These stories, along with the growing list of solutions journalism stories centered around the work of Michigan’s public mental health system, can be found at: https://cmham.org/newsroom/

This partnership, with the Issue Media Group (IMG), is built around the concept of “solutions journalism” – providing news about innovative and concrete ways that communities, across Michigan, are addressing the needs of their residents along a number of dimensions – healthcare, economic development, education, the arts, to name a few. Solutions journalism investigates and explains, in a critical and clear-eyed way, how people try to solve widely shared problems. While news sources and many of us typically define news as “what’s gone wrong,” solutions journalism runs counter to that definition by covering the innovative responses to identified needs and problems.

This partnership ensures that the work of Michigan’s public mental health system is highlighted in IMG’s large suite of solutions journalism-focused publications.

You can subscribe, at no cost, to these publications, on the websites of each of these publications. The list of partner publications and their websites are provided below:

Second Wave – Michigan

Capital Gains – Lansing

Catalyst Midland

Concentrate – Ann Arbor/Ypsi

Epicenter – Mount Pleasant

Flintside

Metromode – Metro Detroit

Model D

Route Bay City

Rural Innovation Exchange

Second Wave -Southwest Michigan

The Keel – Port Huron

The Lakeshore

Upword – UP

Click here to view all Connection publications.

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.

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.

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.

The justice system has been described as a “revolving door” in its treatment of persons dealing with behavioral health issues. Untreated mental illness and other behavioral health issues are widely recognized as significant factors in crime, homelessness and other social challenges. This year’s Behavioral Health Improvements Workgroup (BHIW) decided to focus on assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) as a promising early intervention tool to address the revolving door in both civil commitment and criminal cases. AOT orders are currently processed through probate courts to obtain outpatient mental health treatment for persons who do not understand their need for treatment and are at risk of harm. The legal standard for ordering outpatient treatment is less stringent than that for hospitalization, allowing loved ones to obtain treatment before serious harm occurs. Despite its promise, however, AOT has been underutilized due mostly to lack of knowledge about the law by stakeholders such as courts, community mental health providers and hospitals, and lack of data on effectiveness.

It is important to note that this budget recommendation serves as a jumping off point to get the negotiations with the House and Senate started.  Many priorities the Governor announced will be replaced with those of legislative leaders. More likely than not, we expect negotiations to continue throughout the summer, past the July 1st statutory deadline into September, with a final FY 26 budget being presented to the Governor days before the October 1st fiscal year start date.

More specifically, here are the items of significance to the public mental health system:

Links to budget documents Executive Budget and Associated Documents

Links to budget bill (DHHS begins on page 114): FY26-General-Omnibus.pdf

Specific Mental Health/Substance Abuse Services Line items

                                                                                FY’24 (Final)                          FY’25 (Final)                          FY’26(Exec Rec)

-CMH Non-Medicaid services                           $125,578,200                       $125,578,200                       $125,578,200      

-Medicaid Mental Health Services                   $3,160,958,400                   $3,387,066,600                   $3,422,415,900

-Medicaid Substance Abuse services               $95,264,000                         $95,650,100                         $98,752,100

-State disability assistance program                $2,018,800                           $2,018,800                           $2,018,800

-Community substance abuse                           $79,599,700                         $79,626,200                         $80,207,900        

(Prevention, education, and treatment         

programs)             

-Health Homes                                                     $53,400,100                         $53,418,500                         $53,239,800

Program

-Autism services                                                   $279,257,100                       $329,620,000                       $458,715,500

-Healthy MI Plan (Behavioral health)               $590,860,800                       $527,784,600                       $535,508,300

-CCBHC                                                                   $386,381,700                       $525,913,900                       $916,062,700

-Total Local Dollars                                              $10,190,500                         $10,190,500                         $9,943,600

Other Highlights of the FY26 Executive Budget:

Proposed FY26 Investments The FY26 Executive Budget provides $62 million ($15.2 million general fund) in new supports to address the opioid epidemic and provide behavioral health services for those in need. Proposed funding includes:

• $15.2 million to begin operating the new state psychiatric hospital in Northville, bringing 264 new beds online and increasing capacity by 54 beds (32 adult beds and 22 pediatric beds). This investment includes operational support and hiring staff to provide services at the new facility.
• $46.8 million of Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund dollars for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, recovery, and data collection for those affected by the opioid epidemic. This additional allocation will expand services to reduce the number of opioid users and overdoses.
• $15 million one-time to invest in new programs to reduce opioid usage and overdoses.
• $31.8 million ongoing to continue existing, successful programs, including efforts to address the racial disparities in overdose deaths statewide. This brings the total annual ongoing funding to $55 million per year, supported by incoming settlement dollars.
• The department’s three-year plan will drive the use of these resources. The plan represents a comprehensive, multifaceted, data-driven approach intended to strategically leverage available resources and take full advantage of this generational opportunity in the most impactful yet sustainable way possible. The plan includes:
  • Increasing the age of first opioid use though new and expanded programs. The department will partner with nonprofits, youth engagement organizations, and existing partners to expand prevention programing in schools. They will also conduct public awareness campaigns.
  • Reducing overdose deaths and addressing racial and geographical disparities. Those disparities are demonstrated in the chart below. DHHS will use resources to award multi-year grants to organizations working in underserved or under resourced communities. DHHS will also provide annual grants or contracts with organizations addressing racial disparities in opioid deaths and continue distributing naloxone in areas that need it most.
  • Growing the behavioral health workforce through scholarships to prospective students, paid internships, and loan repayment.
  • Prioritizing work to increase recovery beds and access to affordable housing. This will include reimbursing the cost of stay of residents and expansion of recovery housing. It also includes permanent affordable housing and investing in wraparound support programs like transportation and employment that enable people to stay in stable housing.
  • Investing in administrative infrastructure to gather data to track success and provide technical assistance to local governments. This ensures these funds are being utilized for maximum impact and allows the department to partner with local governments to collaborate on ways to address opioid usage

• $96.4 million to expand Medicaid eligibility ($33.1 million general fund) with a new income disregard that will allow more people to gain access to coverage.
  • Currently Medicaid requires elderly and disabled enrollees with income above 100% of federal poverty limits (FPL) to spend the majority of their income on health care costs each month – until their remaining income is less than 40% FPL – to access Medicaid. This proposal would shift this level to 100% FPL, broadening access to Medicaid supports and preventing excessive spend down to help keep more seniors in their homes and prevent individuals from spending down into poverty.

• Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC)
  • Adds $39.3 million Gross ($6.3 million GF/GP) for utilization and cost adjustments for the CCBHC demonstration program. Also includes a net $0 transfer of $350.8 million Gross ($75.7 million GF/GP) of base CCBHC payments currently within the Medicaid Mental Health and Healthy Michigan Plan – Behavioral Health lines into the supplemental payments CCBHC line.

• $400,000 to explore the feasibility of expanding Medicaid eligibility for children aged 0 – 6 years ($200,000 general fund).
  • This will allow DHHS to prepare a feasibility study to determine long-term costs, benefits, potential barriers and any associated nuances of implementing continuous eligibility for Medicaid beneficiaries aged 0-6.

• $40 million for the community reentry of incarcerated individuals ($20 million general fund) to provide coverage starting 90 days before an individual’s scheduled release.
  • This will allow for health screenings and other services prior to reentry to identify key health needs and social determinants to facilitate a successful transition. Investing in these transition services will help improve health outcomes and access to community services, all of which will reduce recidivism.

• $2.5 million for access to mental health services (general fund, one-time) to support behavioral health resources for first responders and public safety staff.
• $258 million to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of 1.4 million students through continuation of mental health and safety grants to school districts.
• $5 million to support the MiABLE program expansion.

Behavioral Health Boilerplate Changes from FY 25 à FY 26

REMOVED: Sec. 902. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1, the department shall make a final authorization to a CMHSP or PIHP on the execution of a contract between the department and the CMHSP or PIHP. The contract must contain an approved plan and budget and any policy and procedure governing the obligations and responsibilities of each party to the contract.  

