ACTION ALERT: Implementation of Recommendations to DCF

ACTION ALERT for Keep the Promise, NAMI Connecticut Members and other interested parties (from KTP/NAMI CT).

Please consider submitting testimony and/or testifying in person IN SUPPORT of HB 5371 and HB 5374 to the PROGRAM REVIEW & INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE, TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014.

HB 5371 (Raised) AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM REVIEW AND INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE STUDY ON THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AS THEY RELATE TO PREPARATION OF YOUTHS AGING OUT OF STATE CARE

HB 5374 (Raised) AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM REVIEW AND INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE STUDY ON ACCESS TO SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT FOR INSURED YOUTH AS THEY RELATE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Please click here for exact language of HB 5371 and HB 5374.  TALKING POINTS can be accessed here.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS BEING HELD AT THE WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS  --NOT AT THE LOB!

The Program Review and Investigations Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 3:00 P.M. in the Wallingford Town Council Chambers, Wallingford Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT.  Please submit 20 copies of written testimony to Committee staff at the time of sign up.  Sign-up for the hearing will begin at 2:00 P.M. in the Town Council Chambers. 

If you need support submitting testimony or with sign up, please contact Daniela at KTP by end of day Monday, 3/3.'

ACTION ALERT: Preservation of Historical Medical Records

'Dear Keep the Promise Coalition and NAMI Connecticut Members and other interested parties:

Please consider contacting your state representatives and senators on the Government Administration and Elections Committee regarding:

H.B. 5124, AN ACT CONCERNING THE PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL RECORDS AND ACCESS TO RESTRICTED RECORDS IN THE STATE ARCHIVES.  

This bill would allow the medical records of persons served by state agencies, including mental health services, to be made public 50 years after their death and is opposed by DMHAS, CLRP, A.U. and NAMI Connecticut among others of our member organizations.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF THE GAE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

It is particularly important for people whose legislator is on the committee to contact him or her as a constituent, especially Co-Chair Senator Musto (Bridgeport, Monroe, and Trumbull).  Additionally, make sure you copy the committee's staff person in your email communication, Kaitlin Faticoni at kaitlin.faticoni@cga.ct.gov, so your letters can be available to all committee members.

Talking Points:

• We strongly oppose this proposal because it breaks the confidentiality of people who receive mental health services in the public sector.
• As written,  it would allow access to psychiatric records of individuals served in state facilities 50 years after their death without their consent.
• Families would have no say in whether or not their families psychiatric history could be made public.
•  People treated in the private sector have their records protected forever, thus making this proposal a discriminatory practice toward people served in the public sector.
• We urge you to remove Section 2 © of this bill to protect the privacy of sensitive health care records belonging to individuals served by the state.   OR, alternatively, we urge you to protect people's privacy regarding their healthcare records by redacting individuals' names (and other identifying information) before making data publicly available.

www.namict.org

www.ctkeepthepromise.org'

Here is a Summary of our Advocacy Efforts! Great Work Caregivers You Helped Affect True & Meaningful Change in CT this Session!!

MAY 23, 2013: This Bill has the most important provision for access to mental health providers in CT. A council will be created to evaluate reimbursement rates. This is key to why providers go to private pay and or leave out state.  Call to ask your Legislators to support this bill. SB 1026.  MAY 14, 2013: (Notice from KTP & NAMI CT, Edited) Legislative Leadership & the Governor’s office have started final budget negotiations. PLS take time to THANK the Appropriations Committee leadership and members for RESTORING important funding for mental health services & PROPOSING NEW FUNDS for mental health services in their proposed budget. Please be sure to also ask that Connecticut Legal Rights Project (CLRP) be fully funded, as only part of their funding has been restored so far.  (T&L Note: VERY IMPORTANT FOR ALL WITH FAMILY MEMBERS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.) Your calls made a difference when we asked committee members to restore funding and create new funds. (T&L Note: PLS see below for  contact info.) 

May 9, 2013:  Bill 6545 on Step-Therapy( Fail First Mental Health Prescription Therapy) has made it to the floor!  This is a VERY important Bill, please contact your Legislators and ask for their vote in support.   MAY 7, 2013:  Previous cuts to funding for Developmental Disability Services are beginning to affect services.  Legal Aid for those seeking help with public housing is now unfunded and services have stopped.  Please write or call your Legislators and the Appropriations Committee today to either support or oppose these measures and the ones below.  Go to www.cga.ct.gov to find your Rep's contact info. Please sign & pass along the Change.org petition below.  CT LEG. SESSION ENDS JUNE 5TH, 2013.

