Here is an update for you

Written By Daniel Cherrin


Congratulations to STEP on its 50th Anniversary!


Lame Duck Warning - Rumors have been swirling around Lansing for the past several weeks that Sen. Shirkey & Rep. Whiteford have been drafting a compromise bill that would combine SBs 597 & 598 along with HBs 4925 – 4928 in an attempt to get “something” done before the end of the year. Most of the talk around a compromise bill has been to move all of the Medicaid kids services including autism and foster care over to private insurance companies and then the state would create 1 statewide entity to manage the other populations (essentially going from 10 PIHPs to 1 PHIP or ASO). CMHA and our allies have not been part of the discussions with Sen. Shirkey and Rep. Whiteford, those discussions have been behind closed doors so can only speculate on the content of such a proposal, but we do know that both sides have had multiple conversations and meetings.


REQUEST FOR ACTION: The CMHA is asking you to reach out to your legislators (House & Senate) and the Governor and URGE them to not support a LAME DUCK deal on SBs 597 & 598. Stakeholders have not been part of the recent or meaningful discussions and the Legislature should not be making changes of this magnitude with so few legislative days left. This approach is nothing more than a health plan money grab, these bills will not improve care for Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens, and it will give control to entities who have not proven they can do the job – this is BAD public policy.

Wayne County is giving away $100M, but it's going to build a park in Dearborn ($9.6M), expand Hittsville ($2.5M) and support a senior center in Van Burean Twp ($4.6M) - None of it is going to you. Here is the Detroit News article.

CCBHC'S are Gaining Momentum. The Biden Administration recently unveiled funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). This comes nearly 60 years after former President John F. Kennedy signed The Community Mental Health Act, which at the time President Kennedy described as “a wholly new emphasis and approach to care for the mentally ill.” The New York Times Editorial Board discussed the importance of realizing President Kennedy's vision in early October. Today, CCBHCs presents an opportunity to expand access to evidence-based mental health and substance use care to Americans regardless of their ability to pay. The Biden Administration's statement is here. Read this reporton CCBHCs from National Well Being.

Medicaid + Behavioral Health Benefits. Several states have rolled out new behavioral health benefits or enhanced existing ones. All the while, no states have plans to restrict behavioral health benefits during fiscal year 2023, according to a new survey of state Medicaid leaders from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

A Roadmap to Fight Opioid Addiction. Find it here.

Is your agency getting any money from the state? It seems that they are giving $3M in grants to support mental health services in underserved Michigan areas. Here is that story.


Funding Available. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing a new funding opportunity, authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), for states to develop and transform Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) to address the country’s mental health crisis. CCBHCs provide crisis services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay. Find more Information here.

More on CCBHCs. Webinar: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Criteria Update Kick-Off - Wednesday, November 9, 2022 4:00 PM ET -- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) cordially invites the public to participate in a webinar on November 9, 2022, at 4:00 PM ET regarding updates to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Certification Criteria. This webinar will (a) provide a brief overview of the history of the CCBHCs, (b) briefly describe key elements of the Certification Criteria and SAMHSA’s process for soliciting input from the field, and (c) discuss how you can provide input. (Listen in +1 646 828 7666, 1603068999#, *160547#)

More updates can be found on The Collaborative's LinkedIn Page.

Daniel Cherrin

DANIEL CHERRIN |served the City of Detroit as its Communications Director and the Press Secretary to Detroit Mayor, Ken Cockrel, Jr. He is a public relations + affairs specialist who just happens to be a lawyer, with 20 years of experience providing senior public relations and government relations’ counsel to organizations on state and federal regulatory and legislative matters, as well as issues affecting corporate and individual reputation, crisis management and the media. Daniel is the founder of NORTH COAST STRATEGIES (Est. 2005) an independent public relations consultancy that combines the best of a big agency with hands-on executive-level experience and support. As a signatory company to the United Nations Global Compact, we are dedicated to addressing issues around human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. We are also focused on redefining your brand and changing the conversation to create an impact.

www.northcoaststrategies.com
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