REMOVED: Sec. 912. The department shall contract directly with the Salvation Army Harbor Light program, at an amount not less than the amount provided during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, to provide non-Medicaid substance use disorder services if the local coordinating agency or the department confirms the Salvation Army Harbor Light program meets the standard of care. The standard of care shall include, but is not limited to, utilization of the medication assisted treatment option. 

REMOVED: Sec. 8-913. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1 for behavioral health program 8 administration, the department shall allocate $1,025,000.00, for the autism navigator program. The department shall require any contractor receiving funds under this section to comply with performance-related metrics to maintain eligibility for funding. (EXCERPT) 

EDITED: Sec. 8-917. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1 for opioid response activities, the department shall allocate $55,000,000.00 from the Michigan opioid healing and recovery fund created under section 3 of the Michigan trust fund act, 2000 PA 489, MCL 12.253, to create or supplement opioid-related programs and services in a manner consistent with the opioid judgment, settlement, or compromise of claims pertaining to violations, or alleged 16 violations, of law related to the manufacture, marketing, distribution, dispensing, or sale of opioids. 

REMOVED: Sec. 920. As part of the Medicaid rate-setting process for behavioral health services, the department shall work with PIHP network providers and actuaries to include, as part of the Medicaid rate, state and federal wage and compensation increases that directly impact staff who provide Medicaid-funded community living supports, personal care services, respite services, skill-building services, and other supports and services that the department determines are similar. 

REMOVED: Sec. 924. From the funds appropriated in part 1, for the purposes of actuarially sound rate certification and approval for Medicaid behavioral health managed care programs, the department shall maintain a fee schedule for autism services reimbursement rates for direct services. Expenditures used for rate setting shall not exceed those identified in the fee schedule. The rates for behavioral technicians shall not be less than $53.20 per hour and not more than $58.20 per hour 

EDITED: Sec. 929. From the funds appropriated in part 1 for Michigan Clinical Consultation and Care, the department shall allocate at least $325,000.00 to address needs in a city in which a declaration of emergency was issued because of drinking water contamination. 

REMOVED: Sec. 964. By October 1 of the current fiscal year, the department shall provide the house and senate appropriations subcommittees on the department budget, the house and senate fiscal agencies, the house and senate policy offices, and the state budget office with the standardized fee schedule for Medicaid behavioral health services and supports. The report shall also include the adequacy standards to be used in all contracts with PIHPs and CMHSPs. In the development of the standardized fee schedule for Medicaid behavioral health services and supports during the current fiscal year, the department must prioritize and support essential service providers and must develop a standardized fee schedule for revenue code 0204. 

EDITED: Sec. 1001. Not later than May 15 of the current fiscal year, each CMHSP shall submit a report to the department that identifies populations being served by the CMHSP broken down by program eligibility category. The report must also include the percentage of the operational budget that is related to program eligibility enrollment. Not later than February 15 of the current fiscal year, the department shall submit the reports described in this section to the standard report recipients. 

REMOVED: Sec. 8-1002. The department shall expand the certified community behavioral health clinic demonstration to include organizations that meet the following criteria: (a) The organization must be a current CMHSP or an eligible organization as defined in section 223 (a)(2)(F) of the protecting access to Medicare act, Public Law 113-93, with a CCBHC grant from the federal substance abuse and mental health services administration for at least one year; (b) The organization must achieve CCBHC certification by meeting all state and federal requirements by September 1, 2024, unless otherwise specified in the CCBHC 29 Demonstration Handbook; and (c) The organization must have implemented the following evidence-based practices by July 1, 2024: (i) Air Traffic Control Crisis Model with the Michigan Crisis and Access Line; (ii) Assertive Community Treatment; (iii) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; (iv) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; (v) Medication Assisted Treatment; and (vi) Motivational Interviewing. 

REMOVED: Sec. 1003. The department shall notify the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan when developing a policy or procedure that will impact a PIHP or CMHSP. 

REMOVED: Sec. 1004. The department shall submit a report to the report recipients required in section 246 of this part on any rebased formula changes to either Medicaid behavioral health services or non-Medicaid mental health services 90 days before implementation. The notification shall include a table showing the changes in funding allocation by PIHP for Medicaid behavioral health services or by CMHSP for non-Medicaid mental health services. 

EDITED: Sec. 1006. From the funds appropriated in part 1 for certified community behavioral health clinics, not later than May 1 of the current fiscal year the department shall submit to the standard report recipients an outcomes report for CCBHCs during the previous fiscal year that includes both statewide and CCBHC site-specific information on all of the following.

EDITED: Sec. 8-1014. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1 to agencies providing physical and behavioral health services to multicultural populations, the department shall award grants in accordance with the requirements of subsection (2). This state is not liable for any spending above the contract amount. The department shall not release funds until reporting requirements under section 1014 of article 6 of 2022 PA 166 are satisfied. (2) The department shall require each contractor described in subsection (1) that receives greater than $1,000,000.00 in state grant funding to comply with performance-related metrics to maintain their eligibility for funding. (3) The department shall require an annual report from the contractors described in subsection (2). The annual report, due 60 days following the end of the contract period, must include specific information on services and programs provided, the client base to which the services and programs were provided, information on any wraparound services provided, and the expenditures for those services. By February 1 of the current fiscal year, the department must submit the annual reports to the report recipients required in section 246 of this part. 

REMOVED: Sec. 1051. The department shall continue a revenue recapture project to generate additional revenues from third parties related to cases that have been closed or are inactive. A portion of revenues collected through the project’s efforts may be used for departmental costs and contractual fees associated with retroactive collections under the project and to improve ongoing departmental reimbursement management functions. 

REMOVED: Sec. 1062. Not later than March 1 of the current fiscal year, the department shall provide an update on their 5-year plan from the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 to address the need for adult and children’s inpatient psychiatric beds to the standard report recipients. The report must include updated recommendations for utilizing both public and private partnership beds, including the following information.

REMOVED: Sec. 1929. CCBHC Study – Sec. 1929. (1) From the funds appropriated in part 1 for certified community behavioral health clinics study, the department shall allocate $250,000.00 to complete a comprehensive quantitative spatial analysis to evaluate cannibalization effects on existing enrolled locations of community behavioral health clinics. The purpose of this evaluation is to provide actionable insights into the extent of cannibalization and inform strategic decision-making processes related to site selection, network optimization, and future certified community behavioral health clinic expansion. The comprehensive quantitative spatial analysis shall include, but not be limited to, the following.

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!

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.

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.

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.

It is important to note that this budget recommendation serves as a jumping off point to get the negotiations with the House and Senate started.  Many priorities the Governor announced will be replaced with those of legislative leaders. More likely than not, we expect negotiations to continue throughout the summer, past the July 1st statutory deadline into September, with a final FY 26 budget being presented to the Governor days before the October 1st fiscal year start date.

The much-anticipated budget recommendation, which amounts to the largest state budget in Michigan history, was released amidst the January Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference report that indicated the state’s general fund was $1.2 billion higher than expected.

