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!

During a workshop at the recent CMHA Fall Conference, during which this project was spotlighted, it was recommended that CMHA keep its members up to date on this project. This recommendation is one that we took to heart and, with PSC doing the heavy lifting, are providing you with an update on this effort, below. We expect to continue to provide you with updates on the progress of this effort over the next year.

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.

Several years ago, in recognition of this disparate access to good and bad news, CMHA and its members embarked on an “Accurate Picture Campaign” to provide these audiences with a clear and balanced picture of the state’s public system. This campaign led to the partnership of CMHA and a number of its members with the Issue Media Group (IMG) – the partnership highlighted in the article, above.

NEXT PHASE OF THE ACCURATE PICTURE INITIATIVE: The next phase of “Accurate Picture” initiative was recently kicked-off with the development of an agreement of CMHA and MDHHS agreement to develop and implement a joint effort, between MDHHS, CMHA, and its members, to provide the public, the media, key policy makers and legislators with a regular flow of information on the successes and high levels of performance of Michigan’s public mental health system. This partnership holds great promise for giving Michiganders an accurate picture of our system. The first partnership on this front is a jointly press release applauding the expansion of clinical training, by MDHHS, to children’s services clinicians. Excerpts of that press release are provided below:

MDHHS launches Capacity Building Center to improve access to training for behavioral health providers

“The creation of the CBC is a powerful addition to the comprehensive clinical training initiative MDHHS has pioneered in partnership with CMHA over the past several decades,” said Robert Sheehan, CEO of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan. “The CBC further strengthens Michigan’s place at the forefront, nationally, in the provision of education and training on cutting edge and proven clinical practices designed to sustain and strengthen the skills of clinicians in the state’s public mental health system.”

The full press release can be found 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.

Below are two articles in this week’s editions of Gongwer and MIRS, the two Michigan Capitol news services, around this legal action.

Public Mental Health Plans File Against DHHS

Michigan’s public mental health plans filed a lawsuit accusing the state’s Department of Health and Human Services of imposing unnegotiated contract terms and threatening to cut off funding.

The plans, known as prepaid inpatient health plans (PIHP) argued DHHS’ actions violate state law and jeopardize mental health and substance use disorder services for thousands of residents.

“This isn’t just a contract dispute – it’s about ensuring the stability of behavioral health services that families across the state rely on every day,” said Robert SHEEHAN, chief executive officer of Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.  

The six-count complaint, filed on behalf of NorthCare Network Mental Health Care Entity and Northern Michigan Regional Entity in the Court of Claims, alleges in part violation of the Headlee Amendment, and the PIHPs seek a writ compelling the state to continue providing Medicaid and general funds to the PIHPs as well as retraction of any communications and actions “taken to terminate the relationship between DHHS and plaintiffs.”

The plaintiffs, who want a preliminary injunction prohibiting DHHS from withholding substance abuse disorder health home services funding, also want a hearing to dispute DHHS’ decision to terminate contracts and they seek unspecified damages.

A message to DHHS spokesperson was not immediately returned.

According to the complaint filed by plaintiffs’ attorney, Christopher J. RYAN, DHHS “threatened to terminate” its relationship with the plaintiffs, including Region 10 PIHP, by Oct. 31 if they did not sign a fiscal year 2025 contract.

Plaintiffs signed a revised contract that they said modified DHHS’ “offending provisions,” but DHHS refused to sign. Instead, the plaintiffs claim, DHHS made “good on its threat by withholding Medicaid funds” owed to the plaintiffs.

The alleged offending provisions included DHHS’ proposal to cap public mental health plans’ risk reserves at 7.5% of annual revenues, which the plaintiffs argue disregards actuarial recommendations.

The plaintiffs also alleged DHHS wanted to shift the financial burden of managing certified community behavioral health clinics to the plaintiffs without funding from the state, which violates the Michigan Constitution.

“We’re standing up for fairness, fiscal responsibility, and most importantly, the people who depend on these services,” Sheehan said. “Michigan families deserve better.”

