April 2018

Activities in April

Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute:   Continued work on finalizing the Houston Endowment substance use disorder System Report and helping to develop MAT TA capacity for Texas. Dr. Minkoff gathering information for the report on the new naltrexone pilot implemented in the Harris County jail, which is an excellent innovation. Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline continue to participate in the HHSC-MMHPI workgroup on substance use disorder policy.

On April 11, Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline joined Coby Chase and LDWW to meet with Bring Change to Mind leadership in San Francisco, as part of MMHPI’s efforts to seek collaborators for the next phase of its highly successful Okay to Say anti-stigma campaign. Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline are contributing content to help develop tools for families and loved ones to provide more effective help and support.

Follow MMHPI at www.texastateofmind.org

NATCON 2018 (April 22-25): Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline made four major presentations (averaging 100 attendees each). The topics included:   Implementing an Ideal Crisis System (this is connected to one of the important ISMICC recommendations and the GAP project -see below); Practical Strategies for Implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment; Implementation of Integrated Systems and Services for Individuals with Co-occurring Disorders in the Criminal Justice System, a general overview of principles and practices, and then a hands-on practicum session co-delivered with Judge Steven Leifman. The latter presentations incorporated material from the GAP Report which Dr. Minkoff co-chaired: People with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Answering a Cry for Help (2106). Dr. Minkoff attended his first meeting as a member of the national Council Medical Director’s Institute and reported to the group on the ISMICC Recommendations and how they could be helpful partners in supporting implementation efforts.

NATCON 2018.

People with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Answering a Cry for Help

CALM:   Continued telephone consultation to assist with the major implementation areas within the consultation, including improving revenue, addressing documentation challenges, improving the overall organization’s ability to provide a clinical management, training, quality improvement, and supervision structure that reinforces clinical care and values, and addressing the need for better program budgeting to align staff capacity and service expectations.

Vermont Co-operative for Practice Improvement and Innovation (VCPI): VCPI has made a decision to go forward with Northern Vermont University as a new parent partner. The process of transition is proceeding smoothly.   There is planning underway for a new federal grant to support improvement in health and behavioral health integration and trauma-informed care.

Common Ground: Continued consultation to assist in the development of improved capacity for Common Ground to deliver the highest possible quality comprehensive crisis service array in Oakland County, Michigan

Tennessee Co-occurring Strategic Initiative: Planning for 6 days of on-site training, consultation, and technical assistance during May and June.

Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry: On April 12-14, Dr. Minkoff attended the GAP meeting, and co-chaired, with Dr. Jackie Feldman, the Committee on Psychiatry and the Community, continuing work on the project of identifying the specific criteria that define a model crisis system for any community. This work in progress was presented at NATCON, and elicited great interest and energy from many in the audience who are directly attempting to address this issue in their home communities.

Silver Hill Psychiatric Hospital: On April 26, Dr. Minkoff and Dr. Cline conducted an on-site consultation at Silver Hill to assist the whole organization addressing the improvement of its admission processes and internal collaborations to align with organizational mission and values of customer service and staff well-being. This exciting project resulted from an invitation from our colleague Dr. John Santopietro (from