This year’s presentation offers a $83.5 billion budget recommendation that includes a general fund total of $15.3 billion and a School Aid Fund total of $21.2 billion. The Governor highlighted the following priorities for strategic investment:

• Lowering costs for Michiganders
• Creating Jobs
• Getting Smart on Education
• Supporting Seniors
• Protecting and Defending Michiganders
• Making Government Work Better

More specifically, here are the items of significance to the public mental health system:

Links to budget documents Executive Budget and Associated Documents

Links to budget bill (DHHS begins on page 114): FY26-General-Omnibus.pdf

Specific Mental Health/Substance Abuse Services Line items

FY’24 (Final)                       FY’25 (Final)                       FY’26(Exec Rec)

-CMH Non-Medicaid services                           $125,578,200                       $125,578,200                       $125,578,200

-Medicaid Mental Health Services                   $3,160,958,400                   $3,387,066,600                   $3,422,415,900

-Medicaid Substance Abuse services               $95,264,000                         $95,650,100                         $98,752,100

-State disability assistance program                $2,018,800                           $2,018,800                           $2,018,800

-Community substance abuse                           $79,599,700                         $79,626,200                         $80,207,900

(Prevention, education, and treatment

programs)

-Health Homes                                                     $53,400,100                         $53,418,500                         $53,239,800

Program

-Autism services                                                   $279,257,100                       $329,620,000                       $458,715,500

-Healthy MI Plan (Behavioral health)               $590,860,800                       $527,784,600                       $535,508,300

-CCBHC                                                                   $386,381,700                       $525,913,900                       $916,062,700

-Total Local Dollars                                              $10,190,500                         $10,190,500                         $9,943,600

Other Highlights of the FY26 Executive Budget:

Proposed FY26 Investments The FY26 Executive Budget provides $62 million ($15.2 million general fund) in new supports to address the opioid epidemic and provide behavioral health services for those in need. Proposed funding includes:

• $15.2 million to begin operating the new state psychiatric hospital in Northville, bringing 264 new beds online and increasing capacity by 54 beds (32 adult beds and 22 pediatric beds). This investment includes operational support and hiring staff to provide services at the new facility.
• $46.8 million of Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund dollars for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, recovery, and data collection for those affected by the opioid epidemic. This additional allocation will expand services to reduce the number of opioid users and overdoses.
• $15 million one-time to invest in new programs to reduce opioid usage and overdoses.
• $31.8 million ongoing to continue existing, successful programs, including efforts to address the racial disparities in overdose deaths statewide. This brings the total annual ongoing funding to $55 million per year, supported by incoming settlement dollars.
• The department’s three-year plan will drive the use of these resources. The plan represents a comprehensive, multifaceted, data-driven approach intended to strategically leverage available resources and take full advantage of this generational opportunity in the most impactful yet sustainable way possible. The plan includes:
  • Increasing the age of first opioid use though new and expanded programs. The department will partner with nonprofits, youth engagement organizations, and existing partners to expand prevention programing in schools. They will also conduct public awareness campaigns.
  • Reducing overdose deaths and addressing racial and geographical disparities. Those disparities are demonstrated in the chart below. DHHS will use resources to award multi-year grants to organizations working in underserved or under resourced communities. DHHS will also provide annual grants or contracts with organizations addressing racial disparities in opioid deaths and continue distributing naloxone in areas that need it most.
  • Growing the behavioral health workforce through scholarships to prospective students, paid internships, and loan repayment.
  • Prioritizing work to increase recovery beds and access to affordable housing. This will include reimbursing the cost of stay of residents and expansion of recovery housing. It also includes permanent affordable housing and investing in wraparound support programs like transportation and employment that enable people to stay in stable housing.
  • Investing in administrative infrastructure to gather data to track success and provide technical assistance to local governments. This ensures these funds are being utilized for maximum impact and allows the department to partner with local governments to collaborate on ways to address opioid usage

• $96.4 million to expand Medicaid eligibility ($33.1 million general fund) with a new income disregard that will allow more people to gain access to coverage.
  • Currently Medicaid requires elderly and disabled enrollees with income above 100% of federal poverty limits (FPL) to spend the majority of their income on health care costs each month – until their remaining income is less than 40% FPL – to access Medicaid. This proposal would shift this level to 100% FPL, broadening access to Medicaid supports and preventing excessive spend down to help keep more seniors in their homes and prevent individuals from spending down into poverty.
• $400,000 to explore the feasibility of expanding Medicaid eligibility for children aged 0 – 6 years ($200,000 general fund).
  • This will allow DHHS to prepare a feasibility study to determine long-term costs, benefits, potential barriers and any associated nuances of implementing continuous eligibility for Medicaid beneficiaries aged 0-6.
• $40 million for the community reentry of incarcerated individuals ($20 million general fund) to provide coverage starting 90 days before an individual’s scheduled release.
  • This will allow for health screenings and other services prior to reentry to identify key health needs and social determinants to facilitate a successful transition. Investing in these transition services will help improve health outcomes and access to community services, all of which will reduce recidivism.
• $2.5 million for access to mental health services (general fund, one-time) to support behavioral health resources for first responders and public safety staff.
• $258 million to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of 1.4 million students through continuation of mental health and safety grants to school
• $5 million to support the MiABLE program expansion.

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!

In response to these concerns, CMHA’s Center for Health Care Integration and Innovation (CHI2), pursued an investigation regarding the dimensions and causes of Michigan residents seeking inpatient psychiatric care in Wisconsin.

Please feel free to share this report with anyone who may be interested in this issue, Investigation of Michigan Residents Crossing Wisconsin Border to Seek Inpatient Mental Healthcare.

To provide a brief summary, it is a multifaceted occurrence that is due primarily to unique geographical and infrastructural differences between the border areas of Michigan and Wisconsin, and not necessarily because of any failings on Michigan’s part.

The report, and many others, can also be found on the CHI2 page of the CMHA website here.

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.

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.

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.

House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has repeatedly stressed his desire to cut the state budget since taking control of the House, and, as the department with the biggest budget, sources said that DHHS is viewed as an area with ample room for cuts.

“When you see this expansion of government, 43 percent under Whitmer, are we getting that value for your dollars?” Hall said at a press conference earlier this month when he announced the chair and vice chairs of the House Appropriations Committee Track. “Are we getting a return on investment for the taxpayers? So, we’re going to look at the budget with that emphasis and that focus, and that’s the value we’re going to approach it from.”

The size of the DHHS budget was a driving factor for creating multiple subcommittees under House Appropriations and the House Oversight Committee, sources speaking on background said.

For Appropriations, the Department of Health and Human Services budget was divided into three subcommittees, including Medicaid and Behavioral Health, Human Services and Public Health. The House Oversight Committee will also have three DHHS focused subcommittees, including the Child Welfare Subcommittee, the Public Health and Food Security Subcommittee and the State and Local Public Assistance Subcommittee.

Another factor in the House’s focus on the department was the way it worked with lawmakers during the COVID-19 pandemic, sources speaking on background said.

Hall was the chair of the House Oversight Committee during that time, and he and other lawmakers were frustrated with the “stonewalling” they received from the department while they were trying to get questions answered, sources said.

Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay), the newly appointed chair of the House Oversight Committee, said he wasn’t starting his position with any preconceived notions of what should be cut or examined.

“(DHHS) make(s) up a third or greater of the state budget, so that’s a giant segment of dollars that just, by the nature of the beast, needs to have oversight,” he said. “It’s important that we look into those things and make sure that the service that should be being provided in a safe and effective way is being provided.”

DeBoyer said that the approach to each of the subcommittees under Oversight and Appropriations was still being worked out because subcommittee chairs have yet to be appointed.

“It’s going to be serious,” he said. “We really mean what we’re saying: We want to find waste, fraud and abuse. We want to find the mismanagement … the door is wide open on all of those things, whether it be DHHS or DNR.”

Separating Oversight from Appropriations will help provide multiple angles to evaluate departments, DeBoyer said, DHHS included.

“In the past, there’s been, if not demonstratable, at least the appearance of coziness between Appropriations chairs and department heads, and at times, that can cause not the most efficient government to be produced,” he said. “What Oversight will be able to do, they won’t be navigating in that back-and-forth relationship from an allocating of funds … they’ll be looking at it from a singular angle of what is the most efficient and best way for this department to operate.”

That approach is intended to make it easier to right-size department budgets, DeBoyer said.

“With oversight, appropriations and policy, you’re taking away the single person problem, which, when you have a single person, you can have biased results. You can have ulterior motives. You can have backdoor deals,” he said. “When you have a comingle of policy, appropriations and oversight, the likelihood of that happening is much less.”