3 Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans Sue DHHS Over Allegedly Illegal Contract Provisions

Three of Michigan’s 10 prepaid inpatient health plans sued the Department of Health and Human Services recently over what they claim was an attempt to “bully” the plaintiffs to agree to allegedly unreasonable and illegal fiscal year 2024-25 contract provisions.

The lawsuit, Northcare Network Mental Health Care Entity v. Michigan (COC Docket No. 24-000198), filed last week in the Court of Claims, further alleges DHHS threatened that if the plaintiffs did not sign the agreement by October 31, DHHS would terminate its relationship with the entities and cut off vital funding.

Northern Michigan Regional Entity and Region 10 PIHP are also named plaintiffs in the lawsuit. DHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel is a named defendant.

“The plaintiffs each signed the FY25 Contract after modifying the offending provisions, but MDHHS refused to counter-sign,” the complaint said. “(The) defendants are now making good on their threat by withholding Medicaid funds from the plaintiffs to the detriment of the beneficiaries the plaintiffs serve.”

Northcare asks Judge Sima Patel to strike and void three contract provisions related to the funding of their respective Internal Service Fund (ISF) accounts, adherence to a settlement in a separate case regarding directives for Medicaid expenditures, which the plaintiffs say is illegal, and alleged attempts by DHHS to shift the financial burden for managing certified community behavioral health clinics to the plaintiffs without state funding in violation of the Constitution.

“This suit also seeks a declaration that even in the absence of a contract, MDHHS is statutorily obligated to continue providing funding to the plaintiffs,” the lawsuit added. “The defendants recently retaliated against the plaintiffs by stating MDHHS will not provide Medicaid dollars to fund the Substance Use Disorder Health Home (SUDHH) programs in their respective regions. The SUDHH program has absolutely nothing to do with the parties’ dispute. While this shameful negotiation tactic will harm Plaintiffs, who have each expended resources in reliance on the defendants fulfilling their obligation to provide the funding, the most significant harm will come to the citizens eligible to receive SUDHH services.”

The plaintiffs are also seeking a preliminary injunction

Under the IBH Model, CMS, participating states, and community-based behavioral health providers will collaborate to improve the overall quality of care and outcomes for adults enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare with moderate to severe mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders.

The IBH Model supports specialty behavioral health practices in the delivery of integrated care in outpatient settings by prioritizing close collaboration with primary care and other physical health providers with a goal to address all aspects of a patient’s care.

Additional information about the IBH Model can be found on the model webpage, including:

• IBH Model Fact Sheet
• IBH Overview Webinar
• Frequently Asked Questions, which are updated on a rolling basis.

Congratulations to MDHHS for applying and being accepted as a state involved in the IBH initiative.

With Republicans staying away from the House again and no quorum, the remnants of the House Democratic majority adjourned at 2:17 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. December 31, driving a stake through more than 200 Senate-passed bills eligible for action in the House.

The stunned Democratic majority in the Senate, which at least had all its members present Thursday, caucused at-length before deciding they would pass priority House-passed bills sitting in their chamber to get them to Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Senate Democrats appeared resolved to make the best of a bad situation, queuing up more than 100 bills for action.

As of 4 a.m., it had passed 40 of them, including some significant ones like a major overhaul on initiative and candidate petitions, the “Momnibus” maternal and child health bills and some charter school regulations.

“I am deeply disappointed that the House of Representatives called it quits while so many great pieces of legislation were ready for the green light,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) said in a statement. “Legislators are tasked with the responsibility of using every tool available to advocate for their constituents and communities, and ‘frustrated’ is too light of a word to describe my dismay that the House failed to meet its obligations in this historic moment.”

Brinks added, “The Michigan Senate is still in session and we have the opportunity to do good – a lot of good. In the coming hours, residents can count on us to act on key items that will protect the state’s children, improve on-the-job rights for workers, and more.”

Still, there was no fixing the reality that many Democratic priorities died in the House.

It is a scenario impossible to have imagined two years ago when Democrats were aglow at their forthcoming 20-18 Senate and 56-54 House majorities.

