The CouncilDAWNPublicationsContests/AwardsLinks HelpHome

Back to WCDD Home Page > Introduction

Mental Health: Services & Supports

ISSUE:

The Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health Care made numerous recommendations for improving programs and services to adults of all ages and children with mental health concerns. Many of the recommendations were not fully funded and implemented in the 1999-2001 biennial budget and are as follows:

Mental Health Consumer Self-Determination:

• The Department of Health and Family Services uses Mental Health Block Grant funds to support a variety of activities to increase the availability of consumer operated services throughout the state and provide information, education, advocacy, and support to families of individuals with mental illness.
• Additional funding is needed to contract for expanded activities and to increase the Bureau of Mental Health Consumer Relations Coordinator position to full-time.

Community Support Program:

• Offers individual services to adults with severe and persistent mental illness through a mobile treatment team providing coordinated care and on-going therapeutic involvement individualized treatment, rehabilitation and supportive services in the community.
• Currently, counties and tribes must pay the state share to capture the federal Medicaid match. As a result, many counties and tribes have formal or informal waiting lists for services, in violation of federal Medicaid requirements .
• The State should provide state match to serve eligible individuals on waiting lists for services .

Mental Health/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Managed Care:

• Based upon the Department's experience with Family Care, additional funding is needed for the four authorized managed care sites on a one-time basis in order to: develop information system capabilities; support network development; formulate quality improvement processes; make internal organizational changes to support taking on the additional requirements of a managed care contract; and to involve consumers and family members in the planning process .
• Additional funding is needed for staff to support an external independent advocacy program, provide technical assistance and monitoring, and to contract with an independent entity to conduct consumer outcome surveys and other evaluation activities.

Medicaid Crisis Intervention:

• Services are currently underutilized because counties and tribes must also pay the state share to capture the federal Medicaid match, creating a disincentive to provide this service because Medicaid would pay the full amount if the individual is hospitalized.
• Studies suggest that the use of crisis intervention would reduce psychiatric hospitalization costs as well as emergency detentions, while providing a less restrictive alternative for individuals in crisis.

Wraparound/Integrated Services:

• Currently over 20 counties provide wrap around/integrated services for children and adolescents with serious emotion disturbance.
• The projects have been successful in reducing inpatient hospital stays and in juvenile justice placements, and should be expanded to more counties.

POSITION:

The WCDD supports implementation of the recommendations of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health Care.

LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES:

WCDD supports the following legislative initiatives:

• Increase funding for each of four Mental Health/ Substance Abuse managed care demonstration project counties, fund planning costs, and an independent advocacy component.
  
  First Year: $327,500, GPR $327,500, FFP
  Second Year: $430,000, GPR $430,000, FFP
  
  
• Increase in state funds the first year to pay the state match and eliminate the waiting lists for Medicaid Community Support Programs.
  
  First Year: $450,000, GPR
  Second Year: $1.5 million, GPR
  
  
• Increase the state match and provide crisis intervention services.
  
  First Year: $1 million, GPR
  Second Year: $2 million, GPR
  
  
• Increase the number of counties participating in Wraparound/ Integrated Service Projects for Children and Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbance.
  
  First Year: $245,000, GPR
  Second Year: $690,000, GPR
  
  
• Increase the development of consumer and family support activities and increase the Consumer Relations Coordinator from part-time to full-time.
  
  First Year: $274,000, GPR
  Second Year: $524,000, GPR

Back to WCDD Home Page > Introduction

1. Introduction
2. Birth to Three
3. Campaign Finance Reform
4. Children's Long Term Care Redesign
5. Community Aids
6. Community Integration Program
7. Community Options Program
8. Dental Care Access
9. Direct Service Workforce Shortage
10. Education of Students with Disabilities
11. Employment
12. Family Care Program
13. Family Support Program
14. Independent Living Assistive Technology
15. Medicaid Card Services
16. Mental Health: Fairness in Insurance
17. Mental Health: Services & Supports
18. Protecting People with Disabilities from Abuse
19. Respite Care
20. Specialized Transportation
21. State Centers for the Developmentally Disabled
22. Voting Reforms
23. Welfare Reform & People with Disabilities