Coalition Advocacy on State Budget is Successful!

After arduous debate, the New York State 2009-10 Enacted Budget was passed on April 3, 2009. We are pleased (although not completely satisfied) with funding advocated by The Coalition.

• $2 million to restore the cut to Continuing Day Treatment (CDT) programs until June 30, 2010. This is a one year extender while we had hoped for a longer term. Stay tuned for future advocacy plans.
• Extension of the exemption for public sector social work and mental health practitioners from current licensing law until June 1, 2010. The Coalition was hopeful for a 4 year exemption period as proposed by Governor Paterson in the Executive 2009-10 Budget. Six months is better than none. Much work to do.
• $4 billion in new revenue from increasing the Personal Income Tax (PIT) on high income earners (individuals whose annual income is greater than $200,000)
• $13.4 million to restore the 1% cut to Human Services Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for providers that receive funding through OASAS and OMH
• $14.million in new revenue from increasing taxes on the sale of beer and wine. Despite our urging, the State did not reinvest this new source of money into OASAS prevention and recovery programs.
• $81.4 million to restore the full State share on Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI)
• $4.4 million to restore the Personal Needs Allowances (PNA) for OASAS recipients
• $13.5 million in savings from program restructuring of the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act (SOMTA)

We wish to thank our members who supported these efforts by calling, writing, emailing, faxing and meeting with State representatives in-district and with The Coalition in Albany during our advocacy day trips.

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State Budget Analysis: OMH & OASAS

In closing the State’s $17.7 billion budget deficit, Governor Paterson and the Legislature tapped federal stimulus money ($6.2 billion), new taxes and fees ($6.3 billion), and implemented service cuts ($5.2 billion). Coalition policy and advocacy staff has been sifting through the State’s budget documents to see how the Offices of Mental Health and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services fared, here are some of the details.

Office of Mental Health (OMH)

The Legislature provided funding to restore proposed cuts including: $9.5 million in 2008-09 1% Cost of Living Adjustment reduction, $1.0 million for Unified Services funding in 2009-10, $0.8 million for home and community based services waiver, and $2 million for Continuing Day Treatment (CDT) programs. Legislators also approved $13.5 million in savings from restructuring the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act (SOMTA) program. SOMTA will undergo staffing changes and offenders will remain in the custody of the Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) until court proceedings are complete instead of being held in OMH facilities.

The OMH budget includes the Governor’s proposal to reduce state-operated inpatient capacity by 450 beds or nearly 11% by shifting patients to the Transitional Placement Program and less costly outpatient community based services. In addition, the Legislature delayed the expansion of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) exclusion law, and added $300,000 in funding for the Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities Legal Advocacy program. Funding for the Residential Treatment Facilities (RTF) trend factor was not restored, meaning a $1.1 million cut in 2009-10 unless government can find an alternative means of providing it.

Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)

The Legislature restored funding for proposed reductions of $3.9 million in 2008-09 1% COLA reduction, $50,000 for Unified Services funding in 2009-10, as well $4.4 million to restore the cut to Personal Needs Allowances (PNA) for OASAS recipients, which appears in the Office of Temporary Disability Administration’s (OTDA) budget.

The OASAS budget includes the Governor’s proposal of $4 million to fund alternative to incarceration programs for chemical dependence treatment and case management services. It also adds funding for costs related to Rockefeller Drug Law reform ($10 million in capital related expenses and $800,000 for operating costs), and $2 million in recurring funding for the AIDS Institute to provide primary health care services for persons enrolled in drug treatment programs.

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Paterson and Legislature Agree on Rockefeller Drug Law Reform

The Coalition is very happy to report that on March 27, 2009, Governor Paterson and legislative leaders reached an agreement to reform New York State’s drug laws. In the State’s Enacted 2009-10 budget, OASAS was provided with $10.8 million for capital and operating costs related to drug law reform. According to the agreement, mandatory sentencing requirements will be eliminated for most nonviolent, low-level drug offences, and individuals already incarcerated will now have the opportunity to apply for reduced sentences. Moreover, court judges will be able to sentence offenders to drug treatment programs instead of prison. For the Governor’s full press release, please follow this link: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/press_0327091.html.

We welcome these changes. Under the current system, judges have no discretion on whether offenders should be incarcerated or diverted to drug addiction treatment programs. The Rockefeller Drug Laws have not only failed to treat drug addiction, but have been very costly by mandating prison sentences for even nonviolent, low-level drug offenses. It costs $45,000 a year to keep an individual in prison, while treatment programs can range from $4,000 - $25,000 a year depending on the model. These laws have also been disproportionately harmful to minority communities, even though their rates of drug use are similar to the rest of the population.

