Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts

Saturday, June 12, 2021

Sunday, May 23, 2021

P.A.W.S. Event Sunday! May 23, 2021



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What do a Police Officer, State Representative, and Child Psychiatrist all have in common? They want to talk with YOU!

PREVENTION. ADVOCACY. WELLNESS. SUPPORT.

JOIN US TOMORROW: MAY 23, 2021 for a fantastic day of speakers including:

Norfolk Police Sergeant Michelle Palladini

State Representative Jeffrey Roy

Child Psychiatrist Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD

Danny Lagarce, peer in recovery

Reverend Tiffany Spigarolo

Emma Kucich, SAFE Coalition

Emilee Purdy, New Hope Community Liaison

All attendees will be mailed a P.A.W.S. l SAFE Coalition swag bag!

SIGN UP HERE
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4AZj39OLs9iW_-WGNngj_ecPKx_savIBctv1QNIY4EdT3Jg/viewform
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Friday, March 12, 2021

Supporting Our Students Through COVID-19 and Beyond


Supporting Our Students Through COVID-19 and Beyond
It's time once again to talk about kids' mental health!

Please join me and the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, along with local and state experts, for a virtual event designed to promote the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL), along with examining the opportunities and challenges for implementing SEL in MetroWest and statewide.
Supporting our Students Through COVID-19 & Beyond
Friday, March 19, 2021
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
https://karenspilka.com/sel
The Rennie Center will present on how schools and communities can support students' health and wellbeing in the current moment and in the future. There will also be an educator-led panel to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practice during and after the pandemic.

This event is the fourth in a series of my #MetroWestKids initiative. As a former school committee member and social worker, I know the important role mental health plays in education.

In this moment, fighting for our young people's future means stepping up and stepping into their lives. Their success depends on their continued social emotional learning and development of skills such as self-awareness, responsible decision making, and healthy relationship building. This forum will give you the tools you need to support your child or students along the way.

Please contact my office at (617) 722-1500 if you have questions or for more information.

Warm Regards,

Senate President Karen E. Spilka | Massachusetts State House, Room 332, Boston, MA 02133

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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

FM #421 Health Director Cathleen Liberty - 12/17/20 (audio)

FM #421 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 421 in the series.

This shares my conversation withTown of Franklin, MA Health Director Cathleen Liberty. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the social distancing requirements of this pandemic period.

In this session we talk about:

  • Current status
  • Vaccine planning
  • Health prescription ‘Pantry’
  • Mental health status, emotions
  • Look back – one thing to be grateful for
  • Looking ahead – what does 2021 hold?


Our conversation runs about 35 minutes, so let’s listen in.  Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HB80Cd9S

 
 
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Town of Franklin Health Dept page https://www.franklinma.gov/health-department

If you have a question, you can call the Health Dept at (508) 520-4905

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?
  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town of Franklin Health Director Cathleen Liberty
Town of Franklin Health Director Cathleen Liberty

 

Thursday, November 26, 2020

"Perhaps the path to healing begins with three simple words: Are you OK?"

By

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

Friday, October 30, 2020

There could be more to the story

"Normalizing the topic of mental health helps people seek and get the resources and assistance they need.  
Learn more:  https://t.co/glq989RwoI #mentalhealth #awareness"
 
Shared from Town of Franklin Twitter: 
 



Wednesday, September 23, 2020

This Thursday: Mental Health During COVID-19 Event

 Friends,

In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month, please join me and representatives from Massachusetts Samaritans for a Facebook Live conversation this Thursday, September 24 from 4-5 PM about mental health, suicide prevention, and the ways in which we can best help ourselves and our loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Come join the conversation! The Samaritans team and I will answer audience questions about mental health and supporting those around us.

Click here to RSVP to the Facebook Live 


For over 40 years, Samaritans have provided life-saving suicide prevention services and nonjudgmental support throughout Massachusetts. Samaritans evolved from one small Helpline to having answered over 2.6 million calls, chats and text messages.

