DATE

CALL TOPIC

January 19

Expanding Partnerships in Systems of Care:  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Working Together 

Building and sustaining the capacity to support effective community-based systems of care for children who are experiencing a serious emotional disturbance or co-occurring substance abuse disorder, and their families is an extremely challenging undertaking.  The Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Abuse State Infrastructure Grants program brings together Mental Health and Substance Abuse efforts at the state level.  This grant program currently supports six states and one tribal government in their efforts to build the collaborative partnerships, infrastructure, workforce and culturally and linguistically competent system of supports and services for children and their families.  What are the challenges in this work, the innovative strategies, and the types of cross-training necessary to achieve such an undertaking?  Discuss these questions and more with substance abuse, mental health and family representatives from several of the states and tribe.  Perspectives on these efforts will be presented, including policy perspectives from Substance Abuse and Tribal experts as well as the perspective of one state that is addressing these issues.
Moderator: 
Neal Horen, Ph.D.,
National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, Washington, DC
Presenters:
Doreen Cavanaugh, Ph.D.,
Georgetown University Public Policy Institute,
Providence, RI and Washington, DC
Powerpoint - SAMHSA Efforts to Enhance State Infrastructure
Holly Echo-Hawk,
Echo-Hawk & Associates, Vancouver, WA
Powerpoint - Expanding Partnerships in Systems of Care - Building and Sustaining Tribal Capacity
Jytte Methmann, LCSW,
State Infrastructure Grant Collaborator,
Division of Behavioral Health Services,
Children's Bureau, Phoenix, AZ
Frank Rider, MS,
Bureau Chief, Children's Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ
Powerpoint - Expanding Partnerships in Systems of Care: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Working Together in Arizona
PDF - Substance Abuse Treatment In Children
Link - The DBHS web site
Link - The DBHS intake assessment
Link - Covered Services Guide
Link - CFT Practice Improvement Protocol
Link - Substance Abuse Practice Improvement Protocol

February 16

Putting Transformation Into Practice -
Hosted by the National Association of Mental Health Program Directors

The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health in its report, "Achieving the Promise", put forth goals and recommendations for transforming mental health service delivery in America.  These goals and recommendations are driving the federal action agenda for mental health and state planning agendas and program development.  This call will highlight two states that are conducting service system reforms in child and family mental health.  Presenters will describe the new directions their states are striving to achieve and how they are making it happen.  Presenters will talk about: gaining the political will for change; the organization of infrastructure processes to design systems reforms; family and youth partnerships; policy and agency redirections to support change; how the designs are translating into direct practice through workforce development strategies, service and network development; new population approaches; collaborations across sectors; funding; and data to gauge the impacts of reforms.  Presenters will talk about lessons learned for other states doing similar reform efforts - what has worked and what they would do differently.
Presenters:
Glenace Edwall, Ph.D. Psy.D.
Director, Children's Mental Health Services Division
Minnesota Department of Human Services
Powerpoint - Putting Transformation into Practice: Minnesota's Experience
Kay Rietz
Assistant Deputy Director
Office of Children's Services and Prevention
Ohio Department of Mental Health
Powerpoint - Improving Behavioral Health Services for Children and Their Families
Terre Garner
Director
Ohio Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health