DeBoyer said the expectation is not that House committees will uncover fraud, but rather they will discover more efficient ways for government to operate.

Department heads will need to acknowledge they don’t have all the answers and should be willing to work with lawmakers, DeBoyer said.

“That is a very different approach than to stonewall or to hide. Even if you didn’t do anything nefarious, if you stonewall or you hide, you don’t deserve to be in some of those positions,” he said. “Your attitude should be we want to deliver the best services there are for the best possible cost that we can, to only the individuals that genuinely qualify for those services.”

DeBoyer said the committees want to be an asset to the departments.

“The department heads have nothing to fear if they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” he said. “We’re here to put another set of eyes on things to be able to make it better.”

Even as DeBoyer said he plans to take an even-handed approach to all departments, Republican sources with knowledge of Hall’s thinking said on background that DHHS in particular has reason to expect close scrutiny this term under the new committee structure.

In response to House Republican plans to target the department, DHHS did not address the special focus directly.

“The department looks forward to working with the Legislature throughout the budget process,” said Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services.

State governments and nonprofits found themselves reeling as Medicaid portals and Head Start reimbursements became inaccessible Tuesday, rushing to file litigation arguing Trump’s order was an unconstitutional violation of Congress’s right to appropriate funds. An initial stay was granted by a federal judge Tuesday evening.

In a two-line memo issued Wednesday afternoon, the OMB rescinded the memo which initiated the freeze on Monday evening. However, shortly after that, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a statement to X, formerly Twitter, saying the new OMB memo did not mean the freeze was cancelled.

“This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo,” Leavitt said. “Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented.”

Meanwhile, a second federal judge moved to temporarily block the order. U.S. District Judge Jack McConnell granted a restraining order after Leavitt’s statement, saying the OMB’s original memo was “hugely ambiguous.” The group of states which initiated the litigation argued Leavitt’s statement further complicated the matter and indicated that the White House intends to continue its pursuit of the freeze, which McConnell agreed necessitated further legal intervention.

State and federal officials continued to respond to the possibility that federal funds could still be frozen, despite an ongoing lack of clarity from the federal government.

“The phones at our office have been ringing non-stop,” U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) said in a statement. “Child care centers are worried they’ll have to close their doors, hurting not only the kids, but the parents who can’t go to work without them. Food programs that feed the hungry are unsure if they will be able to service the thousands of seniors and students who rely on them. Police and fire departments are uncertain as to whether they will see equipment and training they were promised to help keep us safe. Shelters couldn’t access the funds they use to house dozens of vulnerable women and children. Flint families are worried programs that address the long-term impact of the Water Crisis will be eliminated.”

McDonald Rivet added: “Health care facilities that provide for our most vulnerable neighbors are scared they’ll have to cut staff and turn patients away. This chaos and disruption has been completely unnecessary and is terrible for our community.”

Michigan House Democrats held a press conference decrying the confusion caused by the conflicting orders, calling it a “Republican culture of chaos.”

Further arguments on the matter of the order have been scheduled in U.S. District Court for February 3.

The number of Americans receiving psychotherapy increased by 30 percent during the pandemic, as virtual sessions replaced in-person appointments — but new research dampens the hope that technology will make mental health care more available to the neediest populations.

In fact, the researchers found, the shift to teletherapy has exacerbated existing disparities.

The increase in psychotherapy has occurred among groups that already enjoyed more access: people in higher-income brackets, living in cities, with steady employment and more education, researchers found in a series of studies, the most recent of which was, published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Among those who have not benefited from the boom, the team found, are children from low-income families, Black children and adolescents, and adults with “serious psychological distress.”

“I think that the whole system of care — and maybe the internet delivery is a piece of this — appears to be pivoting away from those in greatest need,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the lead author of the studies on access to care.

“We’re seeing that those with the greatest distress are losing ground, in terms of their likelihood of being treated, and that to me is a very important and disconcerting trend,” he added.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. In the 1990s, teletherapy was championed as a way to reach disadvantaged patients living in remote locations where there were few psychiatrists. A decade later, it was presented as a more accessible alternative to face-to-face sessions, one that could radically lower barriers to care.

“Telehealth did not live up to the hype,” said C. Vaile Wright, senior director of the office of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. The reasons, she added, are no surprise: Many Americans lack access to reliable broadband, and insurers do not adequately reimburse providers, who, in turn, choose to treat privately paying clients.

“If you can’t afford it, no matter the modality, you just can’t afford it,” Dr. Wright said. It may be, she added, that weekly therapy sessions are simply not scalable to a broad population, and the field should explore light-touch alternatives, like single-session interventions and digital therapeutics.

As telehealth platforms grow, they may be attracting clinicians from community settings with the promise of flexible hours and better conditions, said Dr. Jane M. Zhu, an associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University who studies the accessibility of mental health services.

Selecting from a large patient pool, they may opt to treat patients with milder conditions and more ability to pay. “It’s certainly something we should know,” Dr. Zhu said. “There should be light around this. Who are these companies serving? And what does this mean for patients who are most in need?”

The percentage of Americans receiving psychotherapy remained relatively steady, at 3 to 4 percent, for decades before beginning a gradual rise, said Dr. Olfson.

Then two factors — the pandemic and the explosion of teletherapy — contributed to a sharp increase, with the number of adults receiving psychotherapy rising to 8.5 percent in 2021 from 6.5 percent in 2018. (By comparison, the annual percentage of adults taking psychotropic medication remained stable, at around 17.5 percent.)

Dr. Olfson said he was surprised by the magnitude of the increase. “We haven’t had something like Covid before, and we haven’t had this technology before,” Dr. Olfson said. “There was a lot of social isolation, a lot of loneliness. And those are things that psychotherapy is designed to address, in a way that medication can’t.”

The findings are based on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which is conducted by the federal government and measures how American civilians use and pay for health care. The survey does not include those in the military, incarcerated or in nursing homes, hospitals or homeless shelters.

Previous studies, based on insurance data, showed that Americans’ mental health spending increased by 54 percent from 2020 to 2022, amid a tenfold increase in the use of teletherapy.

The new studies flesh out which Americans are receiving the care. An analysis of 89,619 adults published in JAMA Psychiatry last month found psychotherapy use grew most among the youngest respondents, among the most educated and among those in the highest two income brackets.

An analysis of the use of telehealth by children and adolescents from 2,445 households reached similar conclusions. The study, published today, found that children from wealthier families, using private insurance, were far more likely to use teletherapy. Children in urban areas were nearly three times as likely to use it as their rural counterparts.

During the years of the pandemic, the use of mental health services by Black children and adolescents decreased, falling to 4 percent in 2021 from 9.2 percent in 2019. In the same period, the use of mental health care among white children rose, to 18.4 percent from 15.1 percent, the team found in another study.

“What we find is that it does appear to be just exacerbating existing disparities,” Dr. Olfson said. “I think there’s a real need to try to address that.”

Ellen Barry is a reporter covering mental health for The Times.

A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 21, 2025, Section D, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: The Neediest Struggle For Access to Therapy. 

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!

Click here to view all Connection publications.

In response to these concerns, CMHA’s Center for Health Care Integration and Innovation (CHI2), pursued an investigation regarding the dimensions and causes of Michigan residents seeking inpatient psychiatric care in Wisconsin.

Please feel free to share this report with anyone who may be interested in this issue, Investigation of Michigan Residents Crossing Wisconsin Border to Seek Inpatient Mental Healthcare.

To provide a brief summary, it is a multifaceted occurrence that is due primarily to unique geographical and infrastructural differences between the border areas of Michigan and Wisconsin, and not necessarily because of any failings on Michigan’s part.

The report, and many others, can also be found on the CHI2 page of the CMHA website here.

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.

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.

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.

The number of Americans receiving psychotherapy increased by 30 percent during the pandemic, as virtual sessions replaced in-person appointments — but new research dampens the hope that technology will make mental health care more available to the neediest populations.

