Gov. Mark Dayton has released his proposed budget for the state.  It is, as promised, a mix of cuts and revenue increases.  He explains that he is “not willing to make barbaric cuts in the essential services that affect peoples lives.”  We are greatly encouraged to see recognition from the Governor that we are not talking about mere numbers, we are making choices about real people.  However, reaction from the Legislature has been swift and harsh. This is an opening move, not a final bill.

Despite putting forward several bills that would cut spending, there has not been an official GOP budget plan that closes the entire gap.  We agree with Dayton’s veto message on HF 130: piecemeal solutions will not work for a problem this big.  We must intentionally and deliberately solve this problem. not leave the dirty work for later.  We would hope that all legislators would propose or officially endorse a plan for balancing the entire budget so their priorities are made clear and the people can speak their mind.

Read the rest of our weekly update here, on our legislative page.

In previous weeks, we’ve let you know about attempts to balance the budget by taking away
the foundations of Minnesota’s mental health system.  The more we understand about these
proposals, the worse they look.  These are services that matter a great deal to the people who
receive them and are overall budget savers for the state.  Traditionally, every bill that will alter
spending has a fiscal note attached to it.  The policy change is proposed by a legislator, but
evaluated by experts in the state agencies who are best able to predict the overall financial
impact of the bill.  To our knowledge, the bills moving forward were not scored.  We believe
they oversell the savings by ignoring greater future costs.

So how expensive will these cuts be?  Unless we inform legislators and our fellow voters and
change their minds, they might be very costly.  As you’ll see below, Minnesota has had great
success with controlling costs in the past and we’re risking those gains with every local and
preventive service we eliminate.

It’s an old saying, but an ounce of preventive, community based mental health service is
worth a pound of emergency services and hospitalizations.

This week, we want to get this very simple message out to an even greater audience.

Please visit our 2011 session page to see more information and how you can help.

By Ben Ashley-Wurtmann, MHAM Policy and Outreach Associate

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Arizona, many people have been asking questions about the mental health system and how it responds to individuals who may be capable of violence.  We believe that a strong health system is better able to handle individuals in crisis when it focuses on providing a strong continuum of care.  When every case is an emergency, few people will get the kind of care they require.  However, some of the discussion around the nation has been focused on the perceived danger presented by “the mentally ill.”

The truth is that people with mental illnesses vary greatly in terms of the symptoms they experience, the personalities they have, the experiences they have lived through, and the extent to which their illnesses affect their daily life.  Simply put, there is no one experience of mental illness, or even a particular condition, such as schizophrenia.

An interesting article was posted by the Wall Street Journal, questioning the validity of link of violence and mental illness caught our attention.

But another, more recent study showed that people with schizophrenia are no more likely to commit violence than those without mental illness. That research did find an increased risk of violence among those with schizophrenia who are also using drugs or alcohol.

Complicating things is that even if someone with schizophrenia commits a violent act, the illness isn’t necessary[sic] the reason for the behavior, say experts. With regard to Loughner, “my concern is that people immediately leap to the explanation that [the mental illness is] the master answer to why he committed this crime,” says Swanson. “It’s much more complicated than that.”

These are both important points to keep in mind.  Mental illnesses do not automatically make people violent, nor do they explain everything there is to know about a person.  More than ever, the public understands that mental illnesses are biological and treatable.  Unfortunately, this has not led to a reduction in stigma. This is an ongoing conversation at MHAM as we pursue our vision of improved lives for people with mental illnesses.  You can find more about how stigma works and how we are changing our struggle against it in our recent newsletter (page 4), on our blog, in the news, or by contacting us at [email protected].

As promised and expected, Gov. Dayton signed an executive order to expand Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility for single adults under %75 of the poverty line.  Federal law will expand eligibility even more in the future, but these changes are not scheduled to take place until 2014.  In the mean time, states are being given options to begin the transition early.  Under Gov. Pawlenty, Minnesota had declined these funds, but signed a compromise that would let the next Governor to take action.