As always, if you or any of your loved ones in my district have fallen on hard times during this public health crisis, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. My office line is 617-722-1555 and my email is becca.rausch@masenate.gov. We are here to help. You can also find robust resources to help you navigate through COVID-19 on my website.

Wishing you and your families strength, health, and resilience.  

Yours in service,

Senator Becca Rausch

THIS THURSDAY: Mental Health During COVID-19 Event
THIS THURSDAY: Mental Health During COVID-19 Event




Friday, September 11, 2020

Franklin Police take positive steps to help people in a mental health crisis

Franklin Police (@franklinpolice) tweeted at 5:58 PM on Thu, Sep 10, 2020:

"Thank you to @wbz's @LouisaMoller  (https://twitter.com/LouisaMollerfor showing the positive steps that policing is taking to help people in a mental health crisis."

Direct video link (if embedded video below doesn't work)     https://cbsloc.al/2ZtCmBI

 

Also a video link = https://t.co/UxsNzvk1An

Friday, May 15, 2020

New Resources to Help Massachusetts Residents Cope During COVID-19

Senate President Karen Spilka and Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders today announced the launch of an awareness effort to help people cope with social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and May’s Mental Health Awareness month.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, nearly 1 in 2 Americans say they are now dealing with anxiety and depression, double the normal rate from a year ago, according to Kantar’s National Health & Wellness study.

Massachusetts’ new awareness campaign centers around “What If?,” a new video promoting the power of reaching out and connecting with those who might be struggling to cope, and includes practical tips and resources on the enhanced mass.gov/covid19 site.

“May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and it is particularly important this year to address one of the common, but less talked about, challenges brought on by the pandemic – the feeling of being alone during uncertain times,” said Senate President Karen Spilka. “One of the most fundamental things anyone can do to help those struggling to cope is simple: reach out to your friends or loved ones to see how they are doing. This campaign also seeks to connect those who may need additional resources to the supports we have available as a state. I’m proud to partner with Secretary Sudders and her team on this timely and necessary effort.”

“We know that COVID-19 is impacting people’s mental health in very different, but very profound ways,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “Social distancing and staying at home, while necessary and effective during this public health crisis, can create challenges for everyone, and especially for those with behavioral health conditions. In partnership with Senate President Spilka, the effort launched today will raise awareness that there are many ways to cope.”

The 30 second video, which will be promoted across social and digital media channels over the coming weeks, was produced in coordination with the Massachusetts State Senate, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health using funding provided by the Behavioral Health Outreach, Access and Support Trust Fund created in the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget.

The video asks people to take four simple steps: Ask, Listen, Encourage, and Check-in. It also directs viewers to online resources at mass.gov/CopingDuringCovid that offer information and suggestions on how to stay connected to loved ones and creative ways to cope, as well as the importance of using the free and confidential 2-1-1 system to talk to someone.

The “What if?” video is the first part of a larger public information campaign on mental health stigma, sponsored by Senate President Spilka and Secretary Sudders, scheduled to launch later this summer.

More information on how you can get help is available by visiting Mass.gov/CopingDuringCovid or calling 2-1-1 to speak to someone anonymously

https://youtu.be/_-yigNjsnQY


Friday, February 14, 2020

MA Senate Passes Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care

Today (2/13/20), the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed the Mental Health ABC Act, comprehensive legislation aimed at reforming the mental health care system in Massachusetts. Senate Bill 2519, An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health, serves as the first step toward developing a more integrated system of mental health care delivery to better meet the needs of individuals and families.

Massachusetts residents have historically experienced difficulty accessing mental health services due to health inequities and persistent barriers to care—leaving many without the treatment they need and deserve. According to a 2018 report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts, over half of a representative sample of fully insured adults who sought mental health care services reported difficulty finding services.

