Candice Sanford
Candice has worked over 20 years in the field with a focus on traditionally underserved patient populations. Her experience includes roles in a variety of mental health and substance use settings. As a result, she has learned a great deal about the lives of those living in homelessness and the challenges they encounter when seeking treatment and finding recovery. She is especially passionate about meeting individuals where they are, which includes bringing healthcare to them when traditional access is a challenge.
Candice is a two-time graduate of North Carolina State University where she first earned a BA in Political Science and Psychology and later returned to complete her MA in Social Work. While in graduate school Candice was inspired by an internship where she assisted as an SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) Case Manager. She was greatly impacted by the hands-on approach her supervisor used in outreaching and assisting those experiencing homelessness. From there she sought a position that would allow her to continue this work. She found this position at Duke Health where she served patients for 9 years both as a certified SOAR Case Manager and later as the Disability Services Coordinator. In this role she personally completed over 150 disabilty applications with an approval rate of >90%. As a result of these approvals, her team was able to recuperate millions in retroactive Medicaid benefits for the health system and most importantly provided access to ongoing health insurance, housing, and monthly income for those that they served.
Candice is currently the state lead for BH SCAN as well as the 3-Way contract manager with the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services . She considers her time in the field to be the driving factor behind her current role. She continues to be inspired by the countless stories shared with her during her time in direct patient care. Candice was born and raised in NC and considers it an honor to serve its citizens. She currently lives in Raleigh and enjoys gardening, cooking and spending time with her 16 year old daughter.
candice.sanford@dhhs.nc.gov
919-264-4193