March 16

Using Medicaid to Finance Home and Community-Based Services in Systems of Care

This call is the first in a two-part series on Financing.Chris Koyanagi from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law will describe what can be done through Medicaid, SCHIP and other program authorities to develop and expand services.  She will address specific activities that can and cannot be covered by Medicaid, how to meet the federal Medicaid requirements and the use of home and community-based waivers and the TEFRA Option for children with serious emotional disturbances. Chris will also address upcoming changes in Medicaid due to the budget reconciliation legislation signed by the President in 2/06.   Robin Trush, vice president, Children's Services, ValueOptions, in Maricopa County and former AZ state director of children's mental health, will describe how Medicaid funding has been instrumental in expanding services and provider types, funding family organizations, and supporting the work of child and family teams in AZ. Robin will discuss the role of a lawsuit and managed care in implementing these reforms in AZ, Joan Smyrski, Maine children's mental health director will discuss the array of services available through Medicaid in Maine, two levels of targeted case management (including one provided by family members) and recent efforts to reinvest Medicaid funds into community-based services through reductions in residential care.
Moderator:
Jan McCarthy,
Director of Child Welfare Policy, National TA Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development, Washington, DC
Presenters:
Chris Koyanagi,
Policy Director, Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Washington, DC
Powerpoint - Medicaid Financing of Home and Community-Based Services
Joan Smyrski,
Director Children's Behavioral Health Services, Department of Health & Human Services, Augusta, Maine
Powerpoint - MaineCare Department of Health & Human Services
Robin Trush,
Vice President, Children's Services, ValueOptions, Phoenix, AZ
Powerpoint - History of Managed Behavioral Health Care in Arizona

April 20

Financing Strategies to Support Systems of Care

The second call in this two-part series will address other financing strategies and structures to build and sustain systems of care. Sheila Pires will present an overview and will introduce the Self-Assessment and Planning Guide that is available for states and communities to use to assess their current financing systems and prioritize how to move forward. Sheila will discuss cross-system financing strategies such as blending and braiding funds, supporting alternative services, flexible funding, and contracting.  She will discuss issues related to redirecting funds from residential treatment to community-based services and the financing of evidence-based practices. Denise Sulzbach, director of mental health transformation in MD will discuss the redirection of funds from residential treatment to community-based services and two pilot initiatives in Montgomery County and Baltimore City to provide wraparound services. Bruce Kamradt, director of children's mental health services for Milwaukee County and director of Wraparound Milwaukee, will describe interagency funding strategies used in Milwaukee to serve both children with significant mental health needs and children who are at risk.  Bruce will also describe the funding mechanisms for an integrated physical health-behavioral health care delivery model for children in foster care in Milwaukee.
Moderator:
Jan McCarthy,
Director of Child Welfare Policy, National TA Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development, Washington, DC
Presenters:
Bruce Kamradt,
Director, Wraparound Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Powerpoint - Pooling Funding and Utilizing a Managed Care Framework to Finance and Manage a System of Care for Children with Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health Needs
Sheila Pires,
Partner, Human Service Collaborative, Washington, DC
Powerpoint - Financing Strategies to Support Systems of Care
Denise Sulzbach,
Director, Systems of Care Initiatives, Governor's Office for Children, Baltimore, MD
Powerpoint - Maryland Financing Strategies to Support Systems of Care
PDF - Maryland Wraparound Model: Request to Amend Section 1115 Health Care Reform Demonstration

May 18

Research to Practice: Creating an Organizational Culture to Support Evidence-Based Practices in Systems of Care

As states and communities grapple with the challenges of implementing and disseminating evidence-based practices within a systems of care approach, the concept of creating an evidence-based culture in children's mental health is emerging.  This call will highlight key aspects of creating an evidence-based culture and organizational and external factors that influence the implementation of evidence-based practices within a comprehensive service delivery system.
Moderator:
Rachele Espiritu, Ph.D.
National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health,
Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development
Presenters:
Jeanne Rivard, Ph.D.
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, NASMHPD Research Institute
Powerpoint - Research to Practice: Creating an Organizational Culture to Support Evidence-Based Practices in Systems of Care
Glenace Edwall, Ph.D.
Pat Nygaard, Ph.D.
Children's Mental Health Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Powerpoint - Using Evidence to Transform Systems: Minnesota's Experience
Barbara Lindberg RN, JD
Parent Liaison Transition Project
Minnesota National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Powerpoint - Using Evidence to Transform Systems
Lynne Marsenich, L.C.S.W.
California Institute for Mental Health
Powerpoint - Evidence-Based Practices in the Real World
Link - NIRN Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature

June 15

Putting Transformation into Practice: Identifying and Implementing Culturally and Linguistically Competent Services and Supports

