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 2011.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 uses the advocacy agenda to develop messages to legislators, state agencies, policy makers, consumers, clients, providers and the general public to advance important behavioral health issues.
Items on this agenda are in addition to the advocacy that the Board provides on a daily basis through its work of ensuring that behavioral health services and supports are available to help children and adults reach personal recovery. The Board also collaborates with other groups, such as the Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, NAMI and the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities in promoting other advocacy efforts. Some items on the Advocacy Action Agenda may take higher priority at different times throughout the year.
Advocacy Goals for 2011:
- Support mental health and alcohol and other drug programming the schools, employment and vocational opportunities, Medicaid reform, prevention, insurance parity and reducing the over regulation of providers to create greater efficiencies.
Funding:
- Support Ohio Behavioral Health Finance Plan to achieve appropriate State funding for behavioral health services:
- Behavioral Health Medicaid match shall be funded out of the ODJFS 525 line.
- Boards shall not be required to utilize local levy funds to match Medicaid.
- ODMH line items 408 and 505, and ODADAS line item 401 shall remain fully funded, with the dollars being allocated to communities.
- Support efforts to achieve appropriate local funding for behavioral health services from the new County Government:
- Adequate share of the existing Health & Human Services Levy.
- Separate Behavioral Health Levy.
- Support efforts to ensure that ODMH holds the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County harmless in the revision of the 408 Funding Formula.
- Support efforts to ensure that limited Non-Medicaid dollars are used for the best and most needed services to stay true to our goals of benefiting consumers and clients while providing greater efficiency and effectiveness.
- Support efforts to collaborate with providers to develop an equitable, fair and transparent funding reduction plan that addresses the vital needs of consumers and clients if the ADAMHS Board experiences the projected devastating reduction of $21 million.
System of Care:
- Support Public Awareness and other related Campaigns:
- Of-1-Mind Campaign.
- Treatment Works… People Recover.
- Behavioral Health Care is Health Care.
- Suicide Prevention/Anti-bullying.
- Alcohol and other Drug Awareness/Prevention.
- Support passage of legislation 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 efforts of the Cuyahoga County Children Exposed to Violence initiative to ensure that Cuyahoga County is selected as one of the four sites to receive grant funding from the U.S. Attorney General's Defending Childhood program.
- Support efforts of the ADAMHS Board Women's Outreach Project to ensure the development of Seasons of Hope - a safe house to provide help and respite from the streets for women addicted to alcohol or other drugs.
- Support implementation of Federal Healthcare components that benefit the consumers of mental health and clients of alcohol and other drug addiction treatment services.
- Support efforts to advance educational opportunities and professional growth for staff of provider agencies, partner systems, consumer/clients, families and the general public. through the ADAMHS Board Training Institute.
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 site 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 PDF of the 2011 Advocacy Action Agenda