data) and that Trillium serves roughly 4,510 of those members (about 24%). Of Trillium's enrollees in the county, the organization said slightly more than 1,100 are in the new tailored-plan whole-person care program and a little over 3,000 are served under the organization's Medicaid-direct behavioral health model. Trillium said those figures are updated from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which posts monthly enrollment data.

Why it matters: North Carolina has shifted parts of Medicaid into integrated \"whole-person\" models. For counties such as Lee, the change affects which entity manages behavioral and physical health benefits, nonemergency medical transportation, pharmacy coverage and certain state-funded behavioral-health benefits.

Trillium outlined the difference between the previously available \"standard plans\" (commercial insurers that cover mild-to-moderate behavioral health needs along with physical health) and the LME-MCO-run \"tailored plans,\" which add enhanced behavioral-health services (for example, adolescent day treatment, assertive community treatment, community support teams), some residential services, certain waiver services and care management.

Operations and member experience: The agency reported a sharp rise in call-center volume around the July launch of tailored plans. Calls jumped from roughly 9,400 in June to more than 17,000 in July and later stabilized around 12,000; Trillium said those spikes lengthened wait times and affected the rate at which calls are answered. It reported that about 72.8% of calls were answered within 30 seconds during the transition period, down from prior targets in the mid-90s percentage range.

Trillium also described work to avoid gaps in transportation services at launch: it proactively contacted about 900 members who regularly received transportation but did not yet have rides scheduled for the first week of the tailored-plan launch.

On pharmacy, Trillium said claims are processed in real time and that, from July through mid-October, the plan processed about $82 million in pharmacy claims (predominantly for physical-health medications). Trillium said paying pharmacy claims in real time was a key metric demonstrating continuity of care and timely provider reimbursement.

Services and supports: Trillium said tailored plans cover nonemergency medical transportation, pharmacy benefits, durable medical equipment and long-term services and supports; tailored care management is a centerpiece intended to coordinate both physical- and behavioral-health needs. Trillium described care management providers as either specialized care-management agencies or advanced primary-care medical homes.

Trillium also noted availability of other programs tied to tailored plans and state funding, including 1915(i) services (supports for wellness and community integration such as supported employment and respite), Innovations waiver slots for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the TBI pilot waiver (traumatic brain injury) that is operating in one jurisdiction and expected to expand.

Questions from county commissioners covered the status of proposed regional board appointments (handled by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services), the number and wait time for Innovations waiver slots (Trillium said annual slot increases have been modest and described wait times by county that the speaker estimated might be roughly 10'12 years in some cases), and how local transportation systems (Lee County's Colt service) interface with the vendor most plans use (MotiveCare). Trillium said MotiveCare is the transportation broker and would negotiate rates with local providers such as Colt.

Trillium emphasized the organization's focus on social determinants of health (housing, food access, employment) and listed community-based services and one-time move-in assistance, recovery apps, and GED vouchers among value-added services intended to reduce barriers to care.

The presentation closed with Trillium's crisis line information and an invitation to contact the Trillium member and recipient services line or the website for enrollment and eligibility questions.

