NAMI Minnesota Legislative Update
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November 1, 2016NAMI Minnesota State Conference - November 5th
Still Spaces Available - Register Today!
NAMI Minnesota's 2016 State Conference Stories of Hope - Voices for Changeis this Saturday, November 5th at the St. Paul RiverCentre.Jennifer Ayers-Moore will be the keynote speaker (MinnPost article), with closing keynote Imran S. Khawaja, MD, FAASM. There will be 15 breakout sessions for teens/young adults, parents of children, adults with mental illnesses, and family members and professionals on a variety of topics. There are three breakout sessions specifically related to public policy issues! CEUs (4.5) are available for social workers, nurses, LPC and LPCCs! Click hereto register.
What's Happening at a State Level
Minnesota Survey Shows Need for Mental Health Care for Students
The Minnesota Department of Health released their report on the results of the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS), a survey that is administered every three years. Fifth, eighth, ninth, and 11th grade students complete the survey voluntarily and anonymously. The survey aims to identify trends of teens making healthier choices and determine how healthy, safe, engaged, and supported students feel at home, school and their communities. For more information on the MSS and for past survey results, visit the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website.
While there were a number of positive highlights, including a decline in smoking rates and alcohol use since the last 2013 survey, in the area of mental health there were concerns about the issues facing young people. Some of the MSS mental health data from the MDH MSS fact sheet(also, click here for the Snapshots on Minnesota Youth from MDE)included:
· About 1 in 5 students indicated experiencing symptoms of depression.
· 9th grade students who reported mental health concerns lasting six months or more increased from 12.5% in 2013 to 17.3% in 2016.
· The percentage of 11th graders who said they seriously considered suicide in the past year increased from 9.7% in 2013 to 12.0% in 2016.
Winona Post Covers Mental Health Care
Last week, an article titled State Aims to Fix Mental Health Carewas published by the Winona Post covering brief overview of the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health and the Winona County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). Executive director Sue Abderholden noted in the article that "Minnesota's mental health care system is not broken. It was never built." Click here for the full article.
Brainerd Forum a Success
On October 12th, eight legislative candidates participated in a forum attended by nearly eighty individuals from the Brainerd, Baxter and Little Falls areas. Topics discussed included stable housing and caregiver workforce issues, among others. The forum was sponsored by Lutheran Social Service, Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and NAMI Minnesota. Click herefor the article from the Brainerd Dispatch.
$80 Million Investment in Affordable Housing
The Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) just announced that an investment of nearly $80 million will be granted to a number of developments that will create and preserve 1,831 units of affordable housing. Click here for a full list of funding selections and the press MHFA press release.
Public Comment Period on Minnesota' Olmstead Plan
The Olmstead Subcabinet has committed to an annual process to update and extend the Plan. Beginning October 25, 2016 and continuing through February 7, 2017, the Subcabinet will seek feedback from the public on possible amendments to the 39 measurable goals in the Minnesota's Plan. Visit the Olmstead Plan websitefor further instructions. NAMI Minnesota will develop and distribute its comments next week.
There will be three opportunities for public comment.
· October 25th to November 14th - Comments will be sought on the 39 measurable goals, where there are barriers that hinder progress and where there may be opportunities to improve progress.
· December 20th to January 19th - Comments will be sought on draft amendments being recommended to the Subcabinet.
· January 31st to February 7th - Comments will be sought on the final draft amendments.
State Senate Wants a Special Session
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk and other DFL leaders are calling for a special session to address increasing health insurance premiums. The plan would be to pass a supplemental tax credit for a small percentage of citizens who purchased insurance coverage through MNsure but who are not eligible for Affordable Care Act federal tax credits. Governor Dayton has reported that he does not plan on calling a special session until after the elections on November 8th. Hear more from MPR News.
State Advisory Council Update
The State Advisory Council on Mental Health and the Subcommittee on Children's Mental Health met on October 6th. DHS updated memberson the progress of the Governor's Task Force on Mental Health. The was indication that the task force was working toward a challenging October 17 timeline for draft recommendations and there is ongoing discussion to determine how the issue of specific proposals would be handled in the report.
The "final" draft of the State Advisory Council's report to the Governor was distributed and briefly discussed. The Council approved the draft report, subject to some minor editorial matters.
Finally, the Council discussed whether future reports to the Governor should be approached in the same manner, as opposed to distilling down to a few focus areas. The group expressed some support for greater focus and belief that current approach overwhelms reader with "what do we do with that". No decisions on a future approach were made at this time.
White House Parity Task Force Report
Last week, The National Council for Behavioral Health commended the White House Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force report on how to improve implementation of federal parity law. The report details what the Obama Administration has done related to parity over the last eight years and offers recommendations for future actions. Click here for the full report. Visit HHS.gov, White House, for more information.
BJA Launches Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
At the end of October, the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) launched the Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) toolkit, an online tool that supports law enforcement agencies in planning and implementing effective calls for service involving people with mental illnesses. The toolkit features stories from officers who are implementing programs where mental health professionals collaborate with law enforcement as they respond to calls involving a mental health crisis or emergency. Learn more from The Stepping Up Initiative. The Stepping Up Initiative is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. Twelve counties in Minnesota have passed resolutions in support of The Stepping Up Initiative.
Vote on November 8th!
If you are in treatment, a shelter, nursing home or other residential facility, you still can vote. Any staff person can vouch for all eligible voters who are residents of the facility. Staff must prove their employment with election officials and it can be helpful to send a staff list to election officials in advance. To learn more click here to be redirected to the Secretary of State website.
Not sure who represents you?