In fact, the researchers found, the shift to teletherapy has exacerbated existing disparities.

The increase in psychotherapy has occurred among groups that already enjoyed more access: people in higher-income brackets, living in cities, with steady employment and more education, researchers found in a series of studies, the most recent of which was, published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Among those who have not benefited from the boom, the team found, are children from low-income families, Black children and adolescents, and adults with “serious psychological distress.”

“I think that the whole system of care — and maybe the internet delivery is a piece of this — appears to be pivoting away from those in greatest need,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the lead author of the studies on access to care.

“We’re seeing that those with the greatest distress are losing ground, in terms of their likelihood of being treated, and that to me is a very important and disconcerting trend,” he added.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. In the 1990s, teletherapy was championed as a way to reach disadvantaged patients living in remote locations where there were few psychiatrists. A decade later, it was presented as a more accessible alternative to face-to-face sessions, one that could radically lower barriers to care.

“Telehealth did not live up to the hype,” said C. Vaile Wright, senior director of the office of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association. The reasons, she added, are no surprise: Many Americans lack access to reliable broadband, and insurers do not adequately reimburse providers, who, in turn, choose to treat privately paying clients.

“If you can’t afford it, no matter the modality, you just can’t afford it,” Dr. Wright said. It may be, she added, that weekly therapy sessions are simply not scalable to a broad population, and the field should explore light-touch alternatives, like single-session interventions and digital therapeutics.

As telehealth platforms grow, they may be attracting clinicians from community settings with the promise of flexible hours and better conditions, said Dr. Jane M. Zhu, an associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University who studies the accessibility of mental health services.

Selecting from a large patient pool, they may opt to treat patients with milder conditions and more ability to pay. “It’s certainly something we should know,” Dr. Zhu said. “There should be light around this. Who are these companies serving? And what does this mean for patients who are most in need?”

The percentage of Americans receiving psychotherapy remained relatively steady, at 3 to 4 percent, for decades before beginning a gradual rise, said Dr. Olfson.

Then two factors — the pandemic and the explosion of teletherapy — contributed to a sharp increase, with the number of adults receiving psychotherapy rising to 8.5 percent in 2021 from 6.5 percent in 2018. (By comparison, the annual percentage of adults taking psychotropic medication remained stable, at around 17.5 percent.)

Dr. Olfson said he was surprised by the magnitude of the increase. “We haven’t had something like Covid before, and we haven’t had this technology before,” Dr. Olfson said. “There was a lot of social isolation, a lot of loneliness. And those are things that psychotherapy is designed to address, in a way that medication can’t.”

The findings are based on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which is conducted by the federal government and measures how American civilians use and pay for health care. The survey does not include those in the military, incarcerated or in nursing homes, hospitals or homeless shelters.

Previous studies, based on insurance data, showed that Americans’ mental health spending increased by 54 percent from 2020 to 2022, amid a tenfold increase in the use of teletherapy.

The new studies flesh out which Americans are receiving the care. An analysis of 89,619 adults published in JAMA Psychiatry last month found psychotherapy use grew most among the youngest respondents, among the most educated and among those in the highest two income brackets.

An analysis of the use of telehealth by children and adolescents from 2,445 households reached similar conclusions. The study, published today, found that children from wealthier families, using private insurance, were far more likely to use teletherapy. Children in urban areas were nearly three times as likely to use it as their rural counterparts.

During the years of the pandemic, the use of mental health services by Black children and adolescents decreased, falling to 4 percent in 2021 from 9.2 percent in 2019. In the same period, the use of mental health care among white children rose, to 18.4 percent from 15.1 percent, the team found in another study.

“What we find is that it does appear to be just exacerbating existing disparities,” Dr. Olfson said. “I think there’s a real need to try to address that.”

Ellen Barry is a reporter covering mental health for The Times.

A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 21, 2025, Section D, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: The Neediest Struggle For Access to Therapy. 

“Michigan is a state on the move as we continue working together to create good-paying jobs, fix our roads, and invest in our students and schools,” Whitmer said in a statement. “I look forward to delivering my 2025 State of the State Address where I will lay out my plan to build on our years of strong, bipartisan progress and strategic, fiscally responsible leadership. By working across the aisle, we have cut taxes by $1 billion for seniors and working families, fed every student free school meals, build a ton of housing, and fixed a lot of roads. We still face big challenges, but I know that if we all play on the same team—Team Michigan—we can win. I look forward to sharing my vision with my Republican and Democratic partners in the legislature. Let’s roll up our sleeves and keep getting things done.”

The governor’s office said Whitmer’s address will focus on proposals related to job creation, lowering costs and improving public education. House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) sent a letter Thursday formally accepting Whitmer’s request to speak before a joint session in the House chamber, also poking at her Wednesday speech to the Detroit Auto Show and alluding to the ongoing debate over road funding once Whitmer’s bonding program expires this year.

“While you previously shared a version of your State of the State address in January, this additional opportunity to speak before the full Legislature provides an important moment for us to directly engage with you and discuss Michigan’s future,” Hall said in the letter obtained by Gongwer. “We delivered a detailed roads plan to you earlier today that would increase funding by more than three billion dollars and do it without raising taxes by one dime. Perhaps your address on February 26 will be the right time to share the details of your plan to solve our state’s long-time roads and infrastructure crisis.”

It will be the latest a governor has delivered a State of the State in memory. Former Governor Jennifer Granholm delivered her 2005 speech on February 8. Governors generally gave their State of the State speech shortly after the Legislature convened for session on the second Wednesday in January.

Members in a voice vote along party lines adopted SR 3, which authorizes Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) to sue on behalf of the Senate to “compel the House of Representatives to fulfill its constitutional duty to present to the governor the nine remaining bills passed by both houses the 102nd Legislature.”

“Michigan residents deserve elected officials who are committed to fulfilling their constitutional duties,” Brinks said prior to the vote. “I hope to make it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate illegal partisan games that evade our state Constitution. While the speaker has indicated that the House will continue to undermine our Constitution and unilaterally delay the presentation of this past legislation to the governor, I am preparing to take legal action if necessary to ensure that the Constitution is followed.”

Wednesday’s move comes after House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) earlier this month announced the remaining nine bills would not be presented pending a legal review of whether the House has the authority to do so and when the House must send them.

It also signals a beginning of what might be a contentious two years in the Legislature with the return to divided government.

Hall’s move left several key remaining controversial bills from last session, most significantly HB 6058 of 2024, which requires public employers to pay a larger share of the health insurance premium for public employees.

Language in SR 3 says the House failed in its constitutional duty to present the bills to the governor and the Constitution “does not permit the House’s unilateral decision to delay presenting those bills to the governor.”

“We certainly hope that Speaker Hall makes the right choice and sends those bills over to the governor,” Brinks told reporters, adding the timeline for taking legal action will depend on Hall’s response. “Ideally, he would take this opportunity to do the right thing and send those bills to the governor without us having to pursue further legal action. … I’m not giving him a deadline, but at some point, there will be decisions made.”

Attorneys for the House earlier this month began reviewing the nine bills, as well as the requirements for presenting bills passed by both chambers to the governor after the start of a new term.

Hall ripped the Senate’s move when asked about it during a Wednesday afternoon press conference, questioning whether the Senate is even in session due to what he called a lack of news coming out of the other chamber.

By comparison, he said the House has already begun committee hearings on important policies, such as its version of legislation to amend the state’s minimum wage and paid sick time laws set to go into effect next month.

“So, apparently, they are in session, because they came in and said: ‘we’re going to sue,'” Hall said. “We’re just trying to follow the Constitution and the law.”

He said the House Republicans general counsel, former Rep. Andrew Fink, is conducting a thorough review of the legislation and the constitutional issues the caucus has raised.