Dayton’s signature on this is a major step forward.  MA, unlike the weakened GAMC plan that emerged last session, is a comprehensive plan.  It allows eligible individuals to seek treatment at any number of hospitals and clinics, not just a handful of locations in the Twin Cities.  Unlike Minnesota Care, it offers real coverage for expensive inpatient hospitalization for those least able to afford it.  While we are still waiting on information about how long the transition will take place and individuals are enrolled, we are very heartened to have good news to share.  Particularly for individuals who have lost work or housing and are living with mental illnesses, Medical Assistance represents a better hope for good quality medical care.

This is going to be a difficult legislative session, as the Governor and Legislature wrestle with a 6.2 Billion deficit.  Further cuts are all but inevitable.  With expanded MA, more low income individuals will be able to access resources they need to keep themselves healthy and safe.  For Minnesotans with mental illnesses, this is a victory.

Please stay tuned for further updates and stay in contact with your state legislators.  You can find out who represents you here.  They need to hear from you early and often as they consider the steps necessary to balance the State’s budget.  Let them know why your services are important to you and your community.

The MHAM staff had a busy week between Christmas and New Year’s Day! We moved our offices from Northeast Minneapolis to our new location in Saint Paul. The new office will save us nearly $14,000 per year, which means more of our annual budget can go directly to Individual Advocacy, Issues Advocacy and Education.

Please note our new contact information:

Address: 475 Cleveland Avenue N, Suite 222, Saint Paul, MN 55104-5589
Phone: 651-493-6634
Fax: 651-340-1202

Our website, email addresses, and toll-free phone number will remain the same.

As we come to the end of our first full week in our new office, we are settling in and adding small touches that make the new space feel like home. We believe that our phones, website, and email are all up and running. However, should you have difficulty reaching us, please accept our apologies. We appreciate your patience as we make this transition.

As we move into 2011, we continue to find ways to work smarter and save money wherever possible. Our goal is to maintain our services at their current level. The recent move is part of this cost-saving plan. However, we still need support from individual donors to pursue our mission to enhance mental health, promote individual empowerment, and increase access to treatment and services for persons with mental illnesses. Please consider a tax-deductible donation. You can make your gift online.

Thank you for all you do to support our vision of improved lives for people with mental illnesses! And Happy New Year!!

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants from the community to fill positions on seven citizen advisory boards, including the Adult Mental Health Advisory Council. This 32 member council advises the County Board on adult mental health issues within Hennepin County and monitors, studies, and comments on mental health issues at the federal, state, and local levels. Members serve three-year terms and meet monthly on the third Thursday from 2:00 until 4:30 p.m. The council meets at the Hennepin County Hosmer Library in Minneapolis. located at 347 East 36th Street. Volunteers must be a resident of Hennepin County to be eligible to serve on the council.

For more information or to apply for this volunteer position, please visit the Hennepin County website.

Applications will be taken through Friday, January 7, 2011.

In October, we unveiled the Steps to Wellness kits at MHAM’s Celebrating Recovery education event. Since the event, we’ve had a tremendous response for these kits from individuals, providers and other community organizations. The kits offer several personal wellness tools that can be used to develop a plan for self-care, address a crisis should it arise, and tips on how to advocate for oneself. Because each person’s health and wellness varies and often changes throughout a lifetime, the resources contained in the kit can be used in conjunction with one another or separately. MHAM is inspired by the response and will continue to promote and encourage individuals and providers to take steps to incorporate personal wellness.

To order the Steps to Wellness kits, please call us at 612-331-6840 or kits can also be ordered online. Individual items from these kits can be downloaded from our website as well. Providers that need multiple copies, please contact Brett Dumke, Education Coordinator, at [email protected].

Steps to Wellness is Supported By:
• An educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC
• Janssen, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceutical, Inc.
• Park Nicollet Foundation Healthy Community
• Pfizer Healthcare

Speaking of wellness… In a past blog, we highlighted a campaign developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The SAMHSA 10X10 Wellness Campaign provides resources and free educational events surrounding the latest research and information on programs that address health and wellness issues for individuals with mental illnesses. On December 7, 2010, from 2pm-3:30 pm, the SAMSHA 10×10 Wellness Campaign will be hosting a free teleconference on Prevention and Holistic Approaches to Wellness.