SB 1026 Call Legislators Today, Ask For Their Support.

SB 1026​

This Bill has the most important provision for access to mental health providers in CT. A council will be created to evaluate reimbursement rates. The criteria for this council creation explains the main issues that providers go to private pay and or leave out state.

Call to ask your Legislators to support this bill.

Call Now to Ask your Legislator to Support Bill 6545

Bill 6545 on Step-Therapy.  ​This is the most important Bill this session on Mental Health.  This Bill will not allow step-therapy or 'fail-first therapy' to apply Mental Health Prescription Medications.     

Please contact your local Legislators via email or call their office in Hartford to urge their support of this very important Bill.​

Some of my testimony on this issue is posted here.

Consider Thanking Our Appropriations Committee For Restoring Funding To Many Services Cut Earlier This Session By The Governor.

The Appropriations Committee will be voting on their proposed budget early

next week. 

( Original Blog dated 4.11.2013)

NOW is the time to CALL the Chairs and Vice-chairs of Appropriations, as well as democratic leadership, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.

Co-Chair Senator Toni Harp: 860-240-0393 | 1-800-842-1420



Co-Chair Representative Toni Walker: 860-240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Senator Joan Hartley: 860-240-000 | 1-800-842-1420



Vice-Chair Rep. Mae Flexer: 860-240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Rep. Patricia Billie Miller: 860 240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Vice-Chair Rep. Elaine O’Brien: 860 240-8585 | 1-800-842-8267



Speaker of the House Rep. Brendan Sharkey: 860-240-8500 |1- 800-842-1902



President Pro Tempore Senator Don Williams: 860-240-8614 | 1-800-842-1420




The primary areas where Keep the Promise has taken the lead advocating for NEW moneys are the following initiatives that were not included in the major bill that was passed last week (and that was already signed by the governor): 



1) Peer Bridger Programs ($1.5 million) (peer support services that are initiated during hospitalization and continue after discharge into the community)



2) Housing First funds for DMHAS ($1 million) (subsidized housing with Assertive Community Treatment-ACT- for person with psychotic disorders for whom other treatment modalities have not worked)



3) Young Adult Services (YAS) for people experiencing their first episodes ($500,000)




Of course, there are other outstanding items that were cut (and some that received proposals for more funding) that you may care about from the list below, which you can choose to highlight in your calls: 



OPPOSE cuts to the following services/programs

1. School Based Health Centers (SBHCs) expansion elimination 


2. DMHAS grants reduction – affecting outpatient services 


3. CLRP legal services cuts


4. HUSKY Parents eligibility restrictions (eliminating Medicaid coverage for parents with income of between 133-185% of FPL and moving them into the Health Insurance Exchange/Access Health CT with premiums, co-pays, deductibles) 


5. Implementing Step Therapy under the pharmacy program


6. COLA elimination for the Aged, Blind and Disabled


7. Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council (BHP OC) elimination




SUPPORT funding for the following services /programs

1. Housing Initiative including Supportive and Affordable housing


2. Expansion of Young Adult Services (YAS)


3. New funding for Health Home services 



It is also important to call ALL Appropriation Committee members as this is a very difficultly budget climate. If your legislator(s) are on the Appropriations Committee, call them and tell them what you care about and what important services and treatment options need to be included in this budget. 

Click here for contact information for members of the Appropriations Committee. 





Your call will make a difference!

(Edited from NAMI & KTP call to action email)

Testimony needed on Bills 1136 & 1137

School Based Health Centers.  ​NOTICE 3.19.2013

Please visit Turtles & Lemonade on Facebook at ​https://www.facebook.com/TurtlesLemonade for more info on these Bills.  Testimony needed by 5pm tonight for hearing tomorrow.​

3.18.2013 URGENT ACTION NEEDED

This bill will affect everyone and is very important!

This bill is on the committee’s agenda for tomorrow’s noon meeting, so contacting your legislator(s) ASAP, today or early tomorrow morning, will be of essence.

Thank you so much for supporting this important legislation, to move a bill that will have people paying for private insurance receive better access to quality mental health services.

H.B. 6612 AN ACT CONCERNING THE HEALTH INSURANCE GRIEVANCE PROCESS FOR ADVERSE DETERMINATIONS, THE OFFICE OF THE HEALTHCARE ADVOCATE AND MENTAL HEALTH PARITY COMPLIANCE CHECKS.

