Welcome to August, and a very happy “It’s Still Summer Despite School Starting Soon, Dad!!” month.
Even though the calendar has rolled onto a new month, certainly there is still time for lazy days at the lake, diving into a river to cool off, and supporting firefighters in any way you can. We hope you and yours have had a great summer thus far, and also hope there is more of the goodness in the days and weeks to come. As for us, we are enjoying our time now while looking forward to a busy end of year.
And now onto the news …..
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 2022 Fund CCBHCs:
Providing $11 billion for mental health services, including increased funding for the Medicaid Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program, increased funding for school-based mental health programs, and investments in pediatric mental healthcare services, the Safer Communities Act focused on mental health.
CCBHCs are facilities specifically designed to provide a community with an all-inclusive range of substance use and mental health disorder services, especially for individuals who have the most complex need. Through a generous grant provided by the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana has taken the lead on vetting the CCBHC model with providers and state stakeholders.
The National Council on Mental Wellbeing have led two different groups through policy discussions about the model so that both providers and state stakeholders can ask questions and fully understand the impact CCBHCs would have on the behavioral health system in Montana if DPHHS chose to request permission from Centers for Medicare/Medicaid to bring the model to Montana.
Advocacy Suggestions:
• Advocate at the Children’s and Families Health and Human Services Interim Meeting on August 26th (information below) for approval of the CCBHC bill by both Democrats and Republicans on the committee.
• You can learn more about the CCBHC model here: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/program/ccbhc-success-center/ccbhc-overview/
Provider Rate Study:
The rate study was requested by DPHHS and funded by the 2021 Legislature. The results from the DPPHS/Legislative study will be presented to the Children’s and Families Health and Human Services Interim Committee on August 26th. To comment at this hearing or to see the agenda, you can sign up here: CFHHS Interim
Committee August Meeting
Advocacy Suggestions:
• Advocate to your representatives and senators across the state for putting the recommended rate increases into the governor’s budget.
• Advocate for both Republican and Democratic Representatives and Senators to support the rate increases as this was a legislatively funded study proposed by DPHHS under the Republican administration.
Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana
featured on the Montana Healthcare Foundation Spotlight:
Check it out here: http://mthcf.org/annual-report-2021/
Please reach out to me if there is anything you need. When we work together, we can solve all the problems out there!
Stay safe. Stay healthy.