Event Calendar

May 2012
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031EC
June 2012
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930

Upcoming Events

  • No events.

Archives

Translator

English flagItalian flagKorean flagChinese (Simplified) flagChinese (Traditional) flagPortuguese flagGerman flagFrench flagSpanish flagJapanese flagArabic flagRussian flag
Greek flagDutch flagBulgarian flagCzech flagCroatian flagDanish flagFinnish flagHindi flagPolish flagRomanian flagSwedish flagNorwegian flag
Catalan flagFilipino flagHebrew flagIndonesian flagLatvian flagLithuanian flagSerbian flagSlovak flagSlovenian flagUkrainian flagVietnamese flagAlbanian flag
Estonian flagGalician flagMaltese flagThai flagTurkish flagHungarian flagBelarus flagIrish flagIcelandic flagMacedonian flagMalay flagPersian flag

***IMMEDIATE ACTION PLEASE by April 30: Dallas Boarding Home Regulation Ordinance Reform: Assistance needed from all in or outside of Dallas! Thanks to Janie Metzinger of MHA. NTSPP EC supports fully.

TO EMAIL the CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS:  SEE THIS LINK:  http://www.dallascityhall.com/government/council/contact_mcc.html

Mental Health Monday  Week of April 23, 2012

 Please contact your member of the Dallas City Council and Mayor Rawlings in favor of the Boarding Home Regulation Ordinance BEFORE or BY MONDAY APRIL 30!!!

 The Dallas City Council Housing Committee is currently considering an ordinance that would regulate boarding homes located within its city limits.  This much-needed reform will help to eradicate the deplorable conditions in what often is the only housing option for low-income people with mental illness.   The vote may occur as early as Monday, April 30, so it is imperative that you advocate this week!

Available from MHA OR NTSPP are sample letters to Mayor Rawlings and each Council Member.  All you have to do is to put your name, address, and the date at the top of each letter, then scroll down and sign your name at the bottom, put it in an envelope, stamp it and mail it.  All of them have the same address, so that makes it easy!

Below are additional facts that may help you in composing your own letter, if you choose.   Even if you just send a postcard that says “I support the boarding home regulation ordinance”, it will do a world of good.  Just remember to sign you name, and include your address.

Also, please forward this message on to your network of advocates, friends, neighbors and colleagues.  We need to push very hard for this in order to win.

If you do not reside in Dallas, please write in your capacity as a mental health professional, advocate (patient or family  member for example), or stakeholder. 

 The Members of the Dallas City Council are:

Mayor Mike Rawlings

Councilwoman Delia Jasso—District 1

Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano—District 2

Councilman Scott Griggs—District 3

Councilman Dwaine R. Caraway—District 4

Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill—District 5

Councilwoman Monica R. Alonzo—District 6

Councilwoman Carolyn R. Davis—District 7

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins—District 8

Councilman Sheffie Kadane—District 9

Councilman Jerry R. Allen—District 10

Councilwoman Linda Koop—District 11

Councilwoman Sandy Greyson—District 12

Councilwoman Ann Margolin—District 13

Councilwoman Angela Hunt—District 14

Boarding Home Facts
Prevalence of Boarding Homes

 

·         According to the Dallas Morning News, approximately 2500 people who are aged, disabled or who have mental illnesses reside in boarding homes in Dallas.

·         According to the City of Dallas, there are over 300 unlicensed boarding homes in the city.

·         Although some boarding homes are clean, safe, and decent places to live that promote the recovery of their residents, many boarding homes are unsafe, unsanitary and impede recovery.

·         Poorly run boarding homes are responsible for hundreds of police and paramedic calls each year.

·         Poorly run boarding homes are a blight on the neighborhoods in which they are located.

 

Implement the State Model Standards authorized in House Bill 216

In 2009, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 216, which is now known as Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 254.  This law does the following:

·         Defines a boarding home facility as “an establishment that

o        furnishes, in one or more buildings, lodging to three or more persons with disabilities, or elderly person who are unrelated to the owner of the establishment by blood or marriage and

o        provides community meals, light housework, meal preparation, transportation, grocery shopping, money management, laundry services or assistance with self-administration of medication but does not provide personal care services to those persons.

 

·         Model Standards developed by Texas Health and Human Services Commission including:

o        Construction/Remodeling (plumbing, heating, lighting, ventilation, fire hazards, etc.)

o        Sanitary and Related Conditions (insect and rodent control, water supply, sewage disposal, food handling, general hygiene, etc.)

o        Reporting and Investigation of Injuries, Incidents and Unusual Accidents and the Establishment of Other Policies and Procedures to Ensure Resident Health and Safety

o        Assistance with Self-Administration of Medication

o        In-Service Education of Facility’s Staff

o        Criminal Background History of Facility’s Staff

o        Periodic assessment of residents

 

·         Local Governments (counties or municipalities) authorized to regulate boarding home facilities within their jurisdictions and to establish:

o        Inspection Procedures

o        Permit Procedures (issuance, denial, renewal, suspension and revocation)

o        Fees

o        Fines

o        Posting Requirements (permit, most recent inspection, telephone number to report violations)

 

Prevalence of Mental Illness

·         Mental illnesses are common.  According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 1 in 17 adults suffer from a severe and persistent mental illness such as bi-polar disorder, major depression, or schizophrenia. 

·         The good news is that mental illness is treatable, that treatment works, and recovery is possible.

·         Recovery is more likely when the individual has a stable living environment.

 

For additional information, please contact   Janie Metzinger, Public Policy Director, Mental Health America of Greater Dallas

JMetzinger@mhadallas.org(214) 871-2420, Ext. 114, or   624 N. Good-Latimer, #200, Dallas, Texas  75204

                                                                                             

Share

2012 January 13 — Friday 10 am to 1 pm: State of Texas Behavioral Health System Analysis – Stakeholder Meeting

January 13, 2012
10:00 amto1:00 pm

Friday, January 13

State of Texas Behavioral Health System Analysis-Stakeholder Meeting

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  at Center for Community Cooperation, 2900 Live Oak Street, Dallas, Texas 75204

Google Map of 2900 Live Oak Street

 Below is a link to documents to review for this meeting. 

 

Also, attached above to this e-mail is a copy of the 1-page “Rider 71 Topics for Discussion” to use in preparing your remarks.  Please note that you may also send in written comments after the hearing on Friday.

As sent by Janie Metzinger of MHA of Greater Dallas.   If these materials will not download, please email NTSPPchapter@gmail.com with your email address.

Share

December 2011 ~ Mental Health Professional Shortages in the state of Texas ~ Interactive article by the Texas Tribune

Interactive Article: http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-mental-health-shortage/

Thanks to John Debus MD for forwarding this article.  Dr. Debus is a past president of NTSPP and long-time Executive Council member.  

 

 

Share

Friday 13 January 2012 from 10 A to 1 P Meeting ~ Public Behavioral Health System in Texas ~ Stakeholder Input to DSHS Consultant

January 13, 2012
10:00 amto1:00 pm
From Matt Roberts, President,  MHA Dallas ~ 

As you know, DSHS is undertaking a “Comprehensive Analysis of Public Behavioral Health System”, as required by Rider 71 from this last legislature.  The consulting firm DSHS hired to perform this analysis will be here in January to receive public commentary. 

Here are the details:
Who: Public Consulting Group for DSHS
What: Stakeholder input meeting.
When: January 13, 2012 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Where: Center for Community Cooperation, 1900 Live Oak Dallas
Why: To inform Public Consulting Group’s work in two areas:

(1) a comprehensive study of the current public behavioral health system in Texas and
(2) short and long term recommendations for the Texas behavioral health system.

The consultants want to hear from stakeholders on these topics: “access to services, service delivery models, current service array, and funding for services. Attendees will also have an opportunity to provide input on general strengths and weaknesses of the current behavioral health system and thoughts on the future direction of behavioral health services in Texas.”

 For more information on the project, visit: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mhsa/mhsa-analysis.aspx

 Thanks,
Matt Roberts, President, MHA Dallas

~The NTSPP Public Psychiatry Committee is co-chaired by Ed Nace MD  and Osman Ali MD.  The NTSPP Legislative Affairs Committee is co-chaired by Madeline Harford MD and Adam Brenner MD.  NTSPP encourages your participation in this meeting.  

 

 

Share

***CUTBACKS IN NORTH TEXAS MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM IMMINENT ~ Please contact Legislators & NTBHA Board now

THOUSANDS OF THE MOST SEVERELY AND  PERSISTENTLY MENTALLY ILL AND/OR ADDICTED PERSONS IN NORTH TEXAS FACE CUTBACKS IN TREATMENT (beginning November 1).

Below see three responses from leaders in our public mental health system which were sent to the North Texas Behavioral Health Authority Board  (NTBHA) and which express serious concern about the care and treatment of the mentally ill and addicted in North Texas.  

 1.      ”I reviewed VO’s summary of potential medical expense reductions and the reactions from a couple of other providers.  Its hard for me to judge the merits of any of those until I truly understand the magnitude and source of the financial issues.  I do have grave concerns about the value or wisdom of VO’s recommendations that further reduce our ability to meet the communities’ needs in the outpatient programs.  It only seems to reinforce the downward spiral that increases the number of emergencies, crises and bad outcomes for clients.  In order, however, for us to determine which adjustments are the most productive and least destructive, we must start with a common understanding of the actual financial changes from last year.”    ~ J. Randy Routon, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Life Path Systems 

2.       “NorthSTAR is spending less and less real dollars on out patient community based services as each of the last five or more years have gone by. Five years ago we spent more than four years ago, four years more than three years ago, three years ago more than two years ago. Am I not reading this data correctly? We have a  runaway increase in crisis expenditures. It is time to redesign crisis services with the goal to spend less and less dollars while maintaining current out patient expenditures.”  ~ James W. Williams, Director Mental Health, Lakes Regional MHMR Center

3.         “Respectfully, here’s what NTBHA should do instead of approving the cuts, caps and closings:

Ask  VO to propose a crisis services redesign that spends less money on people in clinics, offices and ER’s and more money on clinicians out in the streets with our police

Ask VO to propose a  homeless/justice redesign that incentivizes VO and its provider network to get people off the streets and keep them out of jail

Ask VO to propose an outpatient services redesign that spends more money on the types of services for children, families and adults that address community priorities identified by BHLT

Help VO tie every redesign idea to a NTBHA or BHLT goal and outcome measure

Assure that the redesigns also significantly cut VO’s costs and so help meet its fiscal goals

Help  VO shift its risk-reward curve toward more risk, thereby offering it a greater chance of the reward of achieving its profit goal, through more utilization review and less fixed rates and “cap” agreements.”

 ~ James G. Baker, MD,MBA  Chief Executive Officer  Metrocare Services

Here are the proposed cuts in an already deficiently funded system which are being proposed by value options (VO), the insurance company that runs our public treatment system:

*Proposed cuts, caps and closings for implementation on November 1st and contingent cuts proposed for March 1st are listed below.  Our models show that the November changes represent a 20% cut in outpatient service dollars available, leaving too few doctors and other clinicians for viable treatment programs.  Access and quality will go down.  Crises will go up — and so will homelessness, ER visits, and jail stays.  The proposed March cuts would reduce outpatient service dollars by another 6%.

Cut doctor, hospital and case worker rates by 5% “across-the-board”
Cap the dollars available for emergency room services (23-hour program)
Cap the cost of hospital care
Close Metrocare after-hour clinic
Close Centro de Mi Salud after-hours
Cut out the supported employment that helps patients find jobs
Cut UTSW funding for psychiatrists in training in public sector settings
Cut funding to Transicare for case management and patient transportation
Close The Club (“Dallas drop-in center”)
Close transitional housing (“rental subsidies”) for patients just released from the hospital
Cut low-intensity outpatient services (SP1) case rate to $70 per month
Cap low-intensity outpatient service duration (SP1) at 90 days per patient
Cut physician-only services reimbursement to $40 per month
Cap the number of patients who can get higher-intensity services (SP2 and SP3), in March
Cut Transicare even more, in March
Cut peer services, in March

North Texas Psychiatrists & Psychiatrists in Training – Contact your state legislators (www.capitol.state.tx.us) and/or the NTBHA Board expressing the need to prevent these cuts and to put treatment back in the hands of doctors with other mental health professionals.

 NTBHA can be reached at:   North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, 1201 Richardson Drive, Suite 270, Richardson , TX  75080.   Attention: Alex Smith – Executive Director and Judge Michael Chitty- President NTBHA Board    Tel. 214-366-9407   fax 214-366-9417  or email: bruckdeschel@ntbha.org.

Thank you,
Edgar P. Nace MD     epnace@gmail.com
NTSPP Immediate Past President, Media Chair, & Co-Chair of the Public Psychiatry Committee 

Share

Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 2 – 8, 2011

October 2, 2011
October 3, 2011
October 4, 2011
October 5, 2011
October 6, 2011
October 7, 2011
October 8, 2011

See the complete calendar of NAMI Dallas activities for MIAW at http://www.nami.org/MSTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMI_Dallas_Newsletters&Site=NAMI_Dallas_Inc_&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=127566

Share