Remarks by
A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.
Director

Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

NASMHPD Winter Meeting:
SAMHSA Update

December 11, 2006
Austin, TX

PowerPoint version

SLIDE 1: CURRENT ISSUES - '07

• Confirmation/re-authorization
• 07/08 Budget
• Wellness/Shared Decision-Making
• Initiatives
• Financing
• Work Force Development
• Rural Mental Health
• NOMs/URS
• Transformation Agenda
• Federal Partners: Action Agenda
• National Anti-Stigma Campaign

SLIDE 2: FINANCING STRATEGIES

• One of the most important issues for State transformation
• CMHS sponsored two meetings
• More than 50 recommendations grouped in six categories
  • Making the case for investment
  • Responding to need for accountability
  • Working with CMS on Medicaid Policy
  • Developing Inventory of Resources
  • Identifying Models of Financing
  • Filling need for Basic Information

SLIDE 3: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

• The Draft National Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce Development was completed in July 2006
  • Includes 7 goals, numerous objectives & action steps
  • At a conference to review the plan, attendees agreed it provided a good framework for moving the field forward
• Next steps for SAMHSA
  • Publishing the plan on SAMHSA’s website along with CSAT’s Strengthening Professional Identity
  • Each center is creating a specific action plan which will later be merged to become a SAMHSA action plan
  • Will launch a website that will inventory workforce resources; develop tools and materials and provide TA on workforce issues

SLIDE 4: NATIONAL PLAN FOR RURAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

• Current initiatives:
  • creating a working infrastructure to support the development and implementation of a National Plan for Behavioral Health.
  • Implementing a logic model developed w/partners
  • Collaborating w/ existing Federal, National, State, Tribal and local initiatives to leverage resources
  • Working w/ National Partners to identify areas of future collaboration
  • Leveraging existing TA resources to create a communication and learning web portal which will focus on children’s behavioral health in rural areas
  • Infusing rural priorities into federal planning efforts
  • Linking web based materials from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center to the HRSA Rural Assistance Center
  • Seeking EBP in rural settings

SLIDE 5: INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE NOMS AND MOVE TOWARD COMPILATION OF CLIENT LEVEL DATA

• Unique partnership with NASMHPD/NRI and States
• Approximately $3M effort over 3 years
• Close coordination with the DIGS
• The project will:
  • Task 1: In-Depth Analysis of the Uniform Reporting System and Application to SAMHSA’s National Outcome Measures
  • Task 2: Documentation of Existing State Approaches to Collecting Client-Level Data and Analysis of Relevance to NOMS
  • Task 3: Development of a Project Advisory Panel and Convening Two Meetings
  • Task 4: Management of Identification of Promising Approaches to Collection and Reporting of Client-Level Data and Testing by Pilot States
  • Task 5: Pilot Testing of Promising Approaches for Collection and Reporting of Client-Level Data

SLIDE 6: TRANSFORMATION AGENDA

• 2 New SIG’s – Hawaii and Missouri
• Transformation Trends newsletter will highlight lessons learned from the first cohort
• CMHS is defining communication tool for knowledge transfer and exchange between MHTSIG States and other States
• Evaluation of the MHTSIG design will inform
• New and effective ways to provide TA

SLIDE 7: FEDERAL PARTNER: ACTION AGENDA

• The most significant change in the past year is the creation of the Federal Executive Steering Committee on Mental Health
  • For 2006, five issues will be top priority: suicide prevention; primary care/mental health integration; financing; employment; and disaster and emergency response.
• Action Agenda update Highlights:
  • The Mental Health Strategic Plan of the Veterans Health Administration is being implemented broadly, transforming the agency in significant ways.
  • SAMHSA and DOJ have signed a memorandum of understanding to guide the response to individuals with mental health disorders in the justice system.
  • An Employer’s Guide to Behavioral Health Services, developed by the National Business Group on Health and SAMHSA, has been distributed to Fortune 500 companies.
  • Model diversion programs for youth with serious emotional disorders involved in the juvenile justice system has been identified and disseminated by DOJ and SAMHSA
  • The DOL/SSA Disability Program Navigator Initiative has been expanded to 17 states to facilitate employment for individuals with psychiatric disabilities who receive SSA benefits.

SLIDE 8: NATIONAL ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN

Movie

SLIDE 9: QUESTIONS?