Weekly Update September 6, 2024
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
Annual Walk-A-Mile Event to take place September 17, 2024
The date for this event was moved from Thursday, September 12th, 2024 to Tuesday, September 17th, 2024
The 2024 INFORMATION PACKET is now available! Click here to download!
Each year, we draw more than 2,000 advocates from across Michigan to the Capitol Building to support public behavioral healthcare. This rally aims to highlight the need for increased funding for mental health services, raises awareness of behavioral health needs in health and policy discussions and works to banish behavioral health stigmas. There are more than 300,000 citizens in Michigan who seek behavioral health services. Join us as we rally together on the Capitol Lawn for increased mental health funding and the need for behavioral health to be continually included in policy discussions.
Why We Rally…
To enhance public awareness, because legislators need to know that Mental Health Matters.
To promote mental health and wellness, because we can make a difference!
To put an end to the stigma related to mental illness and developmental disabilities, because Michigan does not have parity (equality) between mental health and physical health care coverage.
Improving access to mental health treatment through strengthening status of Limited License Psychologists
Weekly Update readers may remember that the CMHA Board of Directors passed a resolution, earlier this year, supporting HB 5785. This bill would strengthen the clinical roles that can be played by the state’s Masters trained psychologists.
Below are excerpts from a recent update and a call to action from the MPA Masters Committee regarding this bill:
We have exciting news to share – legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives that will increase access to mental health services for Michiganders by removing the career-long supervision requirement for LLPs. The bill, House Bill 5785, can be found here.
HB 5785 will receive its first hearing in a House Committee in the coming weeks. This means there is a chance for you and all LLPs in Michigan voice the importance of this legislation.
If you are willing to support the efforts to get HB 5785 passed, please send your name with credentials (e.g., MS, LLP, CAADC, BCBA, etc.), organization if you are part of one (with permission), phone, city/state and email to the Master’s Committee by replying directly to this email masterscommittee@michiganpsychologicalassociation.org or to a member of the committee, Teresea Goscicki tgoscicki.llp@gmail.com
We will put your information on a “card of support” the day of the hearing to be presented to the committee and put on the official legislative record. Legislators are inclined to pay attention and vote positively when they know there is a lot of support, especially if you reside in their district, so the more cards the better!
This issue is important to all LLPs in the state. We know of the overwhelming need for mental health services. The close to 4,000 LLPs available for mental health services for Michigan citizens can address the shortage we currently face. By removing the career-long supervision and becoming an independent provider, LLPs will be able to access more insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. Additionally, this will cost the State of Michigan nothing.
There are close to 4,000 of us in Michigan. We continue to hear, “What can we do?” This is what we can do. Your card of support will make a difference in getting HB 5785 passed.
Thank you,
The MPA Masters Committee
‘Connections’ Article
Following my podcast conducted at the Summer 2024 CMHA Annual Summer Conference, I continue my sharing with this writing. I have been a person served, consumer, client or patients for forty-eight years. At the age of 17 my parents were forced to seek treatment for me when I was thrown out of high school during an episode of mania. Stigma is real and prevalent.
– Melissa McKinstry, Board Member for the Right Door for Hope, Recovery and Wellness & Board of Directors for Community Mental Health Association
Some Musings on Stigma –Transparent and Personal
My name is Melissa McKinstry. I am 65 years old, and, according to my medical record, retired, although I have never held a full-time job and have worked mainly as a volunteer. My current volunteer positions include being on the Board at The Right Door in Ionia County, a position I have held for fourteen years or so, Co-chair of the CMHA Legislation and Policy Committee, and a member of its Steering Committee and Board of Directors. I was chair of The Right Door Board for four years. I tell you that because it puts me in a small group: I am also a person served by the public behavioral health system for forty-eight years and counting. Not many persons served have been Board chair, and I am very honored and proud to have been elected by my fellow Board members.