Since transformation of the mental health services systems means provision of services that are meaningful and effective for diverse populations, service systems will need to re-examine commonly held beliefs about the nature of mental illness, the nature of the helping relationship, and the elements of effective intervention. The transformation effort also requires an examination of the pathway to services to achieve maximal access for those who have not felt comfortable with the existing service system. This call will offer examples from states and provider organizations of a range of culturally and linguistically competent strategies that honor the diversity of beliefs and facilitate access to clinically appropriate, culturally acceptable, and linguistically accessible services and supports. It will address staff preparation and qualifications, financing issues, and outcomes and evaluation. 
Moderator:
Vivian Jackson,
Senior Policy Associate, National Center for Cultural
Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Presenters:
Carol Hardesty,
Executive Director, Family Ties of Westchester, Inc., White
Plains, NY
Powerpoint - FAMILY TIES: 4-Our Children
Holly Echo-Hawk,
Senior Mental Health Consultant, National Indian Child Welfare Association, Vancouver, WA
Powerpoint - Culturally and Linguistically Competent Services & Supports: Practice-Based Evidence
Renee Gayhart,
Tribal Health Program Manager, Office of the Commissioner,
Juneau, AK
Powerpoint - Delivering Health Care to the Last Frontier
Sylvia Escala,
Site Manager, Family Ties Ossining Resource Center,
Ossining, Ny

September 21

Services and Supports: Primary Care and Mental Health 

In the past decade, interest and activities in the interface between primary health care and mental health and substance abuse services have increased markedly among the many stakeholders who care about positive outcomes for young children's mental health and well-being.  Pediatricians and primary care physicians are in a unique position to identify early childhood mental health concerns and family mental health and substance abuse risk factors.  Yet, how do pediatricians and primary care practices integrate screening into standard care?  How do they link to or integrate mental health and substance abuse services?

A SAMHSA, research project explored these questions and identified eight innovative medical home practices that integrate behavioral health screening for the whole family, facilitate referrals to community services, and offer follow-up care.  The unique features of these programs demonstrated creative partnerships and effective strategies for services and supports for young children and their families. In this call, two innovative programs from the study will be featured that offer a primary care medical home to screen, refer and follow young children and their families into behavioral health care services.  Presenters, will address both challenges and success in how they accomplished these innovations; including screening tools, funding for services, and links to behavioral health resources.

Moderator:
Kathy S. Hepburn, MS
National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health
Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Washington, DC
Powerpoint -  The Best Beginning
Presenters:           
Joan Yengo
Vice President for Programs
Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.
Washington, DC
Powerpoint - Mary's Center
Marian Earls, MD
Medical Director, Guilford Child Health, Inc.
Greensboro, NC 
Powerpoint - Guilford Child Health, Inc.  
On-line video - www.guilfordchildhealth.com

October 19 - 4 pm ET

Services and Supports:  Moving Towards Youth Driven Systems of Care

What does it mean?  How do you do it? And what professionals must do differently to make it work.  Highlights states and communities that have implemented effective youth partnerships to shape policy and to drive their own care.
Moderator:
Liz Waetzig, Director, Collaborative Systems Design, Georgetown
University Center for Child and Human Development, Washington, DC
Presentors:
Myrna Carpenter, Youth Involvement Coordinator, STARS for Children's Mental Health Monticello, MN
Victor Damian, Youth Coordinator, Children's System of Care, San Francisco, CA
Powerpoint - The Youth Movement
Lorrin Gehring, Youth Resource Specialist, The Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, Provo, UT

November 16

Building a Culturally and Linguistically Competent Workforce

As mental health and other child serving organizations and systems attempt to provide more effective services for racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse children, youth and their families, they are confronted with the question of who is best prepared to provide services to these populations. These systems understand that the failure to understand the histories, traditions, beliefs, language, and value systems of culturally diverse groups can result in tragic consequences of poor access to quality care and/or inappropriate services for children, youth and their families. But how does a system or organization tackle the workforce question?