“Whatever decision we come to is going to be by the book, under the Constitution and the law,” Hall said. “This almost has never happened before, where the prior speaker doesn’t file his bills…before he leaves, and so there’s just a lot of legal and constitutional questions, and the more we look into it, the more we find. So, we’re going to do a thorough legal review, but the Senate has no role in telling the House what to do.”

Article IV, Section 33 of the Michigan Constitution says, “Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor before it becomes law, and the governor shall have 14 days measured in hours and minutes from the time of presentation in which to consider it.” However, there is nothing in the Constitution, statute or the Joint Rules of the Legislature stating when a legislative house must present a bill. For unknown reasons, House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) and then-House Clerk Rich Brown allowed the 2023-24 House Democratic majority to end at noon January 1 without completing the enrollment and presentation of the bills to the governor.

The question now is how “shall” should be interpreted legally in the current circumstances.

Senate Republicans were also unimpressed with the move by Brinks.

“We come back. We’re in a divided government. Republicans have some power, Democrats have some power; a good opportunity to work together on solving the problems of people in Michigan, and we get this dropped on us,” Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater) said prior to the voice vote. “It sounds like it’s asking to empower, to take legal action against the new speaker of the House because the Democrats in the last session couldn’t get their job done.”

Lindsey said the Democrats could not do something as simple as carry a slate of bills over to the governor before the clock ran out on the last session, and now they are seeking to have the Republicans solve a problem of their own creation.

“This is ridiculous that this body is taking up this resolution and asking for this action,” Lindsey said. “I recommend that the Democrats…instead focus their time on figuring out how to effectively legislate and maybe think about the lessons that should have been learned from a session where Democrats literally failed the people of Michigan, couldn’t even conduct a basic duty of taking legislation that had been passed and delivering it to the governor.”

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) in a statement called adoption of SR 3 a political stunt.

“It is unfortunate for the people of Michigan that Democrats continue to be divisively partisan instead of working across the aisle with Republicans who are ready to focus on real solutions to the problems facing families across our state,” Nesbitt said. “Let’s be done with this nonsense, move beyond the failures of the previous House leadership, and serve the people we have promised to serve.”

Brinks was asked if she would consider it her responsibility to present all Senate bills to the governor before leaving office, to which she said yes.

“Yes, all bills that have been duly passed, I think we would follow that procedure,” Brinks said. “I don’t know what occurred over in the House, either the previous speaker or the current speaker. Either way, I believe there’s an obligation if legislation has been passed properly by both bodies, it should be delivered to the governor’s desk.”

Brinks said from a legal standpoint, the Senate is an aggrieved party in potential legal action. She added that includes those that could be affected by the legislation, such as the state employees, as well as corrections officers, she said.

The other remaining legislation still being held in the House includes three bills allowing Detroit history museums to seek a property tax millage from Wayne County voters (HB 4177 of 2023, HB 5817 of 2024 and HB 5818 of 2024); bills that would put corrections officers into the State Police pension system (HB 4665 of 2023, HB 4666 of 2023 and HB 4667 of 2023) and exempting public assistance, disability and worker’s compensation from garnishment to repay debts (HB 4900 of 2024 and HB 4901 of 2024).

Each of the bills being held from presentation passed both chambers along party lines and near party-line votes.

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!

In response to these concerns, CMHA’s Center for Health Care Integration and Innovation (CHI2), pursued an investigation regarding the dimensions and causes of Michigan residents seeking inpatient psychiatric care in Wisconsin.

Please feel free to share this report with anyone who may be interested in this issue, Investigation of Michigan Residents Crossing Wisconsin Border to Seek Inpatient Mental Healthcare.

To provide a brief summary, it is a multifaceted occurrence that is due primarily to unique geographical and infrastructural differences between the border areas of Michigan and Wisconsin, and not necessarily because of any failings on Michigan’s part.

The report, and many others, can also be found on the CHI2 page of the CMHA website here.

With over 30 years of leadership experience in behavioral health and community-focused initiatives, Julia has consistently demonstrated a passion for building collaborative teams and innovative solutions that meet the diverse needs of individuals and families. Her leadership will guide WMCMH as we continue to break the stigma surrounding behavioral health and expand access to essential services across Lake, Mason, and Oceana Counties.

Larry Vansickle, Chair of the WMCMH Board of Directors, shared “The Board is excited to welcome Julia and is confident that she will lead WMCMH in providing excellent services to the citizens of our three counties.  Her experience and skills will continue the WMCMH tradition of innovation and excellence for the people and communities we serve.”

Current CEO Lisa Williams reflected on this new chapter for the organization, stating: “It has been an honor to serve as CEO of WMCMH for the past 11 years. I am incredibly proud of all the WMCMH team has accomplished and have full confidence that Julia’s leadership will take the organization to even greater heights. Her vision and dedication will ensure that WMCMH continues to provide hope, healing, and recovery to the people in our communities.”

Julia shared her enthusiasm for this opportunity, stating, “I am honored to be given this opportunity and looking forward to working with the very dynamic and skilled team at WMCMH.”   Julia went on to share “The reputation of West Michigan Community Mental Health as an innovator, both in the state and across the Nation is what attracted me to this position, this is an organization of excellence who has embraced the model of CCBHC substantially improving access to behavioral health services, providing comprehensive evidenced based services to all members of their communities, and demonstrating positive outcomes through published data benchmarks.”

WMCMH is confident that under Julia’s leadership, the agency will continue to grow and serve as a beacon of hope and support for all those seeking behavioral health services.

This story, along with the growing list of solutions journalism stories centered around the work of Michigan’s public mental health system, can be found at: https://cmham.org/newsroom/

This partnership, with the Issue Media Group (IMG), is built around the concept of “solutions journalism” – providing news about innovative and concrete ways that communities, across Michigan, are addressing the needs of their residents along a number of dimensions – healthcare, economic development, education, the arts, to name a few. Solutions journalism investigates and explains, in a critical and clear-eyed way, how people try to solve widely shared problems. While news sources and many of us typically define news as “what’s gone wrong,” solutions journalism runs counter to that definition by covering the innovative responses to identified needs and problems.

This partnership ensures that the work of Michigan’s public mental health system is highlighted in IMG’s large suite of solutions journalism-focused publications.

If your organization would like to be a part of this effort, via the purchase of a partnership share and the active participation in the generation of stories for these local and statewide electronic newspapers, contact Bob Sheehan at rsheehan@cmham.org or Paul Schutt at paul@issuemediagroup.com

You can subscribe, at no cost, to these publications, on the websites of each of these publications. The list of partner publications and their websites are provided below:

Second Wave – Michigan

Capital Gains – Lansing

Catalyst Midland

Concentrate – Ann Arbor/Ypsi

Epicenter – Mount Pleasant

Flintside

Metromode – Metro Detroit

Model D

Route Bay City

Rural Innovation Exchange

Second Wave -Southwest Michigan

The Keel – Port Huron

The Lakeshore

Upword – UP

Look for more articles like this over the coming year.

Click here to view all Connection publications.

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.

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.

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.

Why Enroll?

Expert Guidance: Learn from seasoned professionals who bring real-world experience and insights directly to you.
Flexible Learning: Our Level 1 program allows you to complete training on your own schedule, making it easy to balance work and education.
Valuable Certificates: Boost your resume and career prospects with recognized certificates that showcase your commitment and expertise. 

Who Can Join?

Anyone aged 16 or older, eligible to work in the U.S.
No high school diploma or English proficiency required—our training is accessible to everyone!

Course Highlights:

Level 1: Direct Care Fundamentals Certificate

12 Hours of Training: Covering essential skills like communication, safety, and personal care.

Certificate of Completion: Validate your knowledge and skills in direct care.

Flexible Scheduling: Complete classes at your own pace—choose what works for you!

     Class Descriptions       |       Class Schedule

Level 2: Direct Care Associate Certificate

12 Hours of Training: Dive deeper into topics like dementia care, trauma-informed approaches, and managing specific health conditions.