The Mental Health ABC Act seeks to increase access by removing barriers to timely quality care, providing the state with more effective tools to enforce existing mental health parity laws, and investing in the mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline. The legislation builds on progress made through state mental health parity laws passed in 2000 and 2008, and the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 at the federal level.

”The response to this bill has been overwhelming, and reinforces our assertion that mental health care needs to be for everyone in Massachusetts,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “I would like to thank everyone involved in this effort, especially Senator Julian Cyr, Senator Cindy Friedman, and Senator Michael Rodrigues—as well as the countless advocates, activists and residents who have fought for better access to quality mental health care. We still have a ways to go to end the stigma and achieve true parity, but if any state can do it, I know that Massachusetts can. I’m excited to see us move forward.”

“The Mental Health ABC Act will expand access to mental health care for everyone that needs and deserves it,” said Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The cost of action on this issue is far less than the cost of inaction, both financially and for the wellbeing of all residents of the Commonwealth. I applaud Senate President Spilka for her consistent leadership on this, and Senators Cyr and Friedman for their diligent work and collaboration in putting forward a bill to reform our mental health care delivery system.”

“Too many people in Massachusetts struggle to access the mental health services they desperately need and deserve,” said Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “The reasons are many and complicated: mental health care is treated differently than physical health, it is often not covered by insurance, it is difficult to access, and it is hard to talk about. By passing this bill, the Massachusetts Senate is living up to our promise to begin to transform how the Commonwealth addresses mental health. I am grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka for her leadership and example, and to Senators Rodrigues and Friedman for their partnership in this endeavor.”

“For far too long, mental health has been a forgotten component of our health care system, resulting in a broken system that has continually left patients without the critical care they need,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “This bill lays an important foundation for creating a system that is accessible and equitable, and provides the state with better tools to ensure that someone with a mental health condition has the same access to care as someone with physical health needs. I want to sincerely thank Senate President Spilka for recognizing the urgency of this issue and committing to a bold step forward with the passage of this bill. I also want to thank Senator Cyr, Senator Rodrigues and all of the advocates involved in crafting this bill for their thoughtful collaboration and shared commitment to reforming our mental health care system so that it works for everyone.”

“The Senate has taken decisive steps to put us on a path to reform, revive and redouble our efforts in taking an increasingly fragmented system and helping it to connect people experiencing a mental health condition with a health care system of credentialed professionals that functions effectively to provide timely care,” said Senator Bruce E. Tarr (R- Gloucester), Senate Minority Leader.

“Senate President Spilka, Health Care Financing Committee Chair Friedman, Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee Chair Cyr, and Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues are to be commended for mental healthcare reform legislation that prominently prioritizes improved access to effective care,” said Danna Mauch, President and CEO, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH). “MAMH applauds the Senate’s actions today. Senate Bill 2519 – An Act to Address Barriers to Care for Mental Health is a significant step forward to implement the promise of parity and frame fairer terms for insurance coverage, benefits administration, provider reimbursement and plan reporting.”

“The Mental Health ABC Act acknowledges the realities that parents of children with behavioral health needs face every day in ensuring their child's safety and wellbeing,” said Mary McGeown, Executive Director, MSPCC, on behalf of the Children's Mental Health Campaign. “The Act takes steps to uncomplicate access to care by allowing both physical and behavioral health treatment to be provided in the same day, and by creating a path to that clinical decisions are made by clinicians rather than insurance companies.”

“The Mental Health ABC Act is a comprehensive bill that will have a tremendous positive impact on Massachusetts families,” said Lydia Conley, CEO, Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH). “This bill will help ABH member organizations better serve their communities by lifting barriers to accessing care, expanding coverage of critical behavioral health services, and providing new tools to attract the clinical workforce needed to deliver high-quality care.”

“An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health is an incredibly progressive and forward-thinking piece of legislation that will benefit social workers working in mental and behavioral health and the clients and communities served by social workers across the Commonwealth,” said Rebekah Gewirtz, Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, MA Chapter. “As the crisis of mental health access has escalated both nationally and here in Massachusetts, we applaud the Senate’s proactive and comprehensive approach that will help us to finally achieve mental health parity in our state”.