It will make a difference if you could contact your legislator and urge this Insurance Real Estate committee member to support HB 6612 and move it out of committee because this bill would improve the quality and timeliness of access to mental health services for CT residents who are privately insured.  For the specifics of this bill, please refer my testimony at www.turtles-lemonade.com under advocacy tab. (HB 6612)

Here is the list of committee members that need to be contacted.

Committee vice-chair Senator Joan Hartley (D)  #860-2400-0006 (Aide Melissa Roder) 

Representative Fred Camillo (R)  # 800-842-1423

Representative Tony Hwang (R)  # 203-255-5555

Representative Sampson (R)  # 800-842-1423

Senator Kevin Kelly (R)  # 800-842-1421 (Aide Erin Stewart)

CT Proposed Bill #169 (Form Ltr)

Please feel free to use this letter that I sent my State Rep. *

Dear (Insert Your Rep's Name),

I'm very concerned about Bill #169.  There are currently too few mental health professionals in our state to care for children and adults with mental health needs.  Where will the services for these identified children come from? Public mental health services are far better than private yet they're chronically underfunded. 1:6 children can be expected to be identified through this bill. BPT Child Guidance has gone from 5 days a week to 2 days a week with waiting lists.  Private Insurance is a failure in this department too; parity isn't practiced.

I urge you to read/watch all of the testimony from the January 29th, 2013 Hearing on Mental Health.  

Concerns with this bill:

1.  It's another unfunded mandate.

2.  Will place liability on the local BOE's, towns & the state.

3.  Who will assess these children?

4.  Who pays for their care after they're identified?

5.  How is a BOE qualified to provide this service?

6.  Who keeps these records?

7.  How will these records affect an identified child's future?

8.  Who's responsible for the care if identified?

9.  Where are these services that an identified student needs? 

Facts from January 29th, 2013 hearing on Mental Health:

1. Not enough providers of child/adolescent mental health services in CT right now, nor expected in the near future.

2. Not enough therapists nor beds currently in CT for children/adolescents in need.

3. Private insurance not providing level of care nor access needed. (My area of interest and experience.)

Please advise if there will be a public hearing on this Bill.  I'm available to help your committee in any way needed.

(Insert Name & Address)

* When writing your elected officials remember a few things:  Most allow only a few words to be submitted through the state/federal website, your direct Representative is most likely to read your letter, Rep's from other districts even committee chairs normally don't read your input. *Still send your opinion, they count emails on each issue.*

(originally published 2.11.13, repost 2.20.13)

Feb. 15th, 2013 Hearing on DHMAS & DPH Budgets.

(Edited from Letter sent by FFLD & CT NAMI.)

HEARING Friday February 15th, 2013

The Governor’s budget has proposed cuts to eliminate funding for research and eliminate funding for new and expanded School-based Health Centers is disastrous. While Bill #169 is being proposed to have each child screened in school.

With such high unemployment, expensive and ineffective private insurance families rely on school-based health centers MORE & MORE to meet their needs for a full range of age-appropriate health care services, typically including:  Primary medical care, Mental/behavioral health care, Dental/oral health care, Health education and promotion, Substance abuse counseling, Case management, Nutrition education

Hearing after hearing this year has stressed the need for early identification of mental health issues and while more and more families are being denied services by insurance companies or have to deal with waiting lists or reduced hours by service providers, school-based health centers provide the answer for early identification and intervention and treatment. THIS MAKES NO SENSE based on the facts, the hearing testimony by professionals. . • CT Mental Health Center: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for research. 


“If only they knew more about my loved one’s illness?” Why aren’t they listening!

PLEASE make your voice heard. PLEASE pass on this email.

There are going to be a lot of important issues coming down the pike this year thanks to the increased awareness of the flaws in our mental health system. NOW IS OUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD!

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. 



(Letter from)  Keep The Promise Coalition and NAMI Connecticut Members and Advocates.  

Below is a summary of the major items in the Governor’s budget proposal related to the DMHAS and DPH budgets. Please consider testifying or submitting testimony to support programs that are important to people living with mental illness in Connecticut. 

