7/31/2010 10:06:34 AM
In 2005, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded $92.5 million to seven states as Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grants, including Texas. Texas is using the funding to build a foundation for delivering evidence-based mental health and related services, fostering recovery, improving quality of life, and meeting the needs of mental health consumers across the life span. The Mental Health Transformation Project is guided by the Transformation Working Group (TWG), a partnership of government agencies and consumer representatives.
Transforming mental health services in Texas can't happen without you! There are many avenues for involvement, including actively participating in community collaboratives, attending TWG meetings, or write to us directly by sending email to the Mental Health Transformation project. MHT Online is a forum for discussions among consumers and other stakeholders in Texas’ mental health system operated by the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Presentation: "The Imperative for Integrating Primary Care and Behavioral Health" (PDF)
This is a copy of a presentation delivered by Kathy Reynolds on June 24, 2010 on a DSHS-sponsored webinar on integrating physical and behavioral healthcare for LMHAs and behavioral health treatment providers that was hosted by the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division (MHSA) and the Primary Care Office. Please contact steve.eichner@dshs.state.tx.us for additional information about the webinar series or Texas' efforts regarding integrated care.
The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health is requesting proposals for the Hogg Mental Health Policy Academy
The goal of this project is to fund a Texas-based nonprofit organization to develop, organize and conduct an academy for the Hogg Mental Health Policy Fellows and their mentors who will be selected by the foundation through a separate RFP. The foundation hopes to build the capacity of individuals and organizations with the skill and resources needed to participate effectively in mental health policy in Texas. Visit www.hogg.utexas.edu to view the proposal requirements and submission and selection process »
New Study Indicates That Early Intervention for Young Children with Mental Health Challenges Supports Healthy Development and Improves Family Life
According to a new report, Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Young Children and Their Families (PDF), released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), behavioral and emotional problems decreased among nearly one-third (31 percent) of young children with mental health challenges within the first 6 months after entering services provided through Systems of Care Programs. New data reveal parents and caregivers experience improved quality of life and higher productivity after their young children receive mental health supports and services. These SAMHSA-funded programs provide family-driven and culturally and linguistically competent services and supports to children and youth with mental health challenges and their families.
To be successful, transformative activities must occur at both the state and local levels. Policy, infrastructure, and program changes solely at the state level will not result in improved access or outcomes at the local level without community-level, consumer-focused, implementation. The MHT project funds community-based collaboratives, representing the diversity of Texas, to demonstrate transformative efforts within Texas’ regions and serve as partners in testing new programs and infrastructure developed by both state and local-level organizations. Visit the Community Collaboratives page for more information.
Via Hope is a training and technical assistance resource for mental health consumers, their family members, youth consumers, and professionals funded by a combination of Mental Health Transformation and Mental Health Block Grant funds. It provides mental health consumers and family members with information and education that assists with their recovery, and enables them to better navigate the public and private mental health care systems. Via Hope also operates a certified peer specialist training program. The center is operated by Mental Health America of Texas and NAMI Texas.
Supported employment is a well-defined approach to helping people with mental illnesses find and keep competitive employment within their communities. There are current efforts in Texas led by the Department of State Health Services, in partnership with the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, to improve supported employment programs across Texas.
Persons with mental illness die an average of 25 years younger than the rest of the population. To help improve this population’s longevity, the Mental Health Transformation (MHT) Project has allocated resources to advance the integration of physical and mental health care at the local level with an initial focus on the MHT Community Collaboratives. Within each Collaborative, the Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA) is working in partnership with Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other organizations to develop and implement plans that accelerate integrated care between health care providers.
Resources made available to local communities include funding assistance through the Department of State Health Services’ Primary Care Office and Mental Health Transformation project and an online health assessment tool.
In addition to the health assessment, the MHT Project is also providing resources to assist clinics and care sites in modifying workflow processes and coordinating care with other organizations within the community to advance treatment for frequently-occurring conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, smoking, alcoholism, substance abuse, obesity, and depression. Further details are available on our Health Assessment Information page.
As individuals move between systems of care, such as the state’s psychiatric hospitals, community-based services, and other environments, it is essential that key components of any health condition or current service plan be appropriately and securely communicated so that appropriate treatment may be delivered. Texas’ transformation effort focuses on several key activities including a Department of State Health Services Task Force on the Continuity of Care, the implementation of technology solutions to support the continuity of care between the criminal justice and public mental health delivery systems, and the development of behavioral health data standards to enhance continuity of care between and among local behavioral health care providers as part of the Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
In December 2008, a TWG subgroup on veterans developed a report, Behavioral Health Services for Returning Veterans and Their Families (PDF), which identified behavioral health needs – and gaps in services – of veterans returning to Texas from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
The 81st Texas Legislature allocated funding to the Department of State Health Services to help bridge those gaps by implementing initiatives to expand training for veteran peer support, enhance mental health services, and improve access to information about services available to veterans, service members, and their families.
TexVet: Partners Across Texas is the collaborative effort of federal, state, and local organizations that focuses on bringing military members and those that care about them a wealth of resources. TexVet serves as a forum for interagency collaboration and provides information directly to veterans and family members, including its web-based resource directory.
The Comprehensive Plan, Reports, and Updates provide the reader an understanding of mental health transformation goals and accomplishments over the life of the project. In FY 2009,: a new conceptualization of the project, an updated version of the Texas CMHP goals and sub goals, and progress on all project activities; presents priority projects and measures for the remainder of the grant period was introduced. The reports contain information about the MHT Evaluation Plan and how achievement of Texas CMHP goals will be tracked and measured.