“The Massachusetts Medical Society appreciates the efforts of the Senate, and applauds Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Julian Cyr, Senator Cindy Friedman and Senator Michael Rodrigues for putting forth legislation that reforms mental health care in the Commonwealth, strengthening existing mental health parity laws and ensuring that our patients will have access to quality, comprehensive mental health care,” said Dr. David A. Rosman, Mass. Medical Society President Elect.

“This bill is a tremendous step forward in the ongoing effort to enable the residents of Massachusetts gain access to the appropriate mental health care they need and deserve, said Gary Chinman, Immediate Past President, Massachusetts Psychiatric Society. “Senate President Spilka, Senator Friedman, Senator Cyr, and Senator Rodrigues deserve our gratitude and admiration for the insight, compassion and respect with which they crafted this historic legislation.”

“Massachusetts hospitals have long sought parity in coverage between behavioral health and medical/surgical care,” said Steve Walsh, President & CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA). “I applaud the Senate for their leadership on an issue so critical and personal to our patients and their families. This legislation is an important step forward in ensuring that every Massachusetts resident has access to the mental health services they need and deserve.”

“Blue Cross strongly supports the Senate’s landmark mental health legislation,” said Michael Caljouw, Vice President of Government, and Regulatory Affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. “We believe mental health is as central to our members’ needs as their physical health, so it’s critically important to us that they be able to find comprehensive, effective, and affordable care when they need it. This bill is another important step toward that goal. We pledge to continue to work together across the state to help improve access and ensure that our members get the high-quality care they need.”

“We applaud the Senate and, in particular Senate President Karen Spilka, for today’s action to pass this important legislation and for her unmatched commitment and leadership in seeking to end the stigma associated with mental health treatment,” said Lora Pellegrini, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP). “This bill will help to ensure that all individuals get the care they need. We also applaud Senate leadership, including Senator Cindy Friedman, Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Senator Julian Cyr, Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, and Senator Michael Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee for their work in developing this comprehensive legislation.”

The Mental Health ABC Act is driven by the recognition that mental health is just as important as physical health for every resident of the Commonwealth—and reflects the Senate’s overall goal of improving access to mental health care for all. The Senate has prioritized efforts in the 2019–2020 legislative session to improve the delivery of mental health services in the Commonwealth in the following ways: appropriating record funding levels for mental health services in the FY20 budget; creating and funding a $10 million Behavioral Health Outreach, Access and Support Trust Fund; ensuring that health insurer’s provider network directories are accurate and up-to-date by eliminating so-called ‘ghost networks’; and protecting clinicians from unreasonable retroactive claims denials, or ‘clawbacks’ of payments for services, from insurance providers.

Despite these achievements, there is a lot more to do. The Mental Health ABC Act builds on the Senate’s efforts to improve the Commonwealth’s mental health care system by addressing issues related to mental health parity, workforce needs, and access to care.

More on the bill:

The Mental Health ABC Act provides the state with better tools to implement and enforce mental health parity laws, which require that insurance coverage for mental health benefits be equal to and no more restrictive than coverage for physical health benefits. Mental health parity has been codified in federal and state law for decades, but enforcement of the law has been challenging. As a result, inequities persist and patients are often denied coverage for mental health treatment that is just as critical to managing their health as treatment for

conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. As such, this legislation includes quicker evaluation and resolution of parity complaints, greater reporting and oversight of insurance carriers’ processes and policies related to mental health care coverage, and penalties and alternative remedies for when an insurance company does not comply with the law.