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Coalition Testifies on City FY10 Preliminary Budget

On March 25, 2009, The Coalition testified at the City Council’s FY10 Preliminary Budget hearing held by the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services, chaired by Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and the Committee on Finance, chaired by Councilman David Weprin.

 The Coalition provided joint testimony with United Neighborhood Houses, The Geriatric Mental Health Alliance (MHA of NYC) and the UJA Federation of New York. We were critical of the City’s contracting process as three-quarters into this fiscal year, no geriatric money has hit the street and other programs are not faring that well either. We will continue to keep pressure on the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to work out any kinks in the City’s contracting processes. An article on the Department’s contracting also appeared in the April 6, 2009 online edition of New York Nonprofit Press, where two Coalition staff members are quoted.

The Department provided the City Council with detailed information on how it plans to implement FY10 mental hygiene PEGs (Program to Eliminate the Gap – specific ways the City responds to budget deficits). In summary, the Department will reduce City Tax Levy appropriations through a mix of program closures ($1.9 million), cuts ($2.7 million) and new revenue ($1.7 million).

In addition, we presented our own testimony to restore City Council funding of The Coalition’s Professional Learning Center to provide hands-on technical assistance and training to New York City’s community behavioral health providers. We will continue to keep you informed and updated as FY10 budget negotiations occur.

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Group Work Training at The Coalition’s Center  

Title:                Groups: Recovering Together
Date:                Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Time:                9:30am - 1:00pm
Location:          The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies
Facilitators:      Aaron Vieira, LMSW

This half-day training is designed for mental health practitioners who seek to harness the power of groups to support individuals in their recovery. Participants will be introduced to theoretical concepts and fundamental skills essential for effective group work practice. The focus will be on establishing and promoting group dynamics that satisfy members’ socio-emotional needs, strengthen their commitment to personal goals and help the group as a whole recover. Through didactic and experiential learning, participants will acquire the skills they need to plan and lead groups that are meaningful and alive.

Click on this link to  Register now »  or  Visit our website: www.coalitionny.org/the_center/training

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Around the Water Cooler

The Coalition congratulates SOMH’s Dr. Lloyd Sederer and Rosanne Haggerty of Common Ground Community HDFC, who received grants from the Rockefeller Institute to be "Bellagio Scholars in Residence." Only 20 scholars from around the world were accepted. Dr. Sederer is working on a book for families of people with mental illness to help them understand and navigate the mental health system.

The Coalition sends heartfelt good wishes to Dawn Lannon, Associate Commissioner, Adult Community Care Group at the Office of Mental Health.  We also wish her the best of luck in her upcoming retirement this July. It has been our personal and professional pleasure to work with her on many projects over the years to improve the lives of people with mental illness.

Members can now advertise events on our website! The Coalition has created a webpage for member sponsored events, which will soon be featuring the ability for our members to submit postings directly to us via the web. To view current member events, please go to: http://www.coalitionny.org/members/events.php.

Free Social Security Benefits Training will be offered by OMH on May 7th and 8th 2009, presented by John B. Allen, Jr., Director Office of Recipient Affairs, New York State Office of Mental Health at The more information, please contact Tim O’Clair, Family Affairs Specialist at (518)-474-4888 or coratpo@omh.state.ny.us.

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Three Coalition Members Receive Grants

The Coalition congratulates the following members for securing grant funding to support children, adolescents and young adults.

The Guidance Center in Westchester County was awarded $225,000 from The WorkPlace, which administers U.S. Department of Labor funding, for a new project called “Get Wired!” The program will provide young adults ages 18-24 with occupational and work readiness skills for careers in information technology (IT).

Comunilife was awarded $45,000 from the van Ameringen Foundation to help support its “Life is Precious” program, an initiative to address the extremely high suicide rates among Hispanic adolescent and teenage girls.

Jewish Child Care Association was awarded a three year $150,000 grant from the Herbert M. Citrin Charitable Foundation to fund its Compass Bridges Project. This initiative provides expanded services to help youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder transition to college.

