
{"id":4562,"date":"2009-01-15T07:46:58","date_gmt":"2009-01-15T15:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=4562"},"modified":"2009-01-15T07:46:58","modified_gmt":"2009-01-15T15:46:58","slug":"for-the-record-redesign-in-raleigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2009\/01\/15\/for-the-record-redesign-in-raleigh\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Record: Redesign in Raleigh"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153elect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has now been removed from Gov. Beverly Perdue\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job title, and the office furniture has been rearranged. The governor hauled her own desk into her new office the other day and situated it by a window. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hope this arrangement affords her a better view of the state than her predecessor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past five months, in a series called Breakdown, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve reported on the collapse of our state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mental health care system and its impact here in Orange County. We awaited Gov. Perdue\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s selection of a new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services with both apprehension and hope. Her choice of Lanier Cansler leaves us with both.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nCansler, a CPA, is a former Republican state legislator from Buncombe County and a former deputy secretary of the department he will now head. <\/p>\n<p>As a legislator, he either co-chaired or served on several committees related to health and human services, was named  1998 Outstanding Legislator by the North Carolina Mental Health Association and was given the 1999 State Representative Leadership Award by the North Carolina Council of Community Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Programs.<\/p>\n<p>But as deputy secretary of the DHHS from 2001 to 2005, Cansler helped preside over mental health care reform measures that have largely led us into the disastrous state of affairs with which we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re now confronted.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, as a partner in Cansler Fuquay Solutions, Cansler most recently represented Computer Sciences Corp., which last month won a $265 million contract to create and then operate a Medicaid billing system for the state. He resigned his position upon being named to the DHHS post. He also has worked as a lobbyist for ValueOptions, the company hired by the state to review and process all Medicaid claims and as a lobbyist for The Arc of North Carolina, a service provider for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health care advocates from across the state were split in their reaction to the selection of Cansler. Some say he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very capable man who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s genuinely concerned about mental health care issues and can help lead the department out of its morass.<\/p>\n<p>Many others, however, are legitimately concerned about Cansler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s connections to those who provide services and support to the state. They question why, at a time in which charting a new course in the provisioning of these services is absolutely critical, Perdue would perpetuate the revolving-door routine by selecting a lobbyist.<\/p>\n<p>The most fundamental truth we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned in researching and reporting mental health care reform in North Carolina is that in order to create an effective system, all concerned voices must be heard. Too often, mental health care professionals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and others who directly interact with those coping with mental illness \u00e2\u20ac\u201c have been shut out of the decision-making process. <\/p>\n<p>And, to a greater extent still, the consumers of mental health care services and their families have been ignored.<\/p>\n<p>In order to win trust and respect, Lanier Cansler must prove from the get-go that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s receptive to the perspectives of all parties involved.<\/p>\n<p>To read the stories in The Citizen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s seven-part mental health care series, go to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/breakdown\">www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/breakdown<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153elect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d has now been removed from Gov. Beverly Perdue\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job title, and the office furniture has been rearranged. The governor hauled her own desk into her new office the other day and situated it by a window. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hope this arrangement affords her a better view of the state than her predecessor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Over the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4562"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4563,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562\/revisions\/4563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}