Update: NC Senator Julia Boseman Wants Southeastern Center Audited

WILMINGTON–On Friday North Carolina Senator Julia Boseman sent a letter to the State Auditor, Leslie Merritt, requesting to have Southeastern Center for Mental Health audited.

“There are questions about how the money has been handled at Southeastern, we need to find out what’s going on so that these families are not in crisis.” Boseman says.

Southeastern is now looking at ways to put money into the budget. Southeastern gave the county $5 million to build a new office. Now it’s are asking for that money back.

Southeastern purchased land off Medical Center Drive to hold all of it’s offices and the County Health Department.

Last year, the organization spent $12 million, which was $4 million over budget.

This year the budget is $8.3 million.

If the county refunds the $5 million, the money would temporarily fund the growing demand for mental heath services.

County manager Bruce Shell said, “But our bigger issue is a service delivery. The state is not providing the money that it takes to operate the service. That being the case, we have to put off plans for construction in to operations. This is only a one year fix.”

Shell will meet before county commissioners at the next commissioner meeting to request the money for Southeastern Healthcare.

If the county commissioners give the money back to Southeastern, it will postpone development on the joint facility with Southeastern and the health department.

Meanwhile, Boseman wants the whole problem fixed.

“We need to make sure this population is served” she says, “just like everyone else.”