As I mentioned, I have been a person served, consumer, client or patient for forty-eight years. I have been severely mentally ill for fifty years. It was not until I was thrown out of high school during an episode of mania at the age of seventeen that my parents were forced into seeking treatment for me. That was a very long time ago, and I am not going to recount the story here. What I do want to point out is that I never really had a life as, in my thought, a “regular person.” I have virtually always been a mental patient. Those final words sound harsh to contemporary ears, but for most of my life, those words followed my name as PhD, M.D., or J.D. follows the names of various others. Whereas the latter three appellations garner some respect from most people, “mental patient” has quite the opposite effect: apprehension, fear, pity, morbid curiosity, and derision are common reactions from people when they learn that I have a serious mental illness. That is how the average person reacts. People in the medical profession can be even worse, especially if one has a personality disorder listed after one’s name. Doctors often automatically label one as an attention seeker or manipulator, which can result in difficulties obtaining treatment for very real maladies. Stigma is real and prevalent.
That is stigma from without. Stigma also exists within. My identity, after scores of psychiatric hospitalizations, years of day treatment and a lifetime of associating almost exclusively with others who have severe mental illness or our caregivers, is inextricably linked to my diagnoses. It is extremely difficult for me to think of myself as anything else: I have been a mental patient all of my adult life and then some, and I will always be just that. It is ingrained in my mind. Then my colleagues step in. [I actually have colleagues: I was addressed as such in a correspondence.] How do I explain being elected to the Board of The Right Door four times if the other Board members think of me only as a mental patient? [I know my terminology is archaic and unpleasant, perhaps even offensive to many if not most, but those are the words I use to describe myself, a legacy, as it were, of less enlightened times, and by the way, grating to my ears as well.] My work with the CMHA poses the same internal conflict as does that at The Right Door: other committee and Board members listen to what I say and treat me with respect instead of patronizing me as I expect them to do. The dissonance is almost deafening.
External stigma, the beliefs of others, can harm a person socially and financially, whereas internal stigma, because it is one’s own beliefs, harms one’s very soul. External stigma can be difficult, but internal stigma is crippling. Its effects can be devastating. It darkens one’s dreams for the future, giving one a false sense of having little or no potential for being a useful part of society or leading a fulfilling life. My experience until recently, was the firm belief that I was capable of only the meanest contribution to my community, that all my close relationships would forever be one-sided and billable to Medicaid, and that no one would ever be interested in anything I had to say. I am still not entirely convinced that those things are not true, but I am considering the evidence.
Unfortunately, internal stigma is reinforced by the way serious mental illness is treated. Persons served are segregated from those who treat them, which is necessary, but also from their communities. We tend to be encouraged to socialize amongst ourselves while we attend groups and events at our treatment facilities and go on outings under the supervision of staff during business hours, as well as during our time away from our agency. Until very recently, except for church functions, all of my time was spent with persons served or the staff who serve me. Although I now associate a little bit with people from the church choir of which I have been a member for twenty years or so, I still feel very uncomfortable around them. I don’t feel as if I am one of them: I spend my days at my CMH while they have families and jobs. In my mind, I am oil and they are water. The same is true when it comes to the people I work with on the Board of The Right Door and at the CMHA. I was separated from “regular people” except staff for so many years that I cannot even imagine myself as their equal. Although I do associate with them often now, I always feel as if I am of a lower caste, and I am not comfortable.
If I had my druthers, every person served by the public behavioral health system would be encouraged and aided, if need be, to integrate their self into their community to the greatest extent they are able and to engage in activities outside of the domain of the treatment agency. This would help to reduce both internal and external stigma by decreasing the segregation we currently experience: those of us being treated for serious mental illnesses would be interacting with “regular people” and they would be interacting with us, all in a natural setting. [As a side note, supervised group excursions are not what I consider natural: you do not usually see groups of adults being herded through public places unless they are on a tour of some sort. We, it seems, are forever tourists in our own communities.] I understand that not everyone is able to be left unsupervised, but for those of us who are, please encourage us to do things in our communities so that we can prove to ourselves that we are “regular people,” too.