Certificate of Completion: Enhance your qualifications and open doors to advanced opportunities.

Class Descriptions       |       Class Schedule

How to enroll:

Register here for the Direct Care Worker Training.

The overall assessment from the CREC is that state revenues are trending slightly upward for the current fiscal year by $588 million due to increased taxes. At this time, it is being recommended that the fiscal year 2026 budget be increased by $1.2 billion total between the School Aid budget and General Omnibus budget meaning revenues have increased allowing the state to utilize more general fund dollars. Economists noted there are uncertainties that remain, which most notably includes effects from policy changes federally (trade, immigration, regulatory), geopolitical situations, population growth, and productivity.

Michigan has recovered from the job losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Michigan still remains 2.2% below the all-time peak. Job growth is expected to continue throughout 2027. That said, Michigan’s unemployment rate has been rising, which economists have attributed to high federal interest rates and the cooling effect it has on Michigan’s heavy manufacturing sector.

These forecasts provide the foundation for legislators and the Executive Branch to begin work on the state’s FY 26 budget. We expect budget discussions to begin in February when the Governor releases her FY 26 executive budget recommendation.

“Ensuring value for taxpayer dollars is important to the people we represent, and our priorities reflect that by targeting inefficiencies and waste,” Hall said in a statement. “Roads and infrastructure are top priorities, and our budget choices should reflect that. We are committed to restoring trust in government through smart, transparent reforms that prioritize the well-being of every citizen.”

The November plan dedicated $1.7 billion in funding from the Corporate Income Tax. The updated plan has identified specific line items, increasing that total to $2.2 billion.

The $3.145 billion proposal breaks down in the following way:

• $500 million from eliminating outdated MEGA credits
• $500 million from preventing legislative earmarks, based on average annual spending levels of nearly $600 million
• $600 million in ongoing general funds from higher than expected tax returns after the state’s revenue estimating conference last week
• $500 million from what have been automatic deposits into the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund. The funding is scheduled to sunset next fiscal year, which would free up the money in the budget. Halls plan would require future SOAR deposits to be pitched the Legislature on merit and on a case-by-case basis.
• $50 million from automatic deposits into corporate placemaking fund (RAP) that’s set to expire. That had been set aside for automatic deposits into a corporate placemaking (RAP) fund that are set to expire.
• $50 million from automatic deposits into the community development fund (HCDF) that are set to expire.
• $945 million from permanently dedicating all taxes paid at the pump to road funding. The plan would remove the 6 percent sales tax on fuel and replace it with a revenue-neutral increase in the motor fuel tax, which goes entirely to roads.

On the last point, to backfill funding to K-12 schools, the primary beneficiary of the sales tax, $700 million to ensure school funding is not reduced by this shift will come from permanently dedicating sales tax revenue.

Hall said the plan would focus more funding onto local roads and includes zero new taxes and no new bonds. He did not immediately release details on whether the new funds would go through the PA 51 road funding formula or be disbursed in some other way.

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!

Many of us have been fortunate enough to have seen the Senator in action, as a County Commissioner, member of the State House, the State Senate, Congresswoman, and now as our senior United States Senator.

Debbie Stabenow is simply a force of nature.

Senator Stabenow has been a champion for the community mental health movement and for the millions who rely upon the CMH system for their recovery, their inclusion in their community, and for their ability to live full and dignified lives.

As a county commissioner, Debbie was a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties.

As a member of the Michigan Legislature, while serving as the Chairwoman of the House Mental Health Committee, authored significant advances to Michigan’s Mental Health Code through the Children’s Mental Health Act while also authoring and shepherding passage of the nationally recognized Family Support Subsidy Act.

More recently, in addition to helping to write and lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Senator Stabenow was the chief architect and co-sponsor of the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act. This act formed the network of hundreds of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) across the country. The clinical and financing design of these hundreds of CCBHCs, in communities across the nation, ensures access to high quality comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services to anyone in the community regardless of whether a person is covered by Medicaid, Medicare, private health insurance, or is uninsured. As a result of her work on this front, there are over 30 CCBHCs in Michigan involved in Michigan’s CCBHC State Demonstration project, providing access to high quality and evidence-based care to thousands of Michiganders.

It is not often that a legislator or any of us can see a bold vision become a reality. Senator Stabenow saw her vision of a network of strong, well-funded comprehensive mental health centers in thousands of communities across the country come into being. This vision, the CCBHC movement, is the realization, 60 years later, of the vision imbedded in the original Community Mental Health Act signed by President Kennedy in 1963.

In addition to co-sponsoring the legislation that founded this network of mental health centers, Senator spearheaded the successful effort to pass legislation to expand the CCBHC movement from its original 10 states by adding 10 states every two years, so that in 8 years all 50 states will be CCBHC demonstration states.

In addition to remaking the fabric of the nation’s public mental health system through the revolution of the CCBHC movement, over the past several years, the Senator was able to bring federal funding to Michigan to support the strengthening of crisis centers and for other mental health infrastructure projects in communities across the state, from Detroit to Marquette, from Battle Creek to Pontiac, from Flint to Lansing.  These federal dollars are literally changing the landscape of Michigan’s mental health system and its crisis response system.

Debbie’s vision and intelligence are matched only by her compassion, her resilience, and her courage. As you may have heard her say, her commitment to building a strong and vibrant mental health system, in Michigan and across the country, is driven by, among other drivers, the experiences of her own family and her lifetime commitment to the marginalized and disenfranchised among us.

Debbie’s selfless, tireless, smart, and principled commitment, demonstrated for decades, to the betterment of the lives of Michiganders and all Americans, sets her apart.

She has served as a role model, visionary, and beacon of hope to many of us, including many in this room, for these many years and will continue to be that visionary and beacon of hope for many years to come.

So, on behalf of the Community Mental Health Association, its Board of Directors, members, and allies, we want to take a moment to applaud our champion, ally, mentor, and friend for her decades of selfless service. Her passion, brilliance, humility, strategic acumen, and compassion – the qualities that set her apart – will be sorely missed. We wish Senator, our Senator, the best in the coming years.

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.

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.

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.

Michigan selected by CMS as one of four states to participate in innovative behavioral health model
New model seeks to improve quality of care, access and outcomes

As part of its continuing commitment to improving behavioral health access to care and outcomes, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is participating in the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model.

The IBH Model focuses on improving quality of care and behavioral and physical health outcomes for adults enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare with moderate to severe mental health conditions and substance use disorder (SUD). The model will support aligning payment between Medicaid and Medicare for integrated services and improving quality reporting and data sharing. Michigan is one of four states selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in the model.

“We are excited to have been chosen by CMS to offer this enhanced level of care to Medicaid beneficiaries seeking treatment for behavioral health issues and substance use disorder,” said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. “Michigan residents will receive more personalized and integrated care through this model designed to reduce visits to the emergency department, improve behavioral and physical health outcomes and address quality of life needs such as housing, food and transportation.”

Medicaid and Medicare populations experience disproportionately high rates of mental health conditions or SUDs, or both. As a result, they are more likely to experience poor health outcomes such as frequent visits to the emergency department and hospitalizations or premature death. In FY2022, Michigan’s Community Mental Health Service Programs served 178,837 individuals for behavioral health issues; with 12,806 of those individuals receiving substance use services only. An additional 62,691 admissions for SUD services were administered by the state’s 10 Pre-Paid Inpatient Health Plans.

Michigan plans to implement the IBH Model in multiple locations throughout the state in both urban and rural areas, including the Upper Peninsula. Sites will be chosen from among providers who are currently participating in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic demonstration or as a Health Home.

