12/3/2008 8:35:22 PM
Issue-Driven Workgroup:
Adult Services
Overview
The President's New Freedom Commission, in their report to the President, concluded that the current system not only does not meet the needs of consumers and family members but also includes barriers which impede care. To investigate these challenges, Texas leaders are committed to exploring the issues which block individuals' access to services and identifying system improvements.
TWG Charge
To help identify these issues, the Transformation Workgroup has charged the Adult Workgroup with developing goals, objectives, and action plans to:
- Explore service delivery.
- Investigate employment opportunities, incentives and supports for persons with mental illness.
- Identify evidence-based practices for all adults - in particular, develop a coordinated, uniform approach of evidence-based practices for older adults.
Workgroup Goals
Charged with such a large task, the Adult Services Workgroup limited their investigation to three target areas: 1) employment, 2) services for older adults, and 3) criminal justice/mental health services. The workgroup will use these focus areas to explore the system and identify barriers and efficiencies which often transcend specific populations. These areas of interest include:
- Services that agencies provide for particular populations.
- Tools which are used for assessing need.
- Service linkages across agencies.
- Consumer data, collection and storage.
- Eligibility, limits, and requirements for service.
Recommendations
The Adult Workgroup has recommended work plans to achieve goals related to these priorities, including:
- Validating the effectiveness of a targeted behavioral health intervention for certain individuals with disabilities who are transitioning from nursing facility services to community services with the Texas Money Follows the Person Grant.
- Demonstrating the effectiveness of a "no wrong door" access to mental health services for elders and adults over the age of 18 with cognitive disabilities who reside in the community.
- Developing an evidence-based information clearinghouse on the Aging Texas Well website to support program development in communities, support adoption of evidence-based programs, and provide opportunities for collaboration and information exchange.
- Including community mental health assessment components in the revision of the Aging Texas Well Community Assessment.
- Establishing a web page on the MHT-SIG site that provides key information from the partner agencies regarding employment programs.
- Implementing data sharing procedures between state health services-mental health and criminal justice entities to reduce involvement and/or enhance continuity of care for persons with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system.
- Successfully redesigning and implementing a crisis response system in the state.
Next Steps
The accomplishment of the goals and objectives of the Adult Services Workgroup is critical to understanding the current system and moving toward one that supports recovery.
