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Monthly Updates - May 2008
Government Affairs Committee Report for May 19, 2008
1. AOT in Orange County:
A meeting
of Government partners in Pasadena delayed to early July. Pacific
Clinics in Pasadena provides the services for the AOT program in LA
County, now called Wraparound Assisted Treatment (WAT) Program.
2. Senate Bill 1606 (2008) put on suspense, but still hope in the assembly
SB 1606 authored by Senator Leland
Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) originally was meant to facilitate the
use and efficiency of California's law for assisted outpatient
treatment (AOT. Now a bill to study how to best care for people with
severe mental illnesses who do not meet California's commitment
criteria yet are nonetheless incapacitated by symptoms and incapable of
accessing available treatment.
3. MHSA (Prop 63) in Orange County:
Mental Health Board MHSA Workforce
Education and Training Hearing May 8 resulted in unanimous approval for
the plan. Copy of plan is to be placed in the NAMI OC library. NAMI
OC Family to Family and Provider Education programs mentioned in the
plan.
An Ed / Stakeholder meeting will be held in Lake
Forest at Saddleback Church on PEI of MHSA on May 28, 7-8:30 PM.
Participate in the Planning for New MHSA (Prop 63) Prevention and Early
Intervention Programs for At-Risk Children, Adults and Older Adults
Saddleback Church, 1 Saddleback Pkwy, Rm. 303,
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Speaker: Alan Albright, MFT, OC Health Care Agency,
Behavioral Health, MHSA PEI Coordinator
RSVP: NAMI OC Support Group Facilitator at Saddleback Church:
Nan Ibarra (949) 922-3425
The Mental Health Training program
for Police Officers (MHSA CIT Training)
The next Round Table discussion
on curriculum development for Golden West College course is May 28th
from 9-11 at 600 West Santa Ana Blvd, Suite 510, Santa Ana, CA.
Bill: AB 1486 - Author: Calderon
C : Bill killed in April SENATE
Committee on BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS
& ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT meeting April 9 in Sacramento. Another
form of the bill that requires medication training for licensed
professional counselors may return in the next legislative session.
Western Med and College Hospital have made extra beds available to the county
These
beds will make up for loss of adult psychiatric treatment care ending
at Huntington Beach Hospital and La Palma Hospitals. Only Geriatric
psychiatric treatment on a voluntary basis will be offered at the
hospitals if the Adult units are closed.
Mental Health Advocacy/ Disability Capitol ACTION Day 2008, Thursday, May 15 in Sacramento.
All OC representatives offices in
Sacramento were visited by NAMI OC members, Janice DeLoof, family
member, Jenny Monge, consumer and Sarah Niemer, family member, and/or
Jeff Thrash, Dir. of OC MHA who lead another OC team with Robert Reid,
consumer on Mental Health Advocacy / Disability Capitol ACTION Day 2008,
Thursday, May 15. Members addressed the following budget issues and
bills:
CA Governor's 2008-09 state budget and CA Bills regarding Mental Health
The
Governor's May Revise is out
The Governor's 2008-09 state budget
seeks to eliminate a $ 17 Billion deficit in one year. Of this amount,
$6 Billion is new since January due to lower revenues.In general all of
the major proposals by the Governor made in January to balance the
budget are still being proposed with the exception of suspending
proposition 98, the early release of prisoners and closing of state
parks. This shifts more of the burden to health and human services and
$3.4 billion in reductions is proposed.
Cuts to Mental Health COST more than the cuts will save!
OC legislators are asked to oppose Elimination of MediCal Optional Benefits
Reduced in 2007-08 by $20.2 million ($10 million General Fund) and 2008-09 by $268.2 million ($134 million General Fund) by reducing the number of optional benefits provided for adults over the age of twenty-one who are not in a nursing facility.
The eliminated optional benefits include incontinence creams and washes, acupuncture, adult dental, audiology, optometry, optical, chiropractic, podiatry, psychology, and speech therapy. The elimination of these optional benefits will mean the loss of access to these services through the Medi-Cal program. The Senate needs to support avoidance of the 10% cutback all state programs face in the current budget crisis including:
The SSI/SSP COLA Suspension, the 10% Provider Rate Reduction
The reduction of Medi-Cal services for full scope Medi-Cal
beneficiaries ages 0-21 in the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis
and Treatment (EPSDT) program. These cuts will actually cost the state and counties if client/patients discontinue treatment. The ability of CA counties to deliver mental health services is threatened by the slow reimbursement from the state to deliver mental health services. The Legislators need take out the10%
reductions of state programs including the 10% reduction to county
mental health plans for managing the Medi-Cal specialty MH Managed Care program.
These reductions could drive counties out of the MH care
business.
Sen. Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) has
introduced SB 1349 a bill requiring timely reimbursement of mental
health services claims to local governments.
SB 1349 would require the
State Controller's Office to reimburse local governments for mental
health services within 90 days of the receipt of a reimbursement claim
by the Department of Mental Health. The measure also requires interest
to be paid on late payments.
On 06/10/2008 the bill will go to the
ASSEMBLY Committee on HEALTH. Most counties support as this would help
keep them in the business of providing mental health services. Without
Dept of MH support, which they have not given, the governor may not
sign the bill. NAMI CA does not yet have a position on this bill on
their web site.
Important mental health bills include SB
1651
Steinberg and Romero Mentally ill offenders bill, which provides
for more counties to develop Mental Health Courts, AB 1945 & SB
1553 (both parity bills).
Re: SB 1553: (Lowenthal)
To suspense file - fate determined on about May 22.
If passed, this
bill would help make the goal of parity for mental care health services
a reality. Although a mental health parity law was passed nearly ten
years ago, health care plans have failed to assure that consumers have
timely access to mental health care services. The Department of Manage
Health Care (DMHC) has not been able or willing to assure that the
health care plans provide timely access. DMHC has failed to adopt
access regulations, which it was required to do by January 1, 2004.
Report from the Government Affairs Committee of NAMI Orange County
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