Next steps: Trillium said it is tracking operational metrics and expects some stabilization as members and providers adapt to the tailored-plan model. Staff and commissioners did not take an action vote on Trillium's presentation during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lee County Board of Commissioners Meeting - December 16, 2024","oneSentenceSummary","Trillium Healthcare briefed the Lee County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 about early effects of North Carolina's Medicaid \"tailored plan\" rollout, reporting enrollment figures for Lee County members and operational impacts including higher call volumes and transportation coordination challenges.","taxTitle","Lee County, North Carolina","taxId",55520,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671036,"Applicant seeks revisions to county sign rules to allow modern digital billboards with sight-line lighting; planning board review expected",515,2881000,3396000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9&start=2881&end=3396","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9/thumbnail_2881000.jpg","/articles/6671036/Lee-County/North-Carolina/Applicant-seeks-revisions-to-county-sign-rules-to-allow-modern-digital-billboards-with-sight-line-lighting-planning-board-review-expected","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671036-174ade62ccc8825686f1783659314bf8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188915&Signature=C6nNoxIEk2VGjNgAPMzffV3iTQ9LaynNudkbEkqWIc8TKME5K394WGoO7O3JXNjI7cxkpRTSy2uzwf993RSXDoCQlJc~GCJXORIbSE9XeCV~nwqmaFoHDegA82N403N2qpT~0Yxv~H2IMgLO2-PI2nLz4ZSxqautKtakoubxFjIK6McpuH8z9i738szNgUjtD-YIURSC0E59o0XSX1JzBwoFTOhHZrYGjnsGKS8BynZdvy4nyXaX5GX1u~fkStVlB1PvkwJjy3A~s3Q5PnBJctyH3t7xfXsspEYAlLhwgC4Gi8tZAH1s0kpxsMiEukNa~F5OO18TZ4HrOPIcn2Pb9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","An advertising company seeking looser rules for outdoor advertising presented a proposed text amendment to Lee County's Unified Development Ordinance on Dec. 16 that would change how billboard spacing and illumination are regulated.

Interstate Outdoor Incorporated (represented by Warren Stancil, with associate David Stuckey) asked the board to amend UDO Article 11 to: (1) adjust the way the required minimum distance between billboards is measured (from a radial 1,000-foot radius to a measurement along the same route), (2) allow changeable-copy (digital) signs that use sight-line directional lighting to limit illumination to the main travelway, and (3) require new billboards be constructed on steel monopoles rather than older multi-post or wood structures. The applicant said the proposal would add locations for modern, nonmoving digital faces while reducing visual clutter by standardizing structure type.

Why it matters: Changes to the UDO would alter where and how new outdoor advertising can be placed countywide. Staff noted neighboring counties generally have stricter or different controls; Chatham County is moving toward prohibiting new billboards in a draft UDO, and Wake and Moore counties have different spacing or permitting regimes. Any text amendment would also be reviewed by the planning board before a final decision by the commissioners.

Proponent presentation and demonstration: Warren Stancil and David Stuckey showed the board a video demonstration and explained sight-line lighting as a technology that uses louvers or directional LEDs to project the image primarily at road users along the intended travel path and to limit light spill to adjacent properties. Stancil said Interstate Outdoor operates six digital faces and six static faces in Lee County and would be open to donating a portion of digital space to local public messaging such as emergency management and county events.

Staff and board discussion: County staff (Thomas) presented the proposed changes and supplied a comparative summary of neighboring-county regulations. Commissioners asked whether the existing digital billboard on U.S. 1 had sight-line technology (staff deferred to the applicant), how the alternative spacing measurement would be interpreted and how many additional signs the company might seek. The applicant said there is no fixed number requested in the amendment; its immediate goal arose after a permit application on a site was found nonconforming under the current 100-foot-from-residential requirement.

Revenue and tax treatment: The county tax director explained how billboards are appraised and give an example of assessed value calculations using a North Carolina Department of Revenue's billboard valuation manual. Using the manual's examples, a digital-facing upgrade can be significant in cost and depreciated over a shorter useful life for appraisal purposes, with illustrative annual tax revenues (in the example presented) totaling less than $1,500 depending on taxing jurisdiction and year of improvement.