What if you could help us win $1000 just by giving 10 bucks? On November 16, Give to the Max Day, you can. Last year we saw over $4,000 in donations through Give to the Max, so we’re very excited to be participating again this year.

Visit our page on GiveMN.org on November 16 to make a donation.

Overall last year, more than 38,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $14 million to more than 3,000 Minnesota charities and nonprofits in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. This year, the goal for GiveMN.org  is to beat that record by engaging 40,000 donors during the second annual Give to the Max Day on November 16. The Mental Health Association of Minnesota together with GiveMN.org – a first-of-its-kind giving website for nonprofits in Minnesota – is working to create a stronger nonprofit community for Minnesota.

GiveMN’s Give to the Max Day amplifies your giving impact in a number of ways:

• Win a Golden Ticket! $1,000 will be given to a random donor’s charity every hour. You could be that donor! If you are up early or up late, increase our chances of winning that $1,000 by donating at time when there are fewer people awake.
• Put us on the Leader Board! Your donation on November 16, could put us on the leader board to win $10,000 or even $20,000 for the most number of donors for our nonprofit. Help us get “on the board!”

Visit the MHAM page at GiveMN.org to donate.

And thank you to all of our donors throughout the year. We appreciate  your support of our mission to enhance mental health, promote individual empowerment, and increase access to treatment and services for persons with mental illnesses.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is looking at making some very important changes to the mechanisms by which disability is determined for people with mental illness. The proposed changes would probably be expected to make it much more difficult to be found disabled by the SSA if the primary basis of disability is a mental illness.

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has studied and provided a recap of the proposed rule changes Major concerns revolve about the proposed implementation of standardized tests and eligibility determinations hinging on the number of standard deviations from the mean on the new standardized tests. Bazelon projects that only one to two percent of the nation’s population will qualify as disabled as a result of a mental illness under the rule change if adopted. This is far below the most conservative of the estimates of the people with mental illness that are thought to be unable to work.

There are no standardized tests that have a body of evidence that suggest the tests will be able to predict an individuals ability to work Adoption of the proposed rules can be expected to result in many people being turned down by Social Security, but who will not, due to their mental illness, be able to work.

You may express your concerns and/or objections to the proposed rule changes to the Social Security Administration, but you must do so by November 17, 2010. Address your comments to the SSA by one of the following methods:

Go to the http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#home website and search for docket number SSA-2007-0101 and follow directions.

or Fax the SSA at 410-966-2830

or mail the Office of Regulations, Social Security Administration, 137 Altmeyer Bldg., 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401

In just under a week, Minnesotans will go to the polls to choose their Governor, legislators, and many other offices.  This represents a major chance for people to have their say on both federal, state, and local issues.  We strongly encourage people to research the candidates and to vote this Nov. 2nd.

For more information about voting and to see sample ballots for your precinct, visit the MN Secretary of State’s website.  You can find out more about voting if you are under guardianship or living in a group home.  Did you know that people living in a residential facility can get help with getting their ballot delivered to them?  Or that doctors, family members and guardians cannot decide if a person can vote without approval by a court?  Minnesota has a strong tradition of civic engagement and voter participation: please be a part of that this November.

We also encourage people to think about mental health care when they are speaking with candidates and considering their choices.  As a non-profit, we do not support or oppose candidates.  We’re willing to talk to and work with any elected official, but our priorities will always be clear: access to quality and timely mental health services for more Minnesotans.  A few questions to consider:

• How will Minnesota work with former GAMC patients to reduce reliance on emergency rooms as primary care?
• How can State Operated Services be redesigned to help fill the gaps in mental health services in the state?
• Will we continue to see cuts to lower intensity services like PCA, or will we renew our commitment to serving people in their communities?
• What happens to county based services as we try to balance the state budget in the years to come?

These are tough questions with no easy answers.  The future of mental health services in Minnesota is up for debate here, and we all need to do our part to create and protect the kinds of services that matter most for Minnesotans with mental illnesses.

Whatever your views, please take the time to consider your vote and participate in the election.