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Coalition Issues Memorandum of Opposition to Timothy’s Law Sunset Provision

The Coalition has written a memo in opposition of bill A.5396, an act to extend Timothy’s Law for just one year, because it fails to make this law permanent. Timothy’s Law assures insurance coverage for millions of New Yorkers with mental illness. By only extending the law for one year:

• the bill does not end the practice of marginalizing the needs of New Yorker’s who seek care for their mental illness
• the bill does not permanently stop health insurance contracts from setting higher deductibles or more restrictive limits for diagnosis and treatment of mental illness than physical illness

In addition to our opposition of this bill, we noted in the memo that proposals to make Timothy’s Law permanent are pending in both houses of the Legislature (A.5659 by Assemblyman Peter Rivera and S.1646 by Senator Shirley Huntley). We will keep you updated on the status Timothy’s Law legislation as it works its way through the Legislature.

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Coalition Comments on OASAS Draft Regulations

The Coalition submitted comments to Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuses Services (OASAS) on the draft revision of Part 822 of the Mental Hygiene Regulations. We expressed our concerns on the use of language in the regulations, where ambiguity will result in billing complications for providers. This would put service providers at risk of significant funding “takebacks” when audited if consistent and transparent language is not adhered to. In addition, The Coalition stated the need for revised regulations between OMH and OASAS as integrated treatment becomes a reality. We believe that the two agencies should align as much as possible the policies, procedures and methods governing the provision of services to consumers to foster integrated services by providers. Finally, we acknowledged staffing concerns that were voiced by our members.

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Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Initiatives to Help Nonprofits

On April 6, 2009, Mayor Bloomberg outlined a number of steps the City is taking to strengthen the nonprofit community, particularly during the current economic downturn. A lot of these initiatives came out of a contracting workgroup that comprised Coalition participants. Below is a summary:

• Implementing a standard multiagency human services contract
• Enabling nonprofit group purchase of goods and services to save money
• Evaluating nonprofit energy use and providing strategies to reduce costs
• Accessing contract information via the internet: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mocs/html/research/human_services.shtml
• Reducing delays in compliance review and increase City agency accountability
  Establishing a nonprofit help center and website: http://www.nyc.gov/nonprofits

For more initiatives and information please see the Mayor’s full press release.

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OMH Clinic Restructuring Plan Now Available on the Web

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has undertaken a multi-year initiative to restructure the way the State delivers and reimburses publicly supported mental health services. This OMH Clinic Restructuring Plan describes a redesigned clinic program; a new payment system; and a multi-year implementation plan.
Please see the link for more information: http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/resources/publications/clinic_restructuring/#.

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OMH Offers Web-based Continuing Medical Education Courses (PSYCKES)

Web-based continuing medical education (CME) courses are now being made available as part of the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Department of Health (DOH) collaborative effort to improve psychotropic prescribing practices. This three year initiative was rolled out in the Fall of 2008 and focuses on two quality concerns: psychotropic polypharmacy and the use of antipsychotics with high or moderate risk of metabolic side effects for individuals with cardiometabolic risk factors. Video presentations and CME’s by top leaders in the field can be accessed at the following links:

Cardiometabolic (Youth) https://psyckesmedicaid.omh.state.ny.us/Common/CardiometabolicYouth.aspx, Cardiometabolic (Adult) https://psyckesmedicaid.omh.state.ny.us/Common/CardiometabolicAdult.aspx.

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MHA of Westchester to Present Person Centered Service Planning Conference

The Coalition would like to inform you to save the date for “It’s All About You: Person Centered Service Planning,” 29th Annual Ira Stevens Conference presented by the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Westchester and the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health. Speakers will include: Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Commissioner, New York State Office of Mental Health, Grant Mitchell, M.D., Commissioner Westchester County Department of Mental Health, and Mark Ragins, M.D., Medical Director, The Village Integrated Service Agency. 

The conference will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at the County Center in White Plains, New York, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Topics include financial and strategic viability of person centered practices, motivational interviewing, developing peer supports, becoming proactive in our own services, and person centered practice with individuals receiving court mandated service. For more information please visit: www.mhawestchester.org or contact hansenj@mhawestchester.org .

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Room Still Available at NYAPRS Executive Seminar Program

The NYAPRS Executive Seminar on Systems Transformation will take place in Albany, New York from April 23rd – 24th. This seminar aims to support and energize today’s executive and program leadership at statewide community behavioral health agencies, with presentations that promote individualized and integrated person-centered support and focus on overcoming fragmentation of care barriers in physical and behavioral health care. The NYAPRS Executive Seminar early bird discount has been extended until this Friday, April 17th. Please contact Jackie Negri at jackie@nycap.rr.com. The seminar program is available at http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/NYAPRS_ES_bro_09_final1.pdf, and the registration form at http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/NYAPRS_ES_registration_09_final.pdf.

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Coalition Job Board

Coalition Members advertise staff positions for free on The Coalition’s Job Board!  Here's a sample:

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