Mental Health Association of Montana


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Story of the Bell

 

Public Policy

The Montana Mental Health Association (MMHA) is an affiliate of Mental Health America. We advocate for the improved care and treatment of the mentally ill and equitable insurance coverage for mental health care.

Our MMHA Public Policy Committee pursues research-based advocacy policies consistent with the Association's goals, values, and principles as well as to develop the Association's Public Policy Platform for each legislative session.

 Increased Funding for Mental Health in MT? Read about it here! (February 7, 2007 article in the Billings Gazette)

 Federal Mental Health Parity Law? Read about it here!

 

Support our System Changing Policy Efforts

 

 

TO RECEIVE OUR LEGISLATIVE ALERTS: email info@montanamentalhealth.org

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Contacting your legislators:
The number to call and leave a message for legislators is: 406-444-4800.

The online message form is http://leg.mt.gov/css/ sessions/60th/ legwebmessage.asp

[Message site is down for the Interim, but will be back up for the 2009 Legislative Session.]


House FAX number: 406-444-4825.         Senate FAX number: 406-444-4875.


LISTEN on the web! Go to: http://leg.mt.gov/css/audio/ audio_broadcast.asp and click on the committee.

JOIN OUR POLICY COMMITTEE & BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

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A Consensus Statement on Montana’s Mental Health Priorities for the 2009 Biennium 

 

Licensed Professional Counselors, MT

MT Advocacy Program

MT Community Mental Health Centers

MT County Attorneys Assoc.

MT Mental Health Association

MT Sheriffs and Peace Officers Assoc.

NAMI- Montana

National Association of Social Workers-Montana

The organizations that are signatories to this consensus statement collectively embrace and support the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.  To that end we recommend that the 2007 Legislature support a process that will lead the state of Montana to establish an effective mental health system.  The following represent the signatories’ shared beliefs around the proposed AMDD budget and plan for 2008-2009:

  1. We cannot support the proposed STEP program.  There was no stakeholder involvement in its conceptualization; we haven’t been given adequate time and information to evaluate the proposal and possible alternatives; and we haven’t been assured a process would take place that would involve stakeholders in substantive decision-making around the many details of the project’s implementation and oversight. We urge a public process to fully consider STEP and alternatives before Montana makes such a long-term commitment of public resources.
  2. We request that a mental health package of benefits similar to, but not necessarily limited to, the current Mental Health Services Plan, be funded at three times the amount currently in the AMDD budget, in order that uninsured Montana citizens have access to mental health services in their communities.
  3. We support the 72 hour crisis care eligibility component of the budget, but believe that an additional $5 million in funding or state bonding must be dedicated to community crisis services in order to create incentives for communities to develop and sustain acute response services as well as appropriate follow-up care.
  4. We ask the Legislature to appropriate an additional $100,000 per year to fund Service Area Authorities as the critical element of mental health system transformation plus dedicated staff under the direction of the SAAs.

We recommend that objective outcome studies be attached to all of the above appropriations for future program development and fiscal accountability. 

We thank the Montana legislature, Governor Schweitzer, the Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Department of Corrections for their commitment to improving the mental health of all Montanans.

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2007 Legislative Platform:

  • Mental Health Institutional Services

We support the services presently provided by inpatient psychiatric care facilities as an essential component of a comprehensive mental health delivery system in Montana.

  • Community Mental Health Services

In view of the continuing over population at inpatient psychiatric care facilities:

    • We strongly support comprehensive community-based services as an alternative to admissions to inpatient psychiatric care.
    • These services should provide a continuum of care for all persons requiring mental health services regardless of diagnosis.
    • The continuum of care should include enhanced crisis intervention and increased stabilization services, intensive case management, medication management, and bio-psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation and vocational opportunities.
    • We support the concept that statutes for community based involuntary commitments should be changed to require consumers to take prescribed medication if strong evidence is presented that the medication benefits the patient and there are minimal side effects from the medication.
    • We support the development and implementation of new and effective mechanisms to assure the availability of prescription drugs.
  • Children, Adolescents and Families’ Mental Health Services
    • We support the development and implementation of an integrated Children’s Mental Health System.
    • We support efforts designed to develop a comprehensive and coordinated continuum of care which maximizes the use of a full range of appropriate, safe and adequately funded community and family-based services, as close to home as possible, including prevention and early intervention.
    • We support the concept that parents should be included at all levels of planning development of children’s mental health services.
    • We support the concept that parents should be included at all levels of planning development of children’s mental health services.
    • We support the concept that parents themselves receive the assistance needed to maximize their child’s treatment.
    • We support the utilization of collaborative funding in the continued development of treatment services for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances, youth in the juvenile corrections systems, and youth who are sexual offenders and/or victims.
    • We support joint planning and collaborative programming at the state and local levels for all departments involved in the delivery of services, including prevention and intervention to children, adolescents, and their families.
    • We continue to support the concept that adjudicated youths who are seriously mentally ill should be provided with treatment/services outside correctional facilities, when appropriate.
  • Insurance and Reimbursement Issues
    • We support full parity in both private and public insurance plans for mental illnesses.
  • Correctional System
    • We support the justice system meeting mental health needs of offenders whether incarcerated, in pre-release or other programs of the justice system. 
  • General Issues
    • We support representation of consumers and their family members on mental health policy-making boards.

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Federal Mental Health Parity Law

2008: Article in the New York Times:  House Approves Bill on Mental Health Parity

2007: Senators Pete Dominici (R-MN), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) today introduced the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007. The bill would require group health plans that cover more than 50 employees to provide full parity for physical and mental health coverage if they offer mental health benefits, but does not mandate that a group plan offer mental health benefits. "While the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 provided for parity between mental health and physical health insurance coverage only with respect to annual and lifetime dollar limits, your bill creates full parity for annual and lifetime dollar limits, hospital days, outpatient visits, co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses," American Hospital Association (AHA) said in letters to the sponsors. "...It is essential that all Americans have access to fair and equal coverage for mental and physical health because mental health parity increases productivity and economic well being for individuals, families and communities." AHA is a member of the Coalition for Fairness in Mental Illness Coverage, which applauded the new legislation. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on Wednesday.

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2005 Legislative Session Advocacy Efforts

Advocacy efforts for the 2005 Legislative Session have included a focus on Community Based Mental Health Care Services, effective community based crisis stabilization and intervention programs, adequate funding for Montana State Hospital, expansion of the CHIP program for kids mental health coverage, support and expansion of the Service Area Authority program and the Local Advisory Councils – encouraging positive and consistent communication with the Children’s System of Care. Various hearings & meetings throughout the session & mental health caucus meetings were attended whenever possible.

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Montana Mental Health Association
205 Haggerty Lane, Suite 170

P.O. Box 88

Bozeman, MT  59771

Phone: 1-406-587-7774

Email: info@montanamentalhealth.org

 

Last updated: April 22, 2008