HB65 would have been a way out of the revolving door, by Michael Gray

Thanks To Michael Gray for his leadership and for this well written explanation of HB65 in Medical News MD. Other than this blog, Michael's article was the only information published about HB65 in media outlets.

The fact that the Appropriations and Revenue committee used the cost of public defender hearings, as an excuse to derail this bill - indicates how much education is still needed regarding this humane solution to stop the revolving door.

When has “outpatient” treatment ever cost more than inpatient?  GG Burns

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"Even though HB65 died in the Appropriations and Revenue committee in Frankfort last week, we will be back next year to advocate for better treatment options!"  - Michael Gray

Michael Gray is executive director of NAMI Louisville, March 5, 2015

New treatment method gives mentally ill a chance at recovery while living independently, with family or in supportive housing.

There are a variety of treatment options for severe and persistent mental illness, but many people experience symptoms so great they are unable to access healthcare services voluntarily. They often end up homeless, incarcerated or involuntarily hospitalized, none of which provide long-term solutions to their symptoms or treatment for their illness.

Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) should be an alternative to those worse-case scenarios. It allows people who would otherwise cycle in and out of the criminal justice system and short-term hospital stays to receive long-term treatment while remaining in the community. 

Community Based Option

AOT is a process where a person’s family, friends and mental health providers can work with the court system to determine the least restrictive means of treatment. It is only suited for people who have the most severe symptoms of mental illness and are often unaware that they need treatment.

Without intervention by their families and the courts, these individuals can end up homeless, incarcerated or victimized as a result of their symptoms. AOT provides a way out of the revolving door of ineffective outcomes by taking patients out of this cycle and giving them a chance at recovery while living on their own, with family or in supportive housing. 

Read more here: http://www.medicalnews.md/a-way-out-of-the-revolving-door/

Reproduced with permission from Medical News, LLC

Vol. [ Copyright or [March 2015]] www.medicalnews.md

Help us pass HB65 - Tim Morton ACT

TOLL-FREE MESSAGE LINE TO LEGISLATORS: 1-800-372-7181 

I alone with many others, have advocated for a revised and "more humane outpatient treatment law" to replace the KRS202A.081, for over 5 years. HB65 is the 5th bill that has been sponsored in the past 3 years and is the combination of HB221 and SB50 from 2014. 

It has been debated and chiseled into a bill that Ky's mental health agencies have adopted to support in the 2015 general assembly … including the support of the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition KMHC, (with over 90 statewide agencies including NAMI Kentucky.)  

For more information why HB65 it has been renamed after Tim Morton, click here: http://changementalhealthlawsinky.blogspot.com/2015/02/hb65-would-have-given-my-son-tim-right.html

ADVOCACY ALERT

from NAMI Kentucky and KMHC

YOUR CALLS MAY DETERMINE THE LIFE OR DEATH OF THIS BILL

I can't emphasize enough how important it is for you to make calls or send emails.

1. Over the weekend and on Monday: To House A and R Committee: Please hear HB 65 as soon as possible and vote passage with amendment that removes fiscal concerns.

2. On Monday and Tuesday: To House Leadership: The fiscal concerns about HB 65 have been resolved. Please move the bill quickly through A & R and a vote in the House!!

3. Once the bill is heard in A and R: To All House Members, Please pass HB 65 to improve mental health treatment for those with serious mental illness.


Feel free to talk more about the bill if you wish. We just need to let them hear from lots of us.

TOLL-FREE MESSAGE LINE TO LEGISLATORS: 1-800-372-7181

LEGISLATORS' FAX NUMBER: 1-502-564-6543

THIS IS THE HOUR!!! THIS IS THE TIME!!
Ella Hunter
NAMI Kentucky
Public Policy and Research Chair
859-338-2517 (Call if you have any questions)

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2/27/15:  IMPORTANT INFORMATION – UPDATE ON HB 65 – OUTPATIENT TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS
WITH SEVERE AND PERSISTENT MENTAL ILLNESS

As you all know, HB 65 passed the House Health & Welfare Committee unanimously on 2/12/15 and we thought it was headed for a quick passage by the full House, as it was placed on the Consent Calendar.  Unfortunately, nature intervened with snow, ice and cold…and the House did not meet during the week of 2/16 – 2/20/15.

On 2/25/15, we learned that the bill had been taken from the Consent Calendar and sent to the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee (never a good sign).  Our bill sponsor, Rep. Burch, immediately went to work to find out what had caused this reassignment and we learned that a significant fiscal impact had been described by the KY Department for Public Advocacy (public defenders).

Yesterday morning, there was a meeting with Ed Monahan (Director of DPA), his assistant, Damon Preston, Chairman Burch and his assistance Tom Schwab, the LRC Budget Reviewer, Steve Shannon and me.  It was a long and intense meeting as we tried to resolve the legitimate concerns raised by DPA around the AOT portion of the bill.  We, of course, made the arguments that public defenders would likely be dealing with these individuals with SPMI anyway and that we were trying to have that intervention be before hospitalization, rather than during or after! 

Chairman Burch was very strong in his resolve to move the bill out for passage, stating that we needed to put some new approaches into practice here in Kentucky to address these unmet needs.  Steve and I weighed in strongly as well, that we had defined this approach narrowly and it needed to be tried.  One of the major concerns expressed by DPA was that currently, they handle MIW cases in 7 District Courts (counties) across the state, not in all 120 counties.  They estimated that they would have to add a significant number of public defenders to provide statewide coverage…hence, the cost impact which would kill the bill.

A compromise was reached which, when amended to the bill, will remove the fiscal impact statement and allow the bill to go forward.  The AOT portion of the bill (old SB 50) will be implemented in the following counties:  Boone, Christian, Fayette, Hardin, Jefferson, Kenton and Perry.  These counties cover approximately one-third of Kentucky’s population and allow DPA to use their attorneys who are already covering cases at ARH, Central State, Eastern State, and Western State hospitals.  We also agreed to add to the criteria that AOT would be available to individuals who have previously been hospitalized (a condition in most of the other AOT laws).

A bonus in amending the bill at this point in time is that we can name it the Tim Morton Act in loving memory of Tim and as a tribute to the incredible advocacy of Faye Morton and her family.

Next Steps:  The bill needs to be heard (briefly) in the House A&R Committee so the amendment can be made and the fiscal impact removed.  That should happen on either Monday or Tuesday.  We will need to get the bill heard and voted on in the House ASAP after it is moved out by A&R.   Once out of the House, we will have to move it very quickly (hopefully) to Senate Health & Welfare and then out of the Senate.  Time is our big enemy at this point…but there is still sufficient time to get it done!

Thank you for your tremendous advocacy on this important bill!    

Sheila

Sheila A. Schuster, Ph.D.

Advocacy Action Network

120 Sears Avenue, Suite 212

Louisville, KY  40207

502-894-0222 phone

kyadvocacy@gmail.com 

www.advocacyaction.net