There was a yin and yang to the events. For every Democrat in tears, muttering four-letter words and staring blankly, there was a Republican in good spirits, knowing an avalanche of left-of-center legislation was toast. For every group that was absolutely devastated and furious to see their bills die on the one-yard line, there was a group savoring victory at that legislation’s defeat.

As just one example, a series of tobacco licensing bills that had passed the Senate and were queued up for final passage on the House floor (SB 651 Track, SB 652 Track, SB 653 Track, SB 654 Track) instead will have to start over next year. There was a companion House package (HB 6002 Track, HB 6003 Track, HB 6004 Track, HB 6005 Track), but the bills had all been sliced and diced to accommodate sponsorship and tie-bars installed, meaning the bills would have no effect without all of them becoming law.

“As a mother, a Detroiter, a health advocate, and a Black woman, I am beyond disgusted by the political gamesmanship that took precedence over the health of our kids,” said Minou Jones, chair of the Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco Free Coalition, in a statement. “Our elected officials didn’t finish the job and that is not acceptable. This childish behavior didn’t benefit anyone, and our kids are truly the big losers here today.”

Another unbelievable casualty was a bill – sponsored by a House Republican and receiving considerable support from GOP lawmakers – that would require state funding for juvenile defense as well as provide training for legal defenders and more oversight for juvenile judicial representation. HB 4630 Track passed the House 85-25 in October 2023. The Senate passed it a week ago 26-10.

But the Senate made a small change when it passed the bill, striking an outdated effective date. That meant it needed a concurrence vote from the House before it went to Whitmer’s desk. It never got one. The Senate filed a desperation request Thursday for the House to return the bill, presumably so the Senate could reconsider the vote by which it adopted the amendment striking the effective date, which would mean the bill could go to Whitmer.

The House, with no quorum, could not grant the request. The bill will die there.

It was a catastrophic end to the speakership of House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit), who finally acceded to pleas that he issue a Call of the House to force the attendance of Whitsett, as well as all 54 Republicans who walked out in protest last Friday after Tate killed action on road funding, changes to the wage law on tipped workers and paid sick time. But instead of finally corralling the members into the House Chamber, it appeared another example of how the House Democratic Caucus fell apart when the move stunned Whitsett, who had been told by one Democratic member working for her return a Call of the House would not be imposed.

It was a triumph for House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland), the House speaker-elect, who can now put on his trophy shelf the twin victories of putting an end date on Democratic rule by leading Republicans to House control in the November elections and halting the legislative express Democrats had planned for lame duck.

All year, amid the total inertia in the House (few voting sessions, far less committee activity and essentially only running a full-time operation in May and June), House Democrats told the supporters of all manner of issues, “We’ll get to it in lame duck.” Lame duck arrived, and when Hall said Tate crossed him, he pushed the nuclear button, pulled Republican members off the floor and obliterated a raft of Democratic priorities, as well as some noncontroversial bipartisan bills.

When the Democrats won majority, there was an immediate question about Whitsett and whether she would be a reliable 56th member. There were even rumors she might caucus with the Republicans to put the House in a 55-55 tie. But Whitsett batted those away, and for most of the two-year term, she was a relatively reliable vote for the Democrats and a loyal backer of Tate.

Whitmer kept herself message-wise as far away as possible from the implosion at the Capitol.  There was no shortage of questions going around Lansing wondering why Whitmer was not stationed in the House Chamber or in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office around the corner trying to help work out a compromise of some sort as governors have done in the past at key moments. Then again, it’s unclear what, if anything, she could have accomplished in such a dumpster fire by being there.

Tate, the subject of near caucus-wide scorn in the past week, skipped the speeches, nor did he pose for a family photo of sorts with the caucus just before they parted ways.

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!

The Division of Grant Review (DGR) is recruiting reviewers who have academic qualifications and meet the requirements of the 21st Century CURES Act.

Preferred CURES Act Experience:

A medical degree, a doctoral degree in psychology, or an advanced degree in nursing or social work from an accredited program.

An active license and experience in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or recovery from mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder.

In addition to recruiting those with the preferred CURES Act experience, DGR continues to search for the following:

People who meet the general reviewer qualifications found on SAMHSA’s “How to Become a SAMHSA Reviewer” webpage.

