Hooker Odom's parting thoughts?

The heads of local mental health offices think the state system for treating people with mental illness would be better if they got back some powers that have been recently taken away.

Carmen Hooker Odom, outgoing secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said in a letter that the mental health system would be better if there weren't so many local offices, Lynn Bonner reports.

The state has 25 "local management entities" or LMEs that do mostly administrative work. Some LMEs, such as Wake's and Durham's, cover only one county, while others are responsible for groups of counties.

In an Aug. 17 letter to state legislators, Hooker Odom said having 25 LMEs is inefficient and drives up costs. Their independence makes it hard for the state to oversee them properly, she wrote.

She recommended the state pass a law giving the DHHS secretary the power to consolidate local offices and take over offices that don't do their jobs.

Legislators declined to consider such a move last session.