Public hearing and next steps: The board opened a public hearing on the text amendment and heard from the applicant; no oppositions registered at the meeting. Planning staff will forward the amendment for Planning Board review, and the commissioners will consider staff and Planning Board recommendations at a subsequent meeting before any ordinance change is adopted.","An advertising company asked Lee County commissioners to amend the county's sign regulations to allow changeable-copy digital billboards using \"sight-line\" directional lighting, change how billboard spacing is measured and require steel monopole structures; staff will forward the proposal to the Planning Board.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671039,"Public hearing held on request to rezone 14.64 acres on Deep River Road from residential-agricultural to light industrial",700,1790000,2490000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9&start=1790&end=2490","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9/thumbnail_1790000.jpg","/articles/6671039/Lee-County/North-Carolina/Public-hearing-held-on-request-to-rezone-1464-acres-on-Deep-River-Road-from-residential-agricultural-to-light-industrial","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671039-66933badfccef469478bbd8e1f210a6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188915&Signature=ZMA2kUM9latdqAaEzxGPTguuQkstXgUKmjsRUfwz5H4rGb8W5X-32e2NmMHMQz9KH24FlT7p2nS1tzCyDy4zpxE-1hYn8rCBaa6sClXsMgrohRCXSkQN-L0FCvoMpXxO6Y9knjiU77oBTTedkVRxoBuC8EPjkQ579DcMgn4O3WFpHs4AH20ZKyY9TeCHxbhBMa8KCXhz5sXqQiZW1qN-BzuDZXtwQmhMdLlHphxsEvwoLreNJ~7FqLLS0Dobb-Poevb08DMdPfXntySs6UI5uUgS-oajKndZXGwDQUjULGtE3pMG0URftGeB8xN~2ld4DuLptU~IPbxEz-dcfYBtdA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Wake Stone Property Company asked the Lee County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 to rezone 14.64 acres along Deep River Road from residential-agricultural (RA) to light industrial.

The request covers five adjoining tracts in the Deep River community, opposite Wake Stone Corporation's Moncure Quarry, and seeks a general-use rezoning to allow development of a speculative light-industrial or flex-industrial building. Because the application is for general-use (not conditional) rezoning, no site plan or building plan was filed with the rezoning petition.

Why it matters: A change from RA to light industrial would broaden the range of uses allowed on the property, potentially allowing manufacturing, warehousing, motor-vehicle repair and similar activities that the county's Unified Development Ordinance permits in the light-industrial district. Staff noted the parcel lies within the Cape Fear/Lee County watershed protection area and that there is public water on Deep River Road but no public sewer in the immediate area; any development would require approvals from Sanford Public Works, Tri-County (Tri-River) Water and review of off-site improvements by NCDOT for driveways and any required turn lanes.

Applicant presentation: Bose Bratton, president of Wake Stone Property Company, said the site's proximity to U.S. 1 and existing commercial uses makes light industrial a reasonable reuse, that the company plans to build an attractive structure to invest locally and create jobs, and that some of the properties in the rezoning area have already been purchased by Wakestone.

Public comments: Two residents who identified themselves as adjacent-property owners spoke at the hearing. Carol Culberson Smith, who said she co-owns the adjoining property at 7190 Deep River Road (formerly Culberson Motor Lines), asked how the rezoning would affect that property; county staff confirmed the rezoning application would not change the zoning of adjacent parcels and applies only to the subject properties. Barbara Matthews Partridge of West Forest Steps Drive, who said she lives about a half-mile from the site, urged commissioners to deny the rezoning, describing Deep River Road as \"narrow and extremely congested,\" noting heavy quarry truck traffic, and saying the road serves an elementary school and buses.

Staff analysis and context: Planning staff noted the county's long-range land-use plan designates the site as \"countryside,\" a classification that generally discourages industrial zoning. Staff told the board that the decision to rezone is a policy determination for the commissioners, and that the planning staff report and public-hearing record should inform the board's ultimate decision.

Board action: The board opened the public hearing, heard proponents and opposers, and then closed the hearing. No final rezoning vote was recorded or announced during the Dec. 16 meeting.

Clarifying details provided in the hearing: the site has roughly 795 feet of frontage on NCDOT-maintained Deep River Road; the NCDOT average daily traffic count cited for the stretch in front of the site was about 1,400 vehicles per day (2022 data); staff noted an 8-inch public water main along Deep River Road and indicated development would require approval for water/sewer connections and any off-site improvements.