Expectations:

Participate in a mandatory pre-review teleconference to learn about key aspects of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Availability during the review period, which is expected to last approximately two weeks and participation in a follow-up conference call with other reviewers if needed.

Analyze and evaluate grant applications against published evaluation criteria.

Clear writing style and adherence to deadlines.

Reviewers will receive $180 per application reviewed and returned to SAMHSA in the timeline specified for each program.

Please contact DGR at reviewer@samhsa.hhs.gov for more information or go to the website to submit your information.

Bridge has spent months chronicling the devastating impact of the ongoing opioid crisis and disagreement over how the state and local governments will spend a combined $1.6 billion in funds intended to help. Now, Michigan has launched a new online mapping tool to allow those with substance abuse disorders to find help. It’s searchable by ZIP code, city or county, and it identifies which providers accept Medicaid. 

The mapping tool can be found here.

Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites
100 W. Michigan Ave.,
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Book Your Hotel Reservation Online

2025 Room Rates: $169 plus taxes (Single/Double/Triple/Quad)
Parking: Discounted rate for self-parking, $12 per night/car for all attendees

To Make Your Reservations at the Radisson Plaza Hotel:

Phone Reservations: (269) 343-3333 and connect with either the reservations team or the front desk.

Reservations team is available M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST; the front desk team will manage requests outside of those times.

For discounted rates, guests need to mention “CMHA Winter Conference.”

Deadline for Reduced Rate:

Booking online: Deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST the day BEFORE 1/13/25 or until the room block fills.

Phone reservations: Deadline of 5:00 p.m. EST on the day OF 1/13/25 or until the room block fills.

Cancellation Policies:

If you find it necessary to cancel or change plans, please inform the hotel 24 hours prior to check-in time to avoid one night’s room and tax charged to your credit card. If the reservation was booked as an advance purchase, non-cancel, or non-refundable, then full penalty applies.

Reservations can be modified or canceled by calling in-house reservations team at (269) 343-3333.

If a reservation is canceled after this time, it will be subject to a late-cancellation fee (one night’s guestroom rate + taxes). If there is a credit card on file, this fee will be routed to the credit card.

If a guest does not arrive for their reservation, it will be subject to a no-show fee (one night’s guestroom rate + taxes). If there is a credit card on file, this fee will be routed to the credit card.

If a guest does not arrive for their reservation and check-in for the first night, their reservation will be CANCELED. The hotel can reinstate the reservation as able and requested (based on hotel availability).

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 main bill in the package, SB 40, passed with some Republican support, 58-51.

Although Rep. Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and Rep. David Prestin (R-Cedar River) voted with the majority, Republicans generally opposed the legislation.

“It’s a bridge, a short bridge, to get them from job A to job B,” Rep. William Bruck (R-Erie) said. “It’s not meant to be a living wage and increasing it– almost doubling it is what we’re looking at– it’s going to cost me as an employer. It’s going to cost every employer in the state.”

Democrats said that the legislation was essential to keep families afloat in the face of inflation.

“Unemployment benefits are not a permanent solution, but they are a lifeline for people who find themselves without a job,” Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) said. “Families struggling to get back on their feed need breathing room. That’s what this package provides.”

Earlier this week a Senate Committee approved bills to create a paid family leave system in Michigan. Introduced in May 2023, SB 332 and SB 333 had seen no signs of life until now.

The Senate Housing and Human Services Committee approved a substitute to SB 332 that reduces the maximum number of paid family leave from 15 weeks to 12.

The other major change affects employers with fewer than 25 employees. New language was added saying such employers “shall remit 50 percent of the contribution required under this section to the Family Leave Optimal Coverage Fund.” Employers with 25 or more employees would still, as the original bill provided, have to remit 100 percent of the contribution required to the Family Leave Optimal Coverage Fund.

The vote was 8-3 along party lines and came despite objections over the effect on small businesses and to worker’s paychecks. Exactly how much workers would have to contribute is unclear. It would be up to the director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, or their designee, to determine the amount necessary to fund the program.

As of this Thursday evening, the full Senate has not voted on SBs 332 & 333. If they do not pass the Senate this week, it is very unlikely they will get done this legislative session.