Every day throughout the Commonwealth, adults and children arrive in emergency departments in the throes of acute mental health crises requiring immediate treatment in an appropriate setting. Due to complex and restrictive medical necessity and prior authorization review processes imposed by insurance companies, many patients experience barriers, and delays, in treatment – creating a dysfunctional system that allows insurance companies to have more leverage in determining a patient’s course of treatment than health care providers. As such, the bill mandates coverage and eliminates prior authorization for mental health acute treatment for adults and children experiencing acute mental health crises, effectively placing treatment decisions in the hands of the treating clinician in consultation with the patient rather than an insurance company.

In an effort to address the mental health workforce crisis that often limits patient access to care, the bill creates a pilot program through the Department of Higher Education aimed at creating a workforce pipeline to encourage and support individuals from diverse backgrounds to work toward careers in mental health. In addition, the bill creates an interim licensure program for Licensed Mental Health Counselors so that they can be reimbursed by insurance for their services and be eligible for state and federal grant and loan forgiveness programs, increasing the number of licensed providers able to serve patients.

The bill also calls for an academic study conducted by the Office of Health Equity to review the availability of culturally competent mental health care providers within networks of both public and private health care payers, as well as to identify potential barriers to care for underserved cultural, ethnic and linguistic populations and the LGBTQ community. The bill further directs an interagency health equity team under the Office of Health Equity to improve access to, and the quality of, culturally competent mental health services.

The bill creates a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Pilot Program in community health centers to offer additional support and training to psychiatric nurse practitioners who agree to work in community settings with underserved populations. The program will be designed to encourage these professionals to continue working in a community setting where mental health providers are sorely needed.

Currently, mental health and primary care providers are reimbursed at different rates for the same service. The bill seeks to level the playing field for reimbursement to mental health providers by requiring an equitable rate floor for evaluation and management services that is consistent with primary care.

The Mental Health ABC Act takes meaningful steps to improve access to care by prohibiting insurers from denying coverage for mental health services and primary care services solely because they were delivered on the same day in the same facility. This will remove a significant financial barrier to the integration of primary care and mental health.

Additionally, the bill requires emergency departments to have the capacity to evaluate and stabilize a person admitted with a mental health presentation at all times, and to refer them to appropriate treatment or inpatient admission.

This bill authorizes the DPH, the Department of Mental Health (DMH), and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to collaborate on authorizing three pilots for tele-behavioral health services in public high schools in the Commonwealth. This pilot is based on an existing and successful model between a hospital and several school districts in western Massachusetts.

Finally, the bill directs the DMH to consider factors that may present barriers to care—such as travel distance and access to transportation—when contracting for services in geographically isolated and rural communities.

Through debate today in the Senate, the following are some of the sections added by amendment to the bill:

• A pediatric mental health care task force.
• Inclusion of veterans and aging adult populations for considerations in the cultural competency study.
• An amendment to study the further screening of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
• A comprehensive behavioral workforce commission.
• An expedited admission protocol for children under 22 who present in an emergency department with mental health needs.
• An examination of ways to ease communications, within the context of privacy laws, between health care providers.

The Mental Health ABC Act now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

In the News: mental health care reform introduced; Cannabis Control Commission releases tracker

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"Each making a deeply personal case for improving access to mental health care, Senate President Karen Spilka and Sen. Julian Cyr helped roll out a significant reform bill Thursday, Feb. 6, that seeks to improve access to care by identifying gaps in the mental health system, enforcing equity laws and requiring insurance coverage for many emergency services.

Spilka, who called the proposal “decades in the making,” shared how her own family struggled with her father’s mental health decline following his service in World War II, and Cyr described the obstacles he has had to overcome as a gay man to get treatment for depression and anxiety.

The state codified “mental health parity” into the law 20 years ago, and yet for close to two decades advocates and legislators have been frustrated by stories of people struggling to gain the same access to mental health care as they can for their physical health. Many patients can’t find providers and don’t know where to look, Cyr said, and if they do find a provider must wait for an appointment and often struggle to afford the care.

