Smoky Mountain Center wants you to be well-informed so that you can make the best possible choices and get the most out of your services. Visit here often to check for new items that can help you to gain a better understanding of issues that are important to you as a consumer.

The North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services will host a Town Hall Meeting Sylva, North Carolina September 20, 2006 The purpose is to share information and listen to concerns about system transformation. The event is open to the public. [Click here for more information...]

Your Opinions Wanted! NAMI needs your feedback! NAMI is conducting a short, anonymous survey to help us learn more about the people we serve and how we can serve you better. The survey consists of 50 questions covering a range of topics, mostly multiple choice, and takes only about 10 minutes to complete. Your responses are completely anonymous (unless you choose to share your name), and will be greatly appreciated by NAMI. Thank you for taking the time to help us learn how to serve you better. Click here to tell us what you think!

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES June 2, 2006 Dear Colleague: A combination of street drugs– taken together – is having a lethal effect in a number of communities across the country. The root cause of these deaths appears to be the addition of fentanyl – a powerful narcotic analgesic – to heroin or cocaine being sold on the street. Fentanyl, prescribed most often by physicians to treat patients with severe or chronic pain, is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. [Click here for more information...]

General Consumer Guidance on Choosing Providers One of the goals of the changes being made to the public mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services is to increase the number of qualified providers that are available to serve you and your family. You may begin to hear from providers interested in providing services to you. When making a choice of service providers, one of the things you should think about is the ethics of your provider. A provider’s ethics are often an indication of the quality of care that they provide. [Click here for more information...]