TISK - Things I Should Know
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Michigan bill intended to shorten ER waits for youth in mental health crisis, Bridge Magazine
NIH grant to increase mental health-prepared providers in underrepresented areas, Michigan State University
Updates from Lansing
Governor Appointments. School Safety and Mental Health Commission - Patrick Green of New Baltimore is appointed to represent the members submitted by the Speaker of the House who are parents, Jason Russell of Middleville is appointed to represent the members submitted by the Speaker of the House with a background in law enforcement and Rosa Thomas of Milford is appointed to represent the member submitted by the House Minority Leader with experience in school mental health, all for terms expiring October 1, 2024. Daveda Colbert of Farmington Hills is appointed to represent those with a background in school administration, Alyse Ley of Okemos is appointed to represent members with experience in school-threat assessments, Nasuh Malas of Ann Arbor is appointed to represent members with experience in the provision of inpatient treatment to children under age 18 and Jennifer Taiariol of South Lyon is appointed to represent those submitted by the Senate Minority Leader who is a school psychologist or psychiatrist, all for terms expiring October 1, 2026. The appointments are not subject to Senate advice and consent.
Here are their bios.
Daveda J. Colbert, Ph.D., of Farmington Hills, is the superintendent of the Wayne Regional Education Service Agency. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration from Southern University at New Orleans, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Wayne State University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Oakland University. Dr. Colbert is appointed to represent members with a background in school administration. She will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2026.
Patrick R. Green, of New Baltimore, is the marine enforcement officer and reserve police officer for New Baltimore Police Department. He holds an associate’s degree in general studies from Macomb Community College. Mr. Green is appointed to represent members submitted by the Speaker of the House who are parents. He will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2024.
Alyse F. Ley, M.D., of Okemos, is a physician and director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program at Michigan State University where she also serves as the residency education director for theDepartment of Psychiatry. She is also an advisor to the National Policing Institute Foundation Center for Mass Violence Response Studies. Dr. Ley holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Doctor of Osteopathology from Michigan State University. Ms. Ley is appointed to represent members with experience in school-threat assessments. She will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2026.
Nasuh Malas, M.D., of Ann Arbor, is a clinical associate professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan. Dr. Malas also serves as the director of the Pediatric Consult and Liaison Psychiatry Service and chief of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service for the C.S. Mott Children’s and Women’s Hospital. He received his Doctor of Medicine, Master of Public Health, and Bachelor of Science in Medical Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Malas is appointed to represent members with experience in the provision of inpatient treatment to children under age 18. He will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2026.
Jason Russell, of Middleville, is the founder and CEO of Secure Education Consultants, a consulting company that seeks to improve risk management and security within organizations and primarily in school districts. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Western Michigan University and a Master’s in Security Management and Criminal Justice from Michigan State University. Mr. Russell is appointed to represent members submitted by the Speaker of the House with a background in law enforcement. He will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2024.
Jennifer Taiariol, Ph.D., of South Lyon, is the school psychologist and director of student services for Livonia Public Schools. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Master of Arts in School and Community Psychology from Wayne State University. She also holds a Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Western Michigan University. Dr. Tairiol is appointed to represent a member submitted by the Senate Minority Leader who is a school psychologist or psychiatrist. She will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2026.
Rosa M. Thomas, of Milford, is the chief operations officer for Honor Community Health, a non-profit community healthcare center that includes school-based health centers. She holds a bachelor and master’s degree in clinical psychology from Inca Garcilaso De La Vega University in Peru. Ms. Thomas is appointed to represent a member submitted by the House Minority Leader with experience in school mental health. She will serve for a term commencing October 1, 2022, and expiring October 1, 2024.
From Gongwer
Health Policy Hears Bill On Mental Health Evaluations
The House Health Policy Committee heard testimony Thursday on legislation that would require community mental health programs to assess someone under consideration for hospitalization within three hours after a hospital notifies it of the need for an assessment.
Some questioned during testimony whether HB 6355 would help those seeking behavioral health care or creates an unnecessary solution for the wrong problem.
The committee also received testimony on a bill that addresses rural emergency hospitals (HB 6380 ), a bill that would alter temporary licensing for speech-language pathologists (SB 811) and legislation that would prohibit emergency orders that limit visitation in certain facilities (SB 450 ). No action was taken on any of the legislation.
HB 6355, sponsored by Rep. Graham Filler (R-Duplain Township), would amend the Mental Health Code and make preadmission screening more efficient by requiring patients to receive a mental health assessment from either the Department of Health and Human Services or Community Mental Health services within three hours of being notified by a hospital of the patient's need (See Gongwer Michigan Report, September 2, 2022).
If screening can't be done promptly, the bill would also allow for a clinically qualified person at the acute care hospital to perform the assessment. The bill also provides for reimbursement to the hospital if hospital staff provide the preadmission screening.
There is no penalty for hospitals if they are unable to provide assessment within three hours, but mental health services providers in the prepaid and patient health plans are already required through their contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to complete evaluations and assessments within three hours.