“Michigan’s receipt of this award from CMS underscores and will strengthen Michigan’s innovative community-based approaches to meeting the behavioral health needs of Michiganders. Building on Michigan’s network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and Behavioral Health Homes – two initiatives led by MDHHS – this newly funded initiative will foster even greater access to and coordination of behavioral health care and other community health and human services for Michiganders enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare,” said Robert Sheehan, Community Mental Health Association of Michigan CEO. “CMHA applauds MDHHS for expanding its partnership with CMS, the latest in a long list of leading-edge behavioral health initiatives.”

Specialty behavioral health providers will screen and assess patients for priority health conditions as well as behavioral health conditions and SUD. Providers will lead an interprofessional care team and be responsible for coordinating with other members of the care team to address patients’ behavioral and physical health and health-related social needs such as housing, food and transportation. Providers will be compensated based on the quality of care provided and improved patient outcomes. 

The eight-year model period begins Jan. 1, 2025, and consists of a three-year pre-implementation period prior to services starting. MDHHS was awarded $7.5 million by CMS for planning and implementation.

The MichiCANS Team is excited to share the January and February 2025 Supervisor Community of Practice (SCOP) meeting dates.

As a reminder, SCOP meetings provide an opportunity for supervisors across the state to come together in a learning community to focus on building practical skills to support meaningful use of the MichiCANS across the state and at the organizational level.

These learning opportunities focus on problem solving and barrier busting and provide an opportunity for supervisors to share information and knowledge that can be used to support staff. 

Topics include strategies related to:

Maximizing the clinical use of the MichiCANS tools within clinical workflows and supervisory practices.

Ensuring MichiCANS information and data is embedded within supervisory practices.

Providing support and coaching across programs for successful MichiCANS implementation.

Reducing duplicative documentation and redundant practices within clinical workflows.

Sharing knowledge, skills, and resources.

Supporting barrier busting and problem solving specific to MichiCANS implementation.

As these meetings progress, topics will continue to expand to include (1) suggestions provided by participants and (2) other topics provided by guest speakers.  Time will also be used to highlight how various organizations are maximizing the use of the MichiCANS tool.

To register, please complete the form found via this link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ 

Please share this information with any supervisors who may be interested in this opportunity.

Senate Democrats also signaled they are ready to act on the two issues. Bills were not yet introduced, but they released high-level details. The Senate proposals come after months of pressure from opponents of the laws and from union groups that urged the then-Democratic trifecta last fall to hold firm and let the laws take effect as enacted.

Two key changes are to be proposed for the minimum wage and tip law, the first being to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027 instead of $14.97 per hour by 2028. The other would keep the tip credit at 38 percent this year but increase it over the next 10 years to 60 percent before capping it at that level.

For the sick time law, several key changes are also to be proposed.

The definition of a small business would be changed from 10 employees to less than 25 employees while retaining language that small businesses are required to provide 40 hours of paid sick time with an additional 32 hours unpaid. All other employees would still be required to provide 72 hours of paid sick time.

A cap of accrued hours would be set at 288 hours. However, if an employer pays out the value of the employees’ unused sick time, then the carry-over requirement can be capped at 144 hours.

The notification period of seven days or “as soon as foreseeable” to align with other states and the Family Medical Leave Act would be maintained, but a provision would be added that if a business or organization has mandated staffing ratios then that organization’s human resources policy would take precedent.

Language would be changed regarding leave time increments from “smallest possible increment” to 1-hour. Further language would clarify that frontloading is permitted under the act.

Additional language regarding enforcement and the removal of presumptive retaliation language from the existing paid sick time law is also included.

A spokesperson for the Senate Democrats said the provisions are a summary of the legislation, which could be submitted as early as today. When the bills would be formally introduced was not immediately known.

Meanwhile, the House wage bill would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour on February 21, $12.50 on January 1, 2026, $13 on January 1, 2027, $14 on January 1, 2028, and $15 an hour starting January 1, 2029. It would retain existing language adjusting the wage for inflation annually starting in 2030 but would change the inflation threshold to halt the wage increase if inflation is 7.5 percent or more instead of the current 8.5 percent level.

Further, it would maintain the tipped wage level at 38 percent of the regular minimum wage, and repeal PA 337 of 2018, the voter-initiated law.

On sick time, the House draft bill would declare part-time employees (those working less than 25 hours per week or 25 or fewer weeks per year) ineligible for paid sick time. Further, all employees, regardless of the size of their employer, would be required to be eligible at least 72 hours of paid sick time, earned through accruing one hour for every 30 hours worked.

A significant change would allow employers to provide at least 72 hours of paid sick time per year and in exchange not have to calculate and track the employee’s accrual of earned sick time, nor allow employees to carry over any paid sick time to the next benefit year.

Further, the changes would require employees to comply with their employer’s requirements for notification and documentation when taking a paid sick day or days and allow employers to take disciplinary action if the employee fails to do so. The law set to take effect February 21 limits employers’ ability to inquire about an employee’s status for three days to determine whether they are taking paid sick leave.

Under Rule 52, no appropriations bill containing enhancement grants, or “pork” will be taken up for a vote without disclosure of the sponsor, recipient and a description of the grant established by the House by resolution.

Rule 2 no longer includes department heads and the governor’s legislative liaisons in the list of individuals that have floor access.

While previously, subpoena power could be granted to committees by a record roll call vote, the House Oversight Committee is granted the full scope to “administer oaths, issue subpoenas and examine books and records of any persons, partnerships, corporations, governmental entity, and political subdivision” without the body’s approval under Rule 36.

The Speaker will be able to appoint any member as presiding officer for a day if written notice is given to the clerk this term, under a change made to Rule 5.

Floor speeches must “avoid personalities,” as last term’s rules required, but also disallows “impugning the motives of another member, or the use of indecent or profane language” under this term’s Rule 27.

Invocations must call to a higher power or authority and copyright violations are prohibited under Rule 15.

Rule 32 deals with this term’s standing committees. 

Eighteen standing committees have been named, down three from last term. There will be 246 committee seats combined, down from last term’s 276 seats. Most standing committees have either been renamed or their duties absorbed by another. Only the House Committees on Agriculture; Appropriations; Government Operations; Health Policy; Judiciary; and Regulatory Reform maintain the same names.

• Added to the list are the House Committees on Oversight and Rules, and the two separate Education and Labor committees combine to become Education and Workforce.
• Energy, Communications and Technology is split into one committee for Energy and another for Communications and Technology.
• Economic Development and Small Business becomes Economic Competitiveness.
• Elections becomes Election Integrity. 
• Ethics and Oversight becomes Oversight. 
• Families, Children and Seniors is combined with Military, Veterans and Homeland Security to be simply Families and Veterans.
• Insurance and Financial Services is split into one committee for Finance and another for Insurance.
• Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation becomes Natural Resources and Tourism.
• Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure becomes Transportation and Infrastructure. 

Three standing committees that are eliminated include the House Committees on Criminal Justice; Local Government and Municipal Finance, and Higher Education.

Additionally regarding committees, Rule 34 no longer allows members to participate virtually, and only the committee’s chair may place a testifier under oath or affirmation. The minority vice chair is no longer included in this provision.

The Oversight Committee will have six subcommittees designed to restore trust in government, according to a Midwesterner article that was confirmed by a source speaking on background.

The subcommittees will be Weaponization of State Government; Child Welfare System (namely, investigating the Department of Health and Human Services on this topic); Corporate Subsidies and State Investments; Public Health and Food Security; Homeland Security and Foreign Influence; and State and Local Public Assistance Programs.

The House Oversight Subcommittee on Corporate Subsidies and State Investments will focus on “corporate welfare and cronyism” rather than budgetary spending as the Midwesterner story suggests, the source corrected. 

Committee chairmanships and memberships have not yet been announced.

This dynamic gathering of behavioral health and I/DD leaders from across the country explores the challenges and opportunities in our field while also highlighting the most recent policy developments. Make sure to stay up to date with the conference agenda and registration information through the Legislative & Policy website.

March 4th – 6th, 2025      |      Washington, D.C.      |      REGISTER HERE
We are looking forward to seeing you!