“We have laws and we have values that say mental health must be treated the same way physical health is, and yet we don’t do it,” said state Sen. Cindy Friedman, D-Arlington, one of the bill’s authors."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200211/sweeping-mental-health-care-bill-unveiled


"Curious about which towns and cities have banned adult-use marijuana, or where cannabis delivery is allowed?

The Cannabis Control Commission, a five-member board tasked with nearly everything marijuana in Massachusetts, has created a new tracker on its website, in a bid for more transparency.

“By compiling the status of adult-use cannabis across Massachusetts in one central location, the Commission has furthered its commitment to implementing a regulated industry that is transparent and accessible to a wide range of stakeholders,” Commissioner Kay Doyle said, in a press release. “This resource will provide local leaders with a basis to share information around planning and zoning best practices, simplify license applicants’ search for a host municipality, and keep the public up-to-date about the progress of legalization in our state.”

The new tracker is focused on how the state’s 351 cities and towns have zoned marijuana. Visitors to the tracker can see if a community has banned the adult-use sale of the drug, put a cap on the number of licenses allowed in town, whether delivery is allowed, and if the town is one of the state’s pilots for social consumption."
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200210/3-maps-how-massachusetts-communities-are-zoning-for-marijuana

Go directly to the Cannabis Commission page
https://mass-cannabis-control.com/new-municipal-zoning-tracker-increases-insight-into-local-adult-use-cannabis-developments/

Friday, February 7, 2020

Senate Unveils Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care

Senate Unveils Mental Health ABC Act: 
Addressing Barriers to Care

Bill will expand access to mental health care, boost workforce, and strengthen quality of coverage

Today (02/05/2020), the Massachusetts Senate unveiled An Act Addressing Barriers to Care for Mental Health, a comprehensive mental health care reform bill. This legislation is the first step toward putting the Commonwealth on a pathway to developing a more integrated system of mental health care delivery to better meet the needs of patients. The Mental Health ABC Act removes barriers to timely quality care, provides the state with more effective tools to enforce existing mental health parity laws, and invests in the mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline.

The legislation builds on progress made through state mental health parity laws passed in 2000 and 2008, and the 'Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008' at the federal level.

"In Massachusetts, we believe that mental health care is for everyone," stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "There is no area of our economic, civic and personal lives that is not touched by the need for mental and behavioral health and wellness, and the whole Commonwealth will be adversely affected if we do not take concrete steps to ensure that quality mental health care is available to all of our residents, and eventually integrated into our health care system as a seamless continuum of care. My father struggled with mental illness, and our whole family was affected. This legislation is a major step forward towards helping every resident touched by the need for quality mental health care in some way."

"Simply put, too many people in Massachusetts struggle to access the mental health services they desperately need and deserve," said Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. "The reasons are many and complicated: mental health care is treated differently than physical health, it is often not covered by insurance, it is difficult to access, and it is hard to talk about. With this bill, the Massachusetts Senate is living up to our promise to begin to transform how the Commonwealth addresses mental health. I am grateful to Senate President Karen Spilka for her leadership and example, and to Senators Rodrigues and Friedman for their partnership in this endeavor."

"For far too long, mental health has been a forgotten component of our healthcare system despite our statutory parity mandate that calls for equitable coverage between medical and surgical treatment and mental health treatment," said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. "This bill serves as a first step forward in addressing the persisting inequities in our delivery of mental health services that keep patients from accessing the care they need, and will provide a framework for the state to better enforce our mental health parity laws. I want to thank Senate President Spilka, Chair Rodrigues, and Senator Cyr for their thoughtful collaboration on this initiative and shared commitment to reforming our mental health care system so it is accessible, affordable, and equitable for all."

"This bill builds off of the Senate's work this session to comprehensively address barriers to mental health care and improve access to care," said Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. "I applaud Senate President Spilka for her long-standing leadership on the issue of mental health parity and Senators Cyr and Friedman for their diligent work to reform the state's mental health care delivery system to ensure it works for everyone."

