Background:
The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County has developed this Advocacy Action Agenda to guide its advocacy efforts for Calendar Year 2009. This agenda was developed with the over-arching goal of promoting personal recovery from mental illness and dependency on alcohol and other drugs.
Recovery is a process unique to each individual that is measured by reaching small and continuous goals, and is built on partnership, trust, hope, supporting choices and promoting dignity, respect and excellent care.
The ADAMHS Board's messages to legislators, state agencies, policy makers, consumers, providers and the general public, will focus on the items listed on this Advocacy Action Agenda.
This Advocacy Action Agenda is in addition to the advocacy that the ADAMHS Board is already providing through collaboration with other groups, such as the Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, NAMI and the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities. Some items on the Advocacy Action Agenda may take higher priority at different times throughout the year.
Advocacy Goals for 2010
Funding:
- Support passage of the Health and Human Services Issue 15 on the May 4 ballot to ensure continued funding to all health and human services, especially mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction treatment services.
- Support efforts to ensure that limited Non-Medicaid dollars are used for the best and most needed services to stay true to our consolidation goals of benefiting consumers and clients while providing greater efficiency and effectiveness.
- Support passage of SB 15 to expand existing mental health insurance parity law to include all mental illnesses and create parity for substance abuse/addiction conditions.
- Support passage of Federal Healthcare that benefits the consumers of mental health and clients of alcohol and other drug addiction treatment services.
- Support efforts to maintain the ADAMHS Board's role in the discussion of and reform of Ohio's Medicaid System for mental health and alcohol and other drug services.
- Support efforts to decrease the time it takes for people who qualify for Medicaid or SSDI to be approved; reapproved through the redetermination process, and reinstated upon release from any correctional facility.
- Support efforts to amend the Federal Medicaid IMD (Institution for Mental Disease) Rule to allow payment for alcohol and other drug treatment services provided in less costly community-based mental health residential facilities regardless of size.
- Support efforts in communicating the importance and cost savings of addressing mental health and alcohol and other drug issues within general healthcare.
System of Care:
-
Support passage of SB 22 to ensure that the problems of prison overcrowding and cost-containment are addressed while increasing community-based corrections, including drug and mental-health treatment, so nonviolent prisoners can be diverted from going to jail, when appropriate, to a designated diversion and treatment point.
-
Support efforts to expand mental health and alcohol and other drug services to individuals returning to the community after incarceration.
-
Support passage of HB 84 - Sean's Law to ensure that health-trained personnel perform a medical, dental, and mental health screening including specific questions regarding the inmates’ usage of addictive drugs and alcohol upon his or her arrival at any jail to avoid death caused by withdrawal.
-
Support efforts of the Olmstead lawsuit to ensure that consumers are treated in the least restrictive environment.
-
Support employment and housing for consumers of mental health and alcohol and other drug treatment services so that people can recover and lead full and productive lives in the community.
-
Support suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug prevention/treatment awareness activities.
-
Support mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction programming for children in schools and early childhood learning environments.
-
Support efforts to advance educational opportunities and professional growth for staff of provider agencies, including the ADAMHS Board Training Institute and Case Western Reserve University Mental Health and Addiction Disorders Fellows program.
-
Support efforts to reduce the over regulation of mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction service providers to create greater efficiencies in service provision.
Stay Informed About Advocacy Efforts:
The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County offers Cuyahoga County residents an opportunity to stay informed and become involved as advocates for mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction issues.Consumers, family members, providers and the public may request placement on the ADAMHS Board's e-mail distribution list.
Being on our distribution list allows you to stay informed by receiving the latest news and action alerts about legislation and other issues impacting mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction in Cuyahoga County, the state of Ohio and the United States.
To have your name placed on our e-mail distribution list, or to obtain more information on the Advocacy Action Agenda, contact Scott S. Osiecki, Director of External Affairs, at osiecki@adamhscc.org, or at 216-241-3400, ext. 814.
Another way to stay informed is to visit the ADAMHS Board's web sites at www.adamhscc.org. You can find consumer and family information, service providers, facts about mental health and alcohol and other drug addiction, news and legislation, Board publications and general information about the Board.
Download a pfd of the Advocacy Action Agenda