Next steps: The record from the public hearing and staff's rezoning report will inform commissioners' deliberations at a later agenda item or meeting when the board considers a final zoning decision.","Wake Stone Property Company asked the Lee County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 to rezone 14.64 acres on Deep River Road from residential-agricultural to light industrial to allow a flex-industrial building; staff said the county's comprehensive plan designates the parcel as \"countryside\" and that the board must decide whether industrial uses are appropriate.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671030,"Commissioners extend $200,000 revolving-loan fund loan to Brick Capital Community Development Corporation for three years at 6%",471,4999000,5470000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9&start=4999&end=5470","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171627-359238b733f9dbcfd2d249aeaadf9aa9/thumbnail_4999000.jpg","/articles/6671030/Lee-County/North-Carolina/Commissioners-extend-200000-revolving-loan-fund-loan-to-Brick-Capital-Community-Development-Corporation-for-three-years-at-6","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671030-98ce45c98f464062c68e8acb826302a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771188915&Signature=gH6OIkM4SltWqIr3KkfqvpG-8eu8lDItwx3OnbNXisR5szdrzJhYmX7~~Nrpc-TJmjjouyHjERFg5SUEMO6-y~iB~VDYwj6db4DyrPtSraRV79giIiqfJt9aEIs7wKIfeAJ2fSv9LiuCxr8GpLpJu8T1F3zCMQmMnQN07N9UM8ezGLJJI6-Bp9gAgqMJ9J2WgnZXDXGNgZLnCf~w4pXocryblNFazm7k4ByeLlJpbUJHahLPPPorf0zCT4QxzQHv4IfNjA8KKWCnTpJlwefdRNL13sBjKMIna08NnggKsxbotaeOQAr65ycMRLNlTJOGuK48KksVMNRRIHl31tUQCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lee County Board of Commissioners voted on Dec. 16 to extend a $200,000 loan from the county's revolving loan fund to Brick Capital Community Development Corporation for an additional three years at a market interest rate of 6%.

Background and purpose: The county established a revolving loan fund in 2019 and amended its policy to allow loans for affordable housing. In 2021 the county issued a $200,000 loan to Brick Capital (appears in the record also as \"Bridal Capital\" in some places); county staff presented a promissory note and loan agreement for the requested extension and said Brick Capital would provide a deed of trust on property it owns in Jackson Heights as collateral.

Board discussion and clarifications: Commissioner questions focused on whether the homes financed with the loan are built in Lee County and whether buyers must already be Lee County residents. County staff (Kerry Bishan) said all funds would be used to build housing in Lee County (many prior purchasers were Lee County residents), but program rules and certain funding sources (for example, state or federal funding from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency or HUD) do not allow the county to require that purchasers have been long-time county residents; eligibility is generally income-based (low- or moderate-income buyers). Staff said the county funds are used alongside other public and private financing to leverage the county dollars.

Loan-status details: Staff said current repayments are being made on an automated monthly basis and that the loan documents prepared for the extension were acceptable to Brick Capital. The extension's loan documents include a standard promissory note, loan agreement and a deed of trust to secure the loan against property in Jackson Heights.

Board action: A motion to approve the extension, set a 6% interest rate and authorize the chair to sign documents was made and passed. The public record shows the motion was carried with \"ayes\" and one recorded opposition (the meeting transcript notes \"had 1 of opposition\" but does not record the opposing member's name in the hearing transcript). The motion authorized county staff to finalize documents and secure collateral as described.

Next steps: County staff will finalize and execute the promissory note, loan agreement and deed-of-trust documents and monitor the required reporting and repayment terms. The loan remains subject to the county's revolving-loan policy and any performance-based requirements in the agreement.","The board voted to extend a $200,000 loan from Lee County's revolving loan fund to Brick Capital Community Development Corporation (loan previously issued in 2021), changing the rate to market at 6% and securing a deed of trust on Jackson Heights property as collateral. The motion passed; the meeting record shows an affirmative vote with one","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Trillium Healthcare updates Lee County commissioners on Medicaid "tailored plan" rollout, enrollment and service changes

Applicant seeks revisions to county sign rules to allow modern digital billboards with sight-line lighting; planning board review expected

Public hearing held on request to rezone 14.64 acres on Deep River Road from residential-agricultural to light industrial

Commissioners extend $200,000 revolving-loan fund loan to Brick Capital Community Development Corporation for three years at 6%