Updates from DHS
Case Management Redesign
Since April of this year, a small group of internal and external collaborators have reviewed past work to inform a series of background documents that will be a basis for a draft to redesign case management. DHS also asked partners and stakeholders to develop their own vision statements for the future of case management and improvements needed to realize that vision. You can find these documents, referred to as set-up documents, on the DHS Case Management Redesign page.
DHS asks that you take the Case Management Redesign Set-Up survey to provide your feedback. The survey will be open until Friday, November 4th.
On Jan. 31, 2017, DHS and the Future Services Institute will host a one day gathering at the Humphrey Institute where a draft Roadmap to Case Management Reform will be further discussed. The goal of the event is to offer another forum to engage partners and stakeholder to provide feedback and inform this work moving forward. The gathering will mark the end of the information gathering phase and the beginning of our next phase of work together. Please watch for a "Save the Date". Click here for more information.
Deadline Extended for Crisis Respite Services RFP
The RFP for short-term, out-of-home crisis respite services has been extended. Grantees will aim to increase the network of providers who can successfully serve adults and children with disabilities in need of crisis respite services. Crisis respite services are available to people on the Brain Injury (BI), Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) and Developmental Disabilities (DD) waivers. Click here for the full updated RFP. This RFP will close on November 10, 2016.
Public Comment Period for HCBS Rule Transition Plan
DHS is asking stakeholders in the disability services and the aging and adult services systems, including lead agencies, case managers and advocates, to ensure that people receiving services know they have the opportunity to comment on the revised statewide transition planfor the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) rule.
The statewide transition plan communicates how Minnesota proposes to implement the HCBS rule. The comment period is open until 4 p.m. Nov. 3, 2016. Please provide feedback by emailing .
Feedback is encouraged from people who receive disability waivers (Brain Injury (BI),Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI),Community Alternative Care (CAC),Developmental Disabilities (DD)) and older adults who receive services through the Elderly Waiver (EW) and Alternative Care (AC). Click here for more information.
RFP for Person & Family-Centered Approaches in Mental Health
DHS has released a RFP from a qualified contractor to provide training and develop an e-curriculum on person & family-centered approaches in mental health and co-occurring disorders.
Live, in-person training will be delivered to Mental Health Targeted Case Management (MH-TCM) lead agencies (counties, tribes and managed care organizations) in a train-the-trainer format, an e-curriculum will be made available and assessment and planning templates and will be created for MH-TCM.
In addition to providing training to MH-TCM lead agencies, the following providers, services and settings are included in this effort and design of the e-curriculum: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs), Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) lead agencies, people receiving mental health and co-occurring services and supports, mental health advocacy organizations, Disability Services Division (DSD) lead agencies, Behavioral Health Homes (BHHs) and others.
For more information please go to the SWIFT supplier portal and search for Event ID 2000006172 or contact Amanda Calmbacher (), 651-431-2627. This RFP will close on November 21, 2016 at 4:00 pm.
RFP for PATH Program
DHS, through its Mental Health Division is seeking proposals for the Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. Selected grantees will provide outreach, case management services and other supportive services for persons with serious mental illness or with serious mental illness and a co-occurring substance use disorder, who are experiencing homelessness, long-term homeless, or at imminent risk of losing housing including persons who do not have stable housing upon exit from an institutional setting. Click here for the full RFP. This RFP will close on December 2, 2016 at 4:00 pm.
Does MA Cover Mental Health Services Provider Costs?
DHS is extending the time period for participation for analysis of Medical Assistance (MA) rate-setting for mental health services and is seeking mental health providers to give input about their costs. DHS is looking for providers of all types of mental health and substance use services including culturally-specific, outpatient, rehabilitation, residential, and crisis services. The information will be used to determine reimbursement rates that are adequate to sustain community-based mental health services and inform potential improvements to the rate setting methodology. Cost reports will be collected until December 2, 2016. Click here for more information. If you have questions, please contact Joseph Drummond at .
Updates from NAMI Minnesota
NAMI Minnesota Celebrates 40 Years
"40 Years of Change" is a free presentation by NAMI's executive director Sue Abderholden will cover the history of the mental health system in Minnesota and the many positive changes NAMI Minnesota has helped to create. We will also seek input from community members about their current needs and hopes for the future. Open to the public. Registration encouraged but not required. Click the cities below to register.
· Redwood Falls, Nov. 14, 8:00-9:30 a.m., Redwood Falls Library Conference Room, 509 S. Lincoln St
· Marshall, Nov. 14, 12:00-1:30 p.m., Marshall Lyon County Library, 201 C St
· Worthington, Nov. 14, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Noble County Administration Building, 315 10th Street, Farmers Room
· Fairmont, Nov. 15, 12:00-1:30 p.m., Fairmont Library Conference Room, 110 N Park
· Mankato, Nov. 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Rasmussen College Conference Room, 130 Saint Andrews Dr
· Savage, Nov. 28, 8:00-9:30 a.m., Savage City Hall Main Room, 6000 McColl Dr
· Minnetonka, Nov. 28, 12:00-1:30, Minnetonka School District Community Room, 5621 County Road 101
· Buffalo, Nov. 28, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Buffalo Community Center, 206 Central Ave
· Duluth, Nov. 29, 12:00-1:30 p.m., Duluth Public Library Green Room, 520 W Superior St
NAMI Minnesota Problem Solving to Make Loan Forgiveness Work
Executive director, Sue Abderholden has visited nearly 26 cities for NAMI Minnesota's 40th Anniversary tour. In her travels she has heard from hundreds of individuals about what is working and what needs improvement for the mental health community. In a particular case, she received feedback from a number of rural providers that the federal loan forgiveness program for mental health professionals is hurting them due to a limit on the type of services provided - mainly school-based clinical mental health services or home-based. NAMI Minnesota will continue to connect Minnesota Congressional leaders to develop solutions and make loan forgiveness programs work as they were intended.