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!

The Division of Grant Review (DGR) is recruiting reviewers who have academic qualifications and meet the requirements of the 21st Century CURES Act.

Preferred CURES Act Experience:

A medical degree, a doctoral degree in psychology, or an advanced degree in nursing or social work from an accredited program.

An active license and experience in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or recovery from mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder.

In addition to recruiting those with the preferred CURES Act experience, DGR continues to search for the following:

People who meet the general reviewer qualifications found on SAMHSA’s “How to Become a SAMHSA Reviewer” webpage.

Expectations:

Participate in a mandatory pre-review teleconference to learn about key aspects of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Availability during the review period, which is expected to last approximately two weeks and participation in a follow-up conference call with other reviewers if needed.

Analyze and evaluate grant applications against published evaluation criteria.

Clear writing style and adherence to deadlines.

Reviewers will receive $180 per application reviewed and returned to SAMHSA in the timeline specified for each program.

Please contact DGR at reviewer@samhsa.hhs.gov for more information or go to the website to submit your information.

Bridge has spent months chronicling the devastating impact of the ongoing opioid crisis and disagreement over how the state and local governments will spend a combined $1.6 billion in funds intended to help. Now, Michigan has launched a new online mapping tool to allow those with substance abuse disorders to find help. It’s searchable by ZIP code, city or county, and it identifies which providers accept Medicaid. 

The mapping tool can be found here.

Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites
100 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49007

2025 Room Rates:
Standard Room:   $169 plus taxes (Single/Double/Triple/Quad)
Concierge Room: $219 (Single/Double)

Parking: Discounted rate for self-parking: $12 per night/car for all attendees.

Hotel Check In: 4 p.m.       Hotel Check Out: Noon

To Make Your Reservations at the Radisson Plaza Hotel:

Phone Reservations: (269) 343-3333 and connect with either the reservations team or the front desk.

– Reservations team is available M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST; the front desk team will manage requests outside of those times.

– For discounted rates, guests need to mention “CMHA Winter Conference.”

Book Your Hotel Reservation Online

Deadline for Reduced Rate:

Booking online: Deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST the day BEFORE 1/13/25 or until the room block fills.

Phone reservations: Deadline of 5:00 p.m. EST on the day OF 1/13/25 or until the room block fills.

Cancellation Policies:

• If you find it necessary to cancel or change plans, please inform the hotel 24 hours prior to check-in time to avoid one night’s room and tax charged to your credit card. If the reservation was booked as an advance purchase, non-cancel, or non-refundable, then full penalty applies.
• Reservations can be modified or canceled by calling in-house reservations team at (269) 343-3333.
• If a reservation is canceled after this time, it will be subject to a late-cancellation fee (one night’s guestroom rate + taxes). If there is a credit card on file, this fee will be routed to the credit card.
• If a guest does not arrive for their reservation, it will be subject to a no-show fee (one night’s guestroom rate + taxes). If there is a credit card on file, this fee will be routed to the credit card.
• If a guest does not arrive for their reservation and check-in for the first night, their reservation will be CANCELED. The hotel can reinstate the reservation as able and requested (based on hotel availability).

Conference registration coming soon!

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to the latest edition of our SDOH newsletter. Our newsletter aims to provide you with updates on the initiatives and progress within this current phase, along with relevant partner updates, with the goal of fostering transparency and creating space for meaningful collaboration.

Phase III of the SDOH Strategy, which launched in January 2024, represents a significant progression in our commitment to holistic well-being. Building on the foundational achievements of Phase I, which prioritized critical areas such as food security, housing stability, and health equity, we now advance our efforts. Our latest phase synthesizes insights gained from our earlier efforts, incorporates feedback from Michigan’s diverse partners, and employs a collaborative, community-driven approach to address emerging challenges.

Click here to learn more about Phase III of the SDOH strategy.

Subscribe to the SDOH newsletter

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!

The Michigan Rural Health Conference aims to provide engaging education on relevant topics for rural health providers. Conference objectives include:

Bringing rural healthcare providers together.
Offering networking and collaboration opportunities.
Providing current and relevant information to rural healthcare providers.