Redesign of ‘Weekly Update’ Newsletter
As you might have already noticed, the publication of our newsletter will look a little different. We are delighted to introduce a newly designed version of our weekly update email! We’ve revamped our newsletters to make them more user-friendly and accessible. Get the latest news, insights, and updates to our public mental health system with even greater clarity and ease.
With this improved layout, you’ll find it simpler to search for keywords** and to navigate through each publication chronologically. One specific item to note, the creation of these newsletters are now solely constructed and published on the CMHA website. The email blast will now be condensed to only include article titles and a teaser sentence. Each article in the email is linked to the publication on our website where the entire document can be viewed in full. Once on this page, to access the months previous articles, simple follow the linked path located under the main navigation bar.
The Weekly Update home page now includes collapsible headers. To quickly see the previous week’s update just click on that week’s date. To the right, you will see an Archives column that will include all previous month’s editions.
Our goal is to enhance your reading experience while keeping you better informed and making it easier for you to access necessary information and resources. We’re excited for you to experience these enhancements and hope they make your weekly updates more engaging and informative.
**To search for text within a webpage use the “Control Find” keyboard shortcut. Press and hold Ctrl+F on your keyboard to open a search bar.
Connections
Connections purpose is to be an avenue for the exchange of information that includes people’s dreams, stories, concerns and successes. Its intent is to connect us all – the individuals who sit around the board room table, our customers, our administrators, caregivers, and our partners in the communities in which we live.
Recipient Rights Booklets
The Mental Health Code states that Community Mental Health Service Providers are required to distribute Recipient Rights Booklets to each recipient receiving services. To place an order with CMHA please visit our websites bookstore page.
‘BoardWorks’ Videos Online
The CMHA BoardWorks program was developed to assist Board members in fulfilling their obligations as CMH leaders, directors of policy, and advocates for those they serve.
State & Federal Developments
MDHHS seeking your views on Michigan’s draft Autism State Plan
Michigan approved the first Autism State Plan in 2012. The Michigan Autism Council is distributing surveys to get input from various stakeholders (self-advocates, families, educators, providers, and community members) to set new priorities in 2024.
MDHHS is inviting you to complete a survey to inform Michigan’s Autism State Plan priorities. All surveys may be accessed through the Michigan Autism State Plan webpage. You are welcome to forward this email to others who might be interested in providing input.
In addition, MDHHS invites you to share this survey on your social media. We created text and images that you can copy and paste to share with your audience.
MDHHS greatly appreciates that you are willing to contribute time to give your input and share with others to guide the direction of future priorities.
If you have questions about the survey, contact Amy Matthews at matthewa@gvsu.edu.
Join the Michigan Olmstead Coalition to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision!
The 25th anniversary celebration of the Olmstead decision will be held on:
September 24, 2024, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Heritage Hall and Atrium in the Michigan Capitol Building
[323 W Ottawa St. Lansing, MI 48933
Olmstead v. L.C (1999) is the most important U.S. Supreme Court decision for people with disabilities. We are celebrating 25 years of people with disabilities having the right to live, work, and receive services in their communities.
We will celebrate Michigan’s accomplishments supporting people with disabilities and recommit ourselves to fully achieving the Olmstead mandate as the foundation for lives with dignity and independence. We aim to seal this commitment with a state plan to build the home and community-based services system that Michiganders deserve.
This event is FREE and open to the public, but registration is required.
To register visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/VH8KR6M.
Questions? Contact Michael Daeschlein, Long-term Care Specialist for the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative, at mdaeschlein@meji.org
HRCC Outlines Policy Priorities With Eye On Majority In 2025
House Republicans are unveiling their policy plan ahead of the November election with the intent of letting voters know priorities should they win back the gavel.