Dr. Cathy Dollard, director of Behavioral Health Service for MI Michigan Health, spoke in favor of the bill on behalf of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
"Adjusting the state-level law would allow for additional and appropriate providers to pre-screen individuals facing behavioral health care, and this will help in a lot of ways," she said. "The state is experiencing a workforce crisis, and there is a healthcare crisis with behavioral health across our acute hospitals, long term care facilities, CMHs and behavioral health facilities. We're all in dire need of team members across the clinical and non-clinical spectrum."
Dr. Dollard said that expediting the process would ensure timely access to care and would ultimately serve people by ensuring that they have care in the most appropriate care location.
Marianne Huff, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association of Michigan, praised the bill but said more will be needed.
"It doesn't address issues like the lack of inpatient beds, but the hope is that the next step we'll be taking a look at how individuals are evaluated for inpatient psychiatric treatment once they are evaluated because the law has changed," Ms. Huff said.
Alan Bolter, associate director for the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, testified against the bill, calling it "a solution without a problem."
"We really believe that the real issue here is the lack of inpatient availability for both kids and adults," he said. "This legislation does not, from our perspective, solve that problem."
Jennifer Carpenter of the Lenawee Community Health Authority also testified in opposition to the bill.
"The ability to complete that pre-admission screening should remain with the CMH agent," she said. "This would not only ensure medically necessary admissions, but also will allow the CMHs to work with those individuals on potential diversions from inpatient hospitalization, as well as an implementation of outpatient supports that others might not provide…Removing the need for the CMH to have the pre-admission screening would eliminate the ability for qualified clinicians to evaluate and ensure both fair and equitable access to treatment for all individuals."
Ms. Dollard disagreed with that assessment, saying that qualified hospital workers and CMH professionals are both working with a physician to determine whether a person need inpatient care.
"The criteria is also very small on whether or not you are a danger to yourself or others or if you can't care for yourself because of your mental health problems," she said. "It's not like there's tons of criteria, and I don't think that anyone in a hospital would want to hospitalize someone in a locked mental health facility when they don't meet those criteria."
Committee members questioned who would be responsible for the cost of the pre-admission screenings and the cost of emergency room or inpatient stays under the bill.
The committee also considered HB 6380, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Hillsdale).
This bill makes the necessary changes to state law to allow certain rural emergency hospitals to apply to temporarily delicense beds. It would also require hospitals to notify the DHHS if they applied for designation as rural emergency hospitals and would eliminate a provision for the use of temporarily delicensed beds to comply with a bed reduction plan.
Lauren Levine, director of Small Rural Hospitals and Policy Programs at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, testified in favor of the bill.
"House Bill 6380 provides rural hospitals in our state with the ability to continue providing care in our rural communities with the most difficult financial and demographic challenges," she said. "While the rural emergency hospital is not a solution for many rural hospitals, it is just another tool in the toolbox for some of our rural hospitals to continue offering vital health care services in their communities."
A bill that would extend the temporary licensing of speech language pathologists was also considered by the committee. SB 811, sponsored by Sen. Curt VanderWall (R-Ludington), would amend the Public Health Code to extend the license from the current maximum of 12 months to a maximum of 24 months.
Extending the length of the license would be particularly helpful to postgraduates doing clinical experience, D'Jaris Coles-White, president of the Michigan Speech Language and Hearing Association, a professional organization that includes speech pathologists, said.
"To fulfill their licensure, they do have to get that practical experience, and this is what this bill is all about, to continue to perfect their skill set in the workforce, which is a critical component to complete their program," she said.
The final bill considered by the committee on Thursday was SB 450, sponsored by Sen. Jim Stamas (R-Midland). This bill would amend the Public Health Code to prohibit the director of the DHHS or a local health officer from issuing an emergency order that prohibited or limited a patient representative from visiting a patient or a resident in a qualified health care facility. The bill would also prevent emergency orders from prohibiting or limiting health care facilities from imposing reasonable safety measures during a patient representative visit (See Gongwer Michigan Report, August 24, 2022).
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, first through an executive order and later through orders issued by the DHHS director, heavily limited visitation for nursing home patients for much of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Richard Brown of the Health Care Association of Michigan testified in support of the bill.
"Long term care facilities have endured the most difficult years the profession has ever experienced," he said. "From our perspective, it's important to note that the bill does allow for facilities to implement protocols such as testing, screening, donning of PPE and scheduling visitation appointments when the circumstances deemed necessary. We appreciate the bill's approach of balancing visiting with the safety of residents."
– By Elena Durnbaugh
Workforce Updates
Updates on the recent ASWB Report,
A letter from the ASWB re the report.
A statement by NADDSSW on the ASWB Report.
Social Work Exam Prep + Info
A link to WSU Licensure Exam for Social workers.
Upcoming meetings,
Michigan Social Work Board (September and November meetings)
NASW-MI Advocacy Day, October 27, Link
Agency Updates + News
STEPs 6th Annual STEPS to Success, October 27, Link