The Michigan Rural Health Conference typically hosts presentations that are focused on the following areas:

Health Information Technology
Public Health
Health Equity
EMS
Workforce
Finance & Operations
Quality Improvement

Suggested Topics of Interest to Conference Attendees:

Workforce:

Integrating Telehealth
Staffing Shortages
Enhancing Workforce Retention and Well-being

Rural Health Clinic:

HEIDIS Measures with RHCs
RHC Survey Information
Emergency Preparedness and Response in RHCs
Maximizing Reimbursement
Leveraging Technology for Data-Driven Decision-Making

Social Drivers of Health:

Transportation, Food Security, & Other Social Drivers of Health
Engaging Disproportionately Impacted Populations
Other Innovative Approaches to Rural Health Care

Proposal Information: Proposals are welcomed for 60-minute presentations that are interactive, creative, dynamic, feature best practices in rural health, and will encompass this year’s theme Vision Into Action: Rising Together.

The presentation time frame will include introductions, presentation material, and time for questions and answers. Proposals are due by 11:45 pm January 17, 2025*

*All applicants will be notified of acceptance, regret, or waitlist by February 14, 2025. All applicants are encouraged to include a photograph and bio when submitting proposals.

Scan the QR Code to be Taken Directly to the Presentation Submission Portal

CYCLE 1
Grant range up to $200,000
Concept papers due January 16, 2025
Proposals due February 20, 2025
Grants announced May 2025

CYCLE 2
Grant range up to $200,000
Concept papers due June 10, 2025
Proposals due July 22, 2025
Grants announced November 2025

The Michigan Health Endowment Fund 2025 Capacity Building Initiative seeks proposals to support the core functions of organizations and their collaboratives through organizational and collaborative capacity building grants.

This grant program aims to:

Assist health-focused, community-based organizations in becoming stronger, more effective institutions in their communities, allowing them to spend more time focused on their mission and collaborative efforts.

Increase or improve collaboration among providers, service agencies, the business community, and community-based organizations within a community to address health issues in a sustainable way.

View the Health Fund website and RFP for more details by clicking here.

CAPACITY BUILDING RFP & RESOURCES

Overview x2: Crafting Budgets & 2025 Capacity Building Initiative

Join us January 6, 2025, at noon for a “two-in-one” webinar: we’ll start with a short, demonstrative session on preparing budgets for Health Fund grant applications. Afterward, we’ll transition to an overview of our 2025 Capacity Building Grant Initiative.

In the first segment, our grants manager will provide tips for crafting budgets and navigating the budget portion of our application across all Health Fund grant programs. In the second segment, our program team will go over the priorities and processes in our 2025 Capacity Building RFP. We’ll have time for Q&A after each session, and we’ll share recordings with registrants afterward.

Join us for the full webinar or hop on at 12:30 p.m. to catch the RFP portion only. You are welcome to participate with your camera off. Come with lunch: bring an appetite for learning and a new grant opportunity! We look forward to seeing you there. Questions? Contact Veronica Marchese at veronica@mihealthfund.org. Register and view the full agenda by clicking here.

REGISTER FOR HEALTH FUND WEBINAR

Please note: The Capacity Building program is referenced in two cycles. The grant limit has increased to $200,000 for 2025. The application for our Community Health Impact program will open in May.

You can find more informational resources, including past grants and frequently asked questions, on our website and new Grant Database.

Questions? Contact Veronica Marchese at veronica@mihealthfund.org

The Division of Grant Review (DGR) is recruiting reviewers who have academic qualifications and meet the requirements of the 21st Century CURES Act.

Preferred CURES Act Experience:

A medical degree, a doctoral degree in psychology, or an advanced degree in nursing or social work from an accredited program.

An active license and experience in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or recovery from mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder.

In addition to recruiting those with the preferred CURES Act experience, DGR continues to search for the following:

People who meet the general reviewer qualifications found on SAMHSA’s “How to Become a SAMHSA Reviewer” webpage.

