Gov. Josh Stein visited Fayetteville on Tuesday to announce a $1.5 million state investment expanding the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, a move officials say will strengthen partnerships between healthcare providers and law enforcement across the state.
Stein, joined by North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and local leaders, unveiled the next chapter for the LEAD program, which aims to divert people with behavioral health needs away from jail and toward supportive services. The expansion brings the program to seven law enforcement agencies across six communities, including Fayetteville, Albemarle, Gaston County, Greensboro, New Hanover County, Robeson County, and Harnett County.
“Let’s keep systems that work and keep giving law enforcement the tools that they need because that’s how together we are going to build a North Carolina that’s safer, stronger, and healthier,” Stein said during the event…