Currently, access to mental health care in Massachusetts is inadequate by nearly any measure. Patients who need to access these services are often unable to find a provider who takes their insurance and face significant wait times before they receive care. A 2019 report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts found that 54.6% of a representative sample of fully-insured adults who sought mental health care services reported difficulty finding services.

The Senate's Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care (ABC) is comprehensive legislation to begin to reform mental health care in Massachusetts. This legislation is the first step towards putting the Commonwealth on a pathway to developing a more integrated system of mental health care delivery so Massachusetts residents can access the care they need and deserve. The Mental Health ABC Act removes barriers to timely quality care, provides the state with more effective tools to enforce existing mental health parity laws, and invests in the mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline.

This legislation is driven by the recognition that mental health is as important as physical health for every resident of the Commonwealth, and should be treated as such. The Senate has prioritized efforts in the 2019–2020 legislative session to improve the delivery of mental health services in the Commonwealth in the following ways: appropriating record funding levels for mental health services in the FY20 budget; creating and funding a $10 million Behavioral Health Outreach, Access and Support Trust Fund; ensuring that health insurer's provider network directories are accurate and up-to-date by eliminating so-called 'ghost networks'; and protecting clinicians from unreasonable retroactive claims denials, or 'clawbacks' of payments for services, from insurance providers.

Despite these achievements, there is a lot more to do. The Mental Health ABC Act builds on the Senate's work towards reforming mental health care so it functions better for everyone by addressing issues related to mental health parity, workforce needs, and access to care.

Included in the bill:

PARITY AND INSURANCE REFORMS

Enforcing Mental Health Parity Laws. Mental health parity as a concept is simple: insurance coverage for mental health care should be equal to insurance coverage for any other medical condition. This concept has been codified in federal and state law for decades, but enforcement of the law has been challenging. As a result, inequities persist and patients are often denied coverage for mental health treatment that is every bit as critical to managing their health as treatment for conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. This bill provides the state with better tools to implement and enforce our parity laws, including quicker evaluation and resolution of parity complaints, greater reporting and oversight of insurance carriers' processes and policies related to mental health care coverage, and reasonable penalties and alternative remedies for when an insurance company does not comply with the law.

Reforming Medical Necessity and Prior Authorization Requirements. Every day throughout the Commonwealth, adults and children arrive in emergency departments in the throes of acute mental health crises requiring immediate treatment in an appropriate setting. These clinical determinations should be made by the treating clinician, but in practice insurance carriers impose too many restrictions on providers' clinical judgement in terms of prior approval and concurrent review requirements for mental health services.

This results in barriers to, and delays in, treatment for patients who need immediate care, creating a dysfunctional system that allows insurance companies to have more leverage in determining a patient's course of treatment than health care providers.

This bill mandates coverage and eliminates prior authorization for mental health acute treatment for adults and children experiencing acute mental health crises, effectively placing treatment decisions in the hands of the treating clinician in consultation with the patient rather than an insurance company.

This bill also establishes a special commission to bring all stakeholders to the table to study and make recommendations on the creation of a common set of medical necessity criteria to be used by health care providers and insurance carriers for mental health services.

Reimbursing Mental Health Providers Equitably. Mental health and primary care providers are reimbursed at different rates for the same service. The bill seeks to level the playing field for reimbursement to mental health providers by requiring an equitable rate floor for evaluation and management services that is consistent with primary care.

Reviewing the Role of Behavioral Health Managers. Most insurance companies have subcontracted mental health benefits to specialty utilization management companies for years with mixed results. The bill directs the Health Policy Commission, in consultation with the Division of Insurance, to study and provide updated data on the use of contracted mental health benefit managers by insurance carriers, often referred to as "carve-outs."

WORKFORCE

Studying Access to Cultural Competent Care. The bill calls for an academic study conducted by the Office of Health Equity to review the availability of culturally competent mental health care providers within networks of both public and private health care payers, as well as to identify potential barriers to care for underserved cultural, ethnic and linguistic populations and the LGBTQ community. The bill further directs an interagency health equity team under the Office of Health Equity to improve access to, and the quality of, culturally competent mental health services.