Expectations:

Participate in a mandatory pre-review teleconference to learn about key aspects of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Availability during the review period, which is expected to last approximately two weeks and participation in a follow-up conference call with other reviewers if needed.

Analyze and evaluate grant applications against published evaluation criteria.

Clear writing style and adherence to deadlines.

Reviewers will receive $180 per application reviewed and returned to SAMHSA in the timeline specified for each program.

Please contact DGR at reviewer@samhsa.hhs.gov for more information or go to the website to submit your information.

Interested eligible applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent to apply for funding. The information in the attached document contains guidance regarding the funding opportunity, deadlines, requesting clarifying information, the required contents of the letter of intent, and how to submit. Deadline for applying for this funding opportunity is January 10, 2025.

MDHHS anticipates awarding a total of $20,000,000 to eligible applicants, and these grants will have a term of either one or two years, beginning on March 17, 2025 (date subject to change).

PSH Supportive Services LOI
December 4, 2024 – 10:30 am EST
REGISTER HERE!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the event

Additional grant application resources Supplemental Budget Template and PSH Supportive Services LOI Application

Bridge has spent months chronicling the devastating impact of the ongoing opioid crisis and disagreement over how the state and local governments will spend a combined $1.6 billion in funds intended to help. Now, Michigan has launched a new online mapping tool to allow those with substance abuse disorders to find help. It’s searchable by ZIP code, city or county, and it identifies which providers accept Medicaid. 

The mapping tool can be found here.

A Democratic House member has alerted leadership that a health issue will prevent her from attending session for at least this week. A call to the member and the member’s office failed to provide clarification regarding her potential availability during lame duck.

The issue of attendance during lame duck is critical, given the Democrats’ slim 56-54 majority in the House. The absence of one more Democratic member would prevent a bill from passing on only party-line votes.

Another wrinkle in the fabric is some conferences that are taking place in December, starting with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in Washington D.C., which is scheduled to meet Dec. 2-7. House Speaker Joe TATE (D-Detroit) is listed as a featured guest for a Wednesday afternoon plenary session. However, House Democratic spokesperson said the Speaker will be attending that event virtually and plans to be in Lansing for session that day.

Whether others attend the conference, which has seen participation from Michigan legislators in the past, is in question, but legislative leaders are urging their members to stay in Lansing.

The same is true for another conference, the State Innovation Exchange (SiX), a progressive policy group that’s active in Michigan, which is holding its first national conference Dec. 11-13 in Atlanta, Ga. While none of Michigan’s state legislators are listed as speakers, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim BORING and Michigan SiX Director Tom LENARD have slots on the schedule.

“We expect every member to participate in session as long as they’re physically able to be there,” said House Majority Floor Leader Abraham AIYASH (D-Hamtramck). “We are not making exceptions for conferences.”

Sen. Erika GEISS (D-Taylor), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said she is urging “members to make wise choices, taking into account that these conferences overlap with lame duck. What they do with that and where they believe they need to be is entirely up to them.”

However, the health issue of at least one member has Democrats conceding that working with House Republicans for at least the first week of lame duck (if not more) will be necessary. The House will be in session as scheduled next week, voting all three days, but will need Minority Leader Matt HALL (R-Richland Township)‘s help to pass legislation. At this point, the Democratic caucus is “still hopeful” about its attendance.

Meanwhile, following up on a report from last night, the Governor’s office confirmed this morning that the Governor has meetings scheduled with leaders of both parties as the Legislature returns from Thanksgiving break.

“The Governor met with legislative leaders during their last week of session prior to the Legislature’s hunting break,” said Whitmer Communications Director Bobby LEDDY. “As the Governor has said repeatedly, she looks forward to working with both parties in lame duck on legislation to expand economic development tools and fix the roads.”

The updates come as House and Senate members combined to introduce 295 bills in the month of November, more than twice as many as in 2022 (99) and more than 2020 (168), 2018 (217) and 2016 (110). Numerous interest groups are pushing to get their priorities through during the three-week window.

The Republicans under the presumed next speaker, Rep. Matt HALL (R-Richland Township), will treat the oversight committee the same as the appropriations committee and standing committees as a whole. 

