Veterans, service members and their families in the Wilmington region will soon be receiving more efficient human services and care.
 
The East Carolina Human Services Agency, Inc. (ECHSA), in partnership with the United Service Organizations of North Carolina (USO-NC), has expanded its NCServes network to include the coastal region.
 
NCServes Coastal will launch in November, thanks to a $450,000 grant from The Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
 
The initiative is driven by a shared software platform that connects all participating federal, state, and non-profit veteran service providers allowing them to make quick, smart referrals and track outcomes. NCServes Coastal then follows-up on the progress of requests, which reduces denial of services experienced by service members and veterans due to capacity or eligibility restrictions, according to a news release.
 
The goal is to ensure accurate and timely human services referrals are made to veterans, service members and their families.
 
In addition to the greater Wilmington area, NCServes Coastal will include U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, U.S. Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River.
 
“The ECHSA has been there to meet this community’s needs for more than half a century and now … we can deliver more and better services to veterans and the active duty families in a coordinated way,” said Daphany Hill, executive director of ECHSA in the release. “I’m a U.S. Marine Corps wife and born and raised locally. Our staff of veterans and spouses know these struggles first-hand, so we are excited to join this network and partner with the USO-NC and others in order to raise the bar.”
 
When the new network launches in November, those looking for services will be able to utilize the NCServes Coastal network four different ways: By phone, online, through the North Carolina’s State Resource directory, NC4vets.com or in person at the ECHSA or any of its network affiliates.