“Republicans are ready to govern on day one,” House Republican Campaign Chair Rep. Bill Schuette (R-Midland) said. “We’re presenting options to make life more affordable for Michigan, to make this a better place to start your business, start your family, live your life, ways to grow our economy and grow our population.”
Affordability, education and safety are among Republicans’ top priorities, Schuette said.
The list of Republican objectives includes making the 2023 income tax reduction to 4.05 percent permanent, cutting energy bills and housing costs by eliminating green energy mandates and lifting permitting fees, prioritizing local control and local energy production, modernizing nuclear power generation and expanding natural gas production.
When it comes to education, members of the HRCC said its time for schools to “return to the basics.”
Those basics include soft skills, like showing up on time, and basic math and reading. Republicans also highlighted the near elimination of designated mental health and safety funding in this year’s School Aid Fund budget. The caucus also wants to give parents a bigger role in their children’s education.
Community safety is another area the committee focused on, with priorities including recruiting and retaining more police officers, eliminating “sanctuary counties” in Michigan and supporting crime victims. Republicans have labeled counties who refuse to have their law enforcement cooperate with federal immigration authorities “sanctuary counties” though it is disputed whether any such counties exist in Michigan.
The committee also highlighted infrastructure funding for both rural and urban areas as a priority. Members of the committee, who spoke on background, said infrastructure had been underfunded for too long and additional money was needed. Members didn’t suggest new sources of revenue, rather, they said that budget spending should be reprioritized.
The point in putting forward their ideas now, Republicans said, is to show Michigan voters they want to center policies, not politics.
“We’ve put together a mission for Michigan that 60 to 70 percent of our entire state can get behind, and hopefully the Democrats can too,” Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Cannon Township) said.
In terms of work for this fall, Republicans were pessimistic, but Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton) said she’d like to see the House get some of the economic development policies over the finish line, especially legislation that would allow the state to claw back money from development projects that have not fulfilled what they promised.
Posthumus also mentioned addressing the tipped wage and paid sick leave laws that resulted from the Michigan Supreme Court’s adopt-and-amend decision.
After the election, though, Posthumus said he hoped for a light lame duck.
“I want to see us go home,” he said. “If you look at the past, some good policy gets done in lame duck, but also some dangerous policy, too, and I’m a little concerned what policies Democrats are going to put forward.”
Education, Sponsorship & Exhibition
LAST CHANCE!!! 25th Annual Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorder Hybrid Conference
Sept. 16-17, 2024
Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, or Virtual
Attendees – Register Here *Deadline Extended to Monday, September 9th, 2024 @ 11:00am!!!
Exhibitors and Sponsors – Register Here
CMHA Events
To search all upcoming CMHAM events, including conferences, trainings and webinars click here.
Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
Resources from Great Lakes MHTTC
CMHA is the Michigan partner with the SAMHSA funded Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). That partnership provides Michigan’s behavioral health community with access to cutting edge education and training offerings from across the country and the Great Lakes region while also allowing CMHA to expand its catalog of education and training offerings to its members and allies. For more about the Great Lakes MHTTC click here.
Subscribe to the ‘Greatly Lakes Current’
You are invited to join the Great Lakes MHTTC email list! Subscribe and you will be one of the first to receive upcoming event information, access new products, and stay informed on the latest research and news from the Great Lakes region, the national MHTTC Network, and SAMHSA – all through the Great Lakes Current, the electronic newsletter of the Great Lakes MHTTC.
You are only one click away from accessing all the resources and training opportunities that the Great Lakes MHTTC has to offer – Subscribe Now!
The Great Lakes MHTTC is dedicated to only sending strategic and relevant communications, such as a weekly update email featuring upcoming events and one monthly newsletter containing breaking news, upcoming events for the month, and other featured content and products. The Great Lakes MHTTC will also send emails that spotlight a single upcoming, in-demand training opportunity or new product. You can unsubscribe at any time, and the Great lakes MHTTC will never sell, distribute, or relinquish your email address or any of your contact information.