The goal is to make sure the government is working well, and that money is being spent wisely.  Logistically, there are still several questions. The size of the committee isn’t known, although it promises to be larger than today’s nine-member committee. Some members want the committee to be given subpoena powers, but that hasn’t been ironed out, yet, according to a source. 

The committee will have a unique process in which subcommittees or a team of members will be asked to dive into specific issues over a period of months. 

In Gov. Gretchen WHITMER‘s first four years, then-Oversight Committee Chair Hall and Steve JOHNSON did deeper dives than prior House committees. This committee promises to be even more extensive with the Democratic governor completing her final two years. 

It will be more than going through a department budget.  “It’s going to be a big, big thing over the next two years,” one source said. 

Without opposition, the Michigan Senate passed SB 918, SB 917, SB 916 and SB 915 allows law enforcement officers to take someone in for a psychiatric examination if they have “reasonable cause” to believe they need community mental health treatment. Currently, officers must personally witness signs of uncontrolled mental illness.

Proponents of SB 915, such as the Mental Health Association in Michigan (MHAM), say it will give officers “greater latitude” to follow guidance from loved ones and treatment providers who contact them flagging someone’s behavior.  Additionally, the bill permits psychiatric nurse practitioners to conduct examinations. 

During an Oct. 9 Senate Health Policy Committee hearing, MHAP President Marianne HUFF said she frequently gets phone calls from family members seeking treatment for loved ones. But in order to get it, according to their complaints, the person “has to be basically so incapacitated by symptoms” that they become potentially and unintentionally harmful, she explained.   

“When somebody has uncontrolled symptoms of those conditions, mainly psychosis or what we would call hyper-mania, there is a lack of the understanding of the need for treatment,” Huff said. “Nobody should have to be so overcome by symptoms of a mental health condition that they could either harm themselves or someone else without meaning to, or find themselves in the criminal justice system.” 

SB 916 sets up a system where prosecuting attorneys, defendants or their counsel can make a motion subjecting someone to a mental health examination following misdemeanor charges. After a petition hearing – with petition filings based on the examination’s findings – courts can place that person into an assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) program for up to 180 days. 

Although the bill states that conditions for release from the courts’ oversight must be separate from complying with a treatment plan, it does provide that misdemeanor charges can be dismissed 90 days after the individual’s AOT order. If they’re charged with a “serious misdemeanor,” the timeframe will be 180 days.

At the same time, the defendant can oppose being diverted from criminal prosecution and into AOT, choosing to remain in the criminal justice system. The prosecuting attorney would have the same influence if they object. 

“This allows for individuals to focus on their treatment without the immediate pressure of legal consequences, fostering an environment for recovery if they comply with the treatment,” said Sen. Sylvia SANTANA (D-Detroit), the sponsor of SB 916, in December. “This bill represents a compassionate and more pragmatic approach to addressing mental health within our criminal justice system, by prioritizing treatment over punishment.” 

Also in the legislation, care providers and family members have the opportunity to seek mediation before a petition is filed with a probate court that could result in involuntary treatment. 

According to backers of the reform, mediation requests require the person being flagged for mental illness to speak with a community mental health (CMH) provider early on, discussing treatment plans with their input. 

However, when a petition is filed, the individual will be examined in a hospital by a physician or licensed psychologist for no longer than 24 hours.

Why Support CMH PAC? 

In the Michigan Legislature there are:

• More new legislators due to term limits.
• Fewer legislators with in-depth knowledge about behavioral health issues.
• More legislative proposals that directly and indirectly impact Michigan’s publicly funded mental health system.
• More aggressive interest groups competing for limited resources.
• Very few legislative champions for persons with mental health, developmental/intellectual disabilities and substance use disorders.

CMH PAC helps overcome some of these obstacles by raising awareness for issues that are important to behavioral health care. The CMH PAC supports legislators/candidates who support and advocate on behalf of Michigan’s publicly funded mental health system.

Interested in contributing to CMH PAC? 

Donate online or mail check donations to our offices located at 507 S. Grand Ave., Lansing, MI 48933. Please make checks payable to CMH PAC.