This call will focus on two major tasks: 1) increasing the number of bi/multi-cultural and bi/multi-lingual service providers, and 2) enhancing the cultural and linguistic competence throughout the entire workforce. The call will describe recommendations from the Subcommittee on Cultural Competence for the National Strategic Plan, developed through the Annapolis Coalition and released in July 2006.  It will also provide an example from California's approach to recruitment, training, credentialing, licensing and reimbursement of providers to promote culturally and linguistically competent services and supports. A community based mental health service agency, the Center for Multicultural Human Services of Falls Church, VA will address specific strategies that they use to recruit, retain, and train their professionals.  In addition, the Technical Assistance Partnership will share lessons gleaned from its web-based resource designed for system of care communities, the Cultural and Linguistic Competent Implementation Guide: Workforce Development Working Document.

Facilitators:
Vivian Jackson, Senior Policy Associate and Joan Dodge, Senior Policy Associate, National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Word - Agenda
Presenters:
DJ Ida, Executive Director
National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
Powerpoint - Context and Recommendations from the Annapolis Coalition on Workforce Development Cultural Competency Subcommittee
Ken Martinez, Mental Health Resource Specialist
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health
American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC
Powerpoint - Keys Towards Sustainability
Dennis Hunt, Executive Director
Center for Multicultural Human Services
Falls Church, VA
Powerpoint - Workforce Development For Human Service Organizations Serving Refugees and Immigrants
Rachel Guerrero, Chief
Office of Multicultural Services
California Department of Mental Health
Powerpoint - Recruiting and Training a Culturally and Linguistically Competent Workforce a few California Strategies and Recommendations
PDF - Cultural Competency Revised: The California Brief Multicultural Competence Scale

 December
 21

Systemic Approaches to School Mental Health 

There is currently a great opportunity to integrate the school and mental health systems. It appears that members from both systems are increasingly talking about the importance of school mental health but implementation issues are especially challenging. What do we need to know?  What do we need to do differently to make our schools a place where all children can achieve their academic potential and succeed in life?   What are the benefits this will bring to young people and their families? What are the national implications of a successful and shared vision for school mental health?  What is the impact of a public health and systematic approach that integrates system of care with education?  How do social and emotional skills and a school climate that fosters mental health impact a child?s ability to achieve his/her educational goals? 
These and other important questions pertaining to school mental health will be addressed on this call.  Presenters will highlight the importance of school mental health and discuss its contextual framework focusing on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS), and Systems of Care.  Presenters will provide guidance for consideration in framing a new strategy that will move us  beyond the confusion surrounding the school mental health movement to a systematic approach that addresses both academic performance and social and emotional outcomes for America?s children and youth. 

Youth Representative 
Youth representatives from different parts of the country are providing an important contribution to the  planning and implementation of this TA Call.  Youth will identify key themes and issues through a facilitated discussion of school mental health including its importance and challenges.  This group will identify a representative to present on the call that can represent both their own perspective and a broader youth perspective on school mental health and systems of care.

Presenters:
Jonathan Hernandez
Youth Coordinator
Park Project in Bridgeport
Stanley Bernard
Program Director
CoPark Project
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Email: sbernard@theparkproject.org
Powerpoint - Building a System that Cares: The PARK Project, Bridgeport, CT
Jennifer Axelrod
Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Department of Psychology
University of Illinois at Chicago
Email: jaxelrod@uic.edu
Powerpoint - The Impacts of Social and Emotional Learning on Students' Academic Success
Link - CASEL Web Site
Sandy Keenan
Education Specialist
Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health
American Institutes for Research
Email: skeenan@air.org
Powerpoint - Systems of Care and Education Partnerships
Krista Kutash
Professor and Deputy Director
Research and Training Center for Children?s Mental Health
University of South Florida
Email: kutash@fmhi.usf.edu 
Powerpoint - Systemic Approaches to School Mental Health
Mark Weist
Professor and Director
Center for School Mental Health Analysis and Action
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Email: mweist@psych.umd.edu
Powerpoint - Advancing Systematic School Mental Health

Facilitator:
Joyce Sebian
Senior Policy Associate
National Technical Assistance Center for  Childrens Mental Health
Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Email: jks29@georgetown.edu