Standardizing Credentialing Forms. The bill requires all insurance carriers to use one standard credentialing form for health care providers. It also requires a quicker turnaround time for approval of a completed credentialing request. This will be enormously beneficially to patients, providers, and health systems, as it will speed up the time it takes for new hires to be approved for inclusion in an insurance network.

Moving Licensing Boards under DPH. The bill moves the licensing boards for social workers, psychologists, and allied mental health professionals from the Division of Professional Licensure, where they currently operate alongside other licensing boards, including landscape architects, plumbers, and accountants, to the Department of Public Health (DPH). This will leverage DPH's health care experience and expertise to streamline the licensing process for these critically important health care professionals.

Allowing Interim Licensure for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC). The bill creates an interim licensure program for LMHCs so that they can be reimbursed by insurance for their services and be eligible for state and federal grant and loan forgiveness programs, increasing the number of licensed providers able to serve patients.

Creating a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Pilot Program. The bill authorizes a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Pilot Program in community health centers to offer additional support and training to psychiatric nurse practitioners who agree to work in community settings with underserved populations. The program will be designed to encourage these professionals to continue working in a community setting where mental health providers are sorely needed.

Creating a Mental Health Workforce Pipeline. The bill authorizes a pilot program through the Department of Higher Education, in consultation with the Department of Mental Health, aimed at creating a workforce pipeline to encourage and support individuals from diverse backgrounds to work towards careers in mental health. With this initiative we hope to send a message to young people that this is valued and important work.

ACCESS TO CARE

Requiring Coverage for Same Day Care. This bill makes critical changes around how providers are allowed to bill for services. Specifically, the bill prohibits insurers from denying coverage for mental health services and primary care services solely because they were delivered on the same day in the same facility. This will remove a significant financial barrier to the integration of primary care and mental health.

Ensuring Capacity in Emergency Departments. The bill requires emergency departments to have the capacity to evaluate and stabilize a person admitted with a mental health presentation at all times, and to refer them to appropriate treatment or inpatient admission. The bill directs the Department of Public Health to issue regulations for an expedited process for individuals under 22 years old.

Requiring Coverage for Psychiatric Emergency Service Programs. The bill requires commercial insurance carriers to cover community-based services for individuals experiencing a psychiatric emergency. Currently, these services are only paid for by MassHealth.

Tracking and Analyzing Mental and Behavioral Health Expenditures. The bill directs the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to define and collect data on the delivery of mental health services to establish a baseline of current spending, and further directs the Health Policy Commission (HPC) to begin tracking mental health care expenditures as part of its annual cost trends hearings. This is a fundamental, critical first step to future efforts to incentivize greater investments in mental health care within the analysis of statewide health care cost growth.

Creating a Tele-behavioral Health Pilot Program. This bill authorizes the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to collaborate on authorizing three pilots for tele-behavioral health services in public high schools in the Commonwealth. This pilot is based on an existing and successful model between a hospital and several school districts in western Massachusetts.

Increasing Access to Care in Geographically Isolated Areas. The bill directs the Department of Mental Health to consider factors that may present barriers to care – such as travel distance and access to transportation – when contracting for services in geographically isolated and rural communities.

The Senate is scheduled to debate the Mental Health ABC Act next week.

Download a copy of this press release
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczVUktNHVaSWg2QVBJcjhHQ0s3aXdvRzVFR2s4/view?usp=sharing

Download a copy of the ABC Fact Sheet
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczUVlrdEFNemhBYVBxVVZYMnBjNXJIX2Zfai1F/view?usp=sharing

Link to the Senate Legislation proposal  https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2519


Senate Unveils Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care
Senate Unveils Mental Health ABC Act: Addressing Barriers to Care