Representative Murphy Honored for Championing Support for Individuals with Mental Illnesses and Addiction Disorders

Online Registration for Hill Day 2008 Now Open!

National Council Live: Register Today for Webinar on State Initiatives to Provide Community Based Services to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Contact Your Representatives Today In Support of Legislation to Strengthen Community Behavioral Healthcare!

Recently Released Resources from the National Council

Note: Next week, Congress will return to Washington after a two week recess. Look for an update on the latest federal legislative activity in next week's Public Policy Update.

Representative Timothy Murphy (R-PA) received a “Legislator of the Year” award today from the National Council. Representative Murphy was honored for his efforts to improve the availability and quality of treatments and supports for people with mental illnesses and addictions disorders.

Co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, Representative Murphy was the original co-sponsor of the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act (HR 5176). Introduced earlier this year, HR 5176 would provide new resources and support for community-based mental health care. Among its main provisions, the bill calls for funding to allow community mental health organizations to provide primary care and specialty mental health services in the same setting.

“The legislation that Congressman Murphy has championed will touch the lives of millions of adults, children, and families with mental illnesses and addiction disorders,” said Linda Rosenberg, MSW, President and CEO of the National Council. “His efforts help put people on a path to recovery and give them chance to lead productive lives.”

Representative Murphy’s award was presented at National Council member Milestone’s Enterprise Facility in Monroeville, PA.

The National Council will honor six other legislators with awards at our upcoming Hill Day on June 18, 2008. Along with Representative Murphy, five other members of Congress will receive Legislator of the Year awards during the National Council’s Capitol Hill reception:

• Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA)
• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
• Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO)
• Representative Gene Green (D-TX)

Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Hill Day breakfast briefing. 

Online Registration for Hill Day 2008 Now Open!

The National Council places top priority on helping you do your job as a leader in the field of community behavioral healthcare by supporting you with new communications tools, increased emphasis on involving you in ongoing liaison with national decision-makers, and policy and research support for your efforts. The National Council's Fourth Annual Hill Day, scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, 2008, presents a wonderful opportunity to take the first step towards engaging your members of Congress and taking a lead role in shaping federal public policy in 2008.

We need YOU to help us lead. Click here to RSVP now for Hill Day 2008!

If you’d like help registering yourself or your delegation, or if you have difficulty registering online, please contact Allison Fort at 301-984-6200, x235 or AllisonF@thenationalcouncil.org.

Visit the National Council’s Hill Day web page for the latest information on Hill Day, including:

• Information on the National Council’s new online appointment-making tool
• Tips on bringing a team to Hill Day
• Details on making your Hill Day hotel reservation

We look forward to seeing you in Washington in June!

National Council Live: Register Today for Webinar on State Initiatives to Provide Community Based Services to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders 

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) often require a wide array of education, developmental disabilities, and behavioral health services; yet, they often face challenges in accessing community-based care. Providers who want to deliver coordinated, intensive care often encounter roadblocks because of eligibility problems, multiple and inadequate funding streams, and needs that involve multiple agencies.

Join us on April 8 at 1:00 pm EDT to find out how three states are working to improve the availability of services and coordination of care for individuals with ASDs. During the call, we'll hear about:

• Connecticut's state-funded pilot project to serve adults with ASDs, with a focus on independent living and employment.
• Wisconsin's In-Home Autism Treatment Services, a Home and Community-Based Waiver program that serves children who are on the waitlist by age 8 and provides services for up to 3 years.
• Massachusetts' autism-specific Home and Community-Based Waiver that serves children under age 9 with a self-directed program that provides families with a budget of $25,000 to purchase services and supports.
  
  Presenters:
• Kathryn Reddington is manager of the new Division of Autism Spectrum Services of the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services. The Division is currently operating a pilot program to serve adults with ASDs who do not also have mental retardation. She has over 30 years of professional experience managing programs for both children and adults with behavioral health issues, developmental disabilities and ASDs.
• Julie Bryda is currently a Programs and Planning Analyst for Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), Children's Services Section. Julie has been the team lead within the Children's Services Section working with staff responsible for crafting the redesign of Wisconsin's children's services system, including the implementation of the In-Home Autism Treatment Services program.
• Katie Sepnieski is currently a Programs and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin DHFS.  Katie has worked with DHFS for the last two years and provides technical assistance to county administrative agencies to assure quality for children receiving services through the Children's Long-Term Support (CLTS) Waivers, including the In-Home Autism Treatment Services program.  Katie has over ten years of experience serving children in child protective services, juvenile justice, and long-term support services at a county and state level.
• Cariann Harsh is the Director of the Autism Division of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation (DMR). In this current fiscal year, the Division has added a Home and Community Based Services Autism Waiver Program. Cariann has worked on orchestrating the necessary systems and infrastructure development necessary to get this program operational. Prior to joining the state government arena, Cariann spent several years working as a fundraiser, trainer and teacher at a variety of non-profit organizations and school systems.
   
  Registration:
  
  Registration is free for members and $100 for non-members. Register NOW to get webinar access information.
   
  Please email MohiniV@thenationalcouncil.org or call 301-984-6200 ext. 230 with questions.

Contact Your Representatives Today In Support of Legislation to Strengthen Community Behavioral Healthcare!

Executive Summary: On January 29, Representatives Gene Green (D-TX) and Timothy Murphy (R-PA) introduced the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act (HR 5176) in the House. HR 5176 calls for the co-location of primary care services in community mental health settings and to support innovative programs for mental health workforce recruitment and retention. The National Council needs your help securing co-sponsors for the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act in the House of Representatives – contact your Representative today in support of HR 5176!

Action Needed: The National Council urges all members to contact their Representative and ask them to sign on as a cosponsor of HR 5176.  To find your Representative and his or her fax number, go to: www.house.gov.  

A model letter, to be placed on your agency’s letterhead, is available online. There are two templates:

template for associations

template for individual agencies  :

The National Council urges you to contact your Representatives and to reach out to others in your communities and states to sign letters in support of HR 5176. People and organizations you may wish to contact include:

• State legislators
• Mayors
• State and local NAMI or MHA chapters
• Sheriffs and other law enforcement officials/organizations
• Chambers of Commerce and other business groups

Representatives Green and Murphy are currently circulating a Dear Colleague letter in the House, urging their fellow Representatives to cosponsor this important legislation. Offices interested in signing on as cosponsors should contact Abigail Pinkele in Representative Green’s office at 202-225-1688 or abigail.pinkele@mail.house.gov or Brendan Belair in Representative Murphy’s office at 202-225-2301 or brendan.belair@mail.house.gov.  

Please share your letters in support of HR 5176 with the National Council. Contact Allison Fort at AllisonF@thenationalcouncil.org to share copies of your letters with the National Council so that we may track support for the bill.

Background:

The Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to include provisions to co-locate primary care and specialty medical care in community-based mental health and addiction treatment organizations. In addition, the bill includes training and loan assistance programs designed to address the recruitment and retention of qualified behavioral healthcare workers, particularly in health professional shortage areas.

Passage of this legislation will allow mental health providers to recruit qualified primary care professionals to provide essential health services to patients with serious mental illness. This is a critical need, given that we now know that patients with mental illness die on average 25 years earlier than the general population, largely due to chronic and unattended medical conditions.

HR 5176 also provides for innovative programs to address behavioral health workforce needs in designated mental health professional shortage areas. The act calls for loan forgiveness and repayment as well as expanded education and training to support the recruitment and retention of qualified mental health workers, especially for racial and ethnic minorities.

Specific provisions of HR 5176 include:

• Creating a new federal grants program to support co-locating primary care/chronic care services at community mental health facilities funded at $50 million in FY 2009 and authorized through FY 2013.
• Integrating treatment for mental health and substance abuse co-occurring disorders funded at $14 million in FY 2009, $20 million in FY 2010 and authorized through FY 2013.
• Improving the mental health workforce through grants for the recruitment and retention of mental health professionals funded at $10 million in FY 2009 and authorized through FY 2013.
• Enhancing behavioral and mental health education and training program through a new grants program to establish or expand accredited programs funded at $4 million in FY 2009 and authorized through FY 2013.
• Establishing a new $20 million federal grants program to finance infrastructure costs for telecommunications technology supporting tele-psychiatry and patient education at community mental health facilities located in rural and other medically underserved areas.
• Requiring the Secretaries of the HHS and DVA collaborate with the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology and SAMHSA to develop and implement a plan for ensuring that various components of the National Health Information Infrastructure address mental health and substance abuse provider needs supported by $10 million in funding in FY 2009.
• Commissioning the Institute of Medicine to complete and submit to Congress a paperwork reduction study to be completed no later than a year after enactment that evaluates the combined paperwork burden of qualified community mental health programs funded at $550,000.
• Directing a nationwide analysis and submission of a report to Congress of the compensation structure of professional and paraprofessional mental health personnel as compared with that of other health safety net and private sector employers also funded at $550,000.

Full Text of HR 5176

On October 17, Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act (S. 2182) in the Senate.

For more information on the Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act, including fact sheets, model letters, and a list of supporting organizations, visit the National Council’s website.

Recently Released Resources from the National Council

The National Council’s website is frequently updated with issue briefs, letters, and other materials of interest to members. Please take notice of these recent updates:
 
On March 18, the National Council hosted a Congressional briefing for Senate staff highlighting mental health data from Arkansas and Colorado. Entitled “Arkansas and Colorado Community Mental Health Systems: Helping People in Need,” the briefing provided Congressional staff with a unique opportunity to see some of the most highly detailed public mental health care data available anywhere in the country.

Panelists included: Linda Rosenberg, President & CEO, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare; Kenny Whitlock, Executive Director, Mental Health Council of Arkansas; John Althoff, Deputy Director, Division of Behavioral Health Services, State of Arkansas Department of Human Services; George DelGrosso, Executive Director, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council; and David Lloyd, President, MTM Services, LLC.

Congress recently passed an economic stimulus package that includes payments between $300 and $600 for individuals and $600 to $1200 for joint filers. Many low-income people who are not required to file income tax returns may find that it makes sense to file this year in order to receive the stimulus payment. On March 12, the National Council released an Issue Brief on Federal Economic Stimulus Payments with information on who qualifies for these payments and where to find tax help and additional information.

On February 27, Chris Copeland, Executive Director of Tri-County Mental Health Services in Lewiston, ME, testified at two briefings for House Senate staff to examine the potential impact of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule on case management.  Copeland shared examples of case management services offered by community behavioral healthcare providers and concerns about the impact the proposed regulations may have on both providers and the people they serve.

On February 15, the National Council released the first edition of Addiction News Now. This monthly publication will keep you up to date on federal addiction policies, ground breaking research, and issues and events that are making headlines across the country. The National Council is committed to strengthening and expanding addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services nationwide and providing the information necessary to effect change on the local, state, and federal level. 

In partnership with over 40 national organizations, the National Council has formed the Whole Health Campaign and issued a call to the candidates to support wellness of mind and body for a healthier America. You can learn more about the Whole Health Campaign at www.wholehealthcampaign.org, where you can also comment on the blog entries, order copies of the WHC brochure, and sign up to become an endorsing organization. We encourage your organizations to endorse the work and the principles of the Whole Health Campaign. Together, we can have an impact.

On January 8, the National Council hosted a National Council Live webinar entitled, “The Role of State Policies in the Adoption of Naltrexone for Substance Abuse Treatment.”  Carolyn Heinrich from the University of Wisconsin-Madison presented on a recent study she co-authored with Carolyn Hill from Georgetown University that examined the state policies that affect treatment facilities' adoption of naltrexone, a pharmacotherapy for alcoholism treatment.  The webinar included an overview of their research and findings and a discussion about the state level practices and policies that play a role in treatment decisions that impact utilization of clinically proven cost-effective treatments for alcoholism.

In the fall of 2007, the Oregon Medicaid agency issued a Notice of Rulemaking that proposed an increase to copays for prescription medications. The National Council opposes copays for needed medications, particularly for low-income individuals who have chronic health conditions, such as mental illness.

The National Council's state association, the Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs, testified against this proposal at a hearing on November 16. In addition, the National Council filed written comments in opposition to the proposed rules on November 21.

The Public Policy Update is a weekly e-newsletter published by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. Managing Editor - Allison Fort.  Vice President, Public Policy - Chuck Ingoglia. Director of State Policy - Tammy Seltzer. Director of Public Policy – Alexa Eggleston.