The Governor’s budget includes proposals to decrease funding to the below programs. Please consider testifying IN OPPOSITION to the below cuts and emphasize why these programs are vital to the mental health community: 

• Legal Services: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Reduce funding; over $280,000 each Fiscal Year, 2014 and 2015

• School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs): Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for twenty-two new or expanded School Based Health Centers; over $2.7 million each Fiscal Year, 2014 and 2015 and for which funds were originally appropriated in Fiscal Year 2013. Comprehensive School Based Health Centers provide both primary and mental health care on school grounds, making services accessible at low cost bolstering early identification of physical and mental health issues. 

• CT Mental Health Center: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Eliminate funding for research

• Rescission and Deficit mitigation cuts: Governor’s budget includes proposal to Annualize these cuts, making them permanent

The governor’s budget includes funding increases to the below programs. In your testimony, we urge you to thank the governor and remind the legislators of the importance of increasing funding to the following programs.

We SUPPORT: 

• Young Adult Services (YAS): Increased funding 

• Acquired/Traumatic Brain Injury placements: Increased funding 

• Discharge Fund for patients at CT Valley Hospital: Increased funding 

• Supportive Housing: Governor Malloy’s Housing Initiative includes investments in Supportive Housing. It authorizes $20 million to develop 100 new units of supportive housing with an annualized $1 million for rental assistance subsidies and $1 million for services. Supportive housing is a successful and cost-effective approach to addressing homelessness by creating permanent affordable housing with services. 

• Health Homes: New funding for Health Home Initiative which is designed to better coordinate behavioral and physical healthcare for clients served by DMHAS. This new funding ($10 million), combined with in-kind support of state operated and privately provided services, will result in $50 million in additional revenue over the biennium due to a 90% federal match available under the Affordable Care Act. 

• Home and Community Based Services (HCBS): Increased funding

• Private non-profit providers: annualized 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA); establishment of $40 million bond funding

For hearing details, please see the following instructions: 

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. 

Public speaker order for the public hearing will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9:00 AM until 10:00 AM in the LOB First Floor Atrium and from 10:15 AM until 1:00 PM in Room 2700. The list of speakers registered through the lottery system will be posted outside the designated hearing room (Room 2C) two hours prior to the start of the public hearing. Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list. On February 15 the Committee will provide a separate sign-up sheet for persons with special needs. Those speakers will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. The Committee Chairs will alternate between the special needs list and the standard list until the special needs list has been exhausted. Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes of testimony. Please submit 25 copies of written testimony at the time of sign-up. Testimony delivered after the start of a hearing may not be distributed until the following day. The Committee will accept electronic testimony via email at appropriationtestimo@cga.ct.gov for posting on the Committee’s website and inclusion in the hearing transcript. All public hearing testimony, written & spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and will be indexed by Internet search engines. For the February 15 public hearing, Room 2D will be reserved for individuals with special needs who need a quiet space while waiting to testify. 

The co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee are Senator Toni Harp and Representative Toni Walker. if you are unable to testify, your voice can still be heard by writing letters/emails to your legislators.  Thank you for your invaluable advocacy efforts and we hope to see many of you this Friday! 


Form Letter to CT Legislators: URGENT

Connecticut Legislature: Mental Health Reform: Meet with Caregivers of the Mentally Ill to affect true reform.

Petitioning Connecticut Legislature: Mental Health Reform 

Caregivers are the voice of the mentally ill in our state.  1:4 Americans are caregivers of a mentally ill loved one.  We navigate the private insurance industry year-in-and-year-out.  We need enforcement of the insurance parity laws currently in place.  The only alternative to the constant fighting for covered substandard private mental health services is having our loved ones receive state benefits, which ties them to a life of poverty, which is a loose/loose proposition for everyone.

We know the insurance companies, the loopholes that they claim exist and how they avoid paying for covered services. Insurance reform is needed without loopholes.

We're experts in the field of public vs. private mental health services, availability & costs.

We work, pay taxes & we vote.

[Insert name, and address.  Send to your legislators and those on the Special Bipartisan Taskforce on Mental Health at: http://www.cga.ct.gov/ASaferConnecticut/ ]

Change.org Petition

Please take a moment to sign and pass along this very important petition.  

http://www.change.org/petitions/connecticut-legislature-mental-health-reform-meet-with-caregivers-of-the-mentally-ill-to-affect-true-reform-2

Laws are currently being written in response to the tragedy at Newtown by our State Legislature.  Caregivers aren't speaking out and any commentary is being drowned out by the gun lobby.  

Please use your voice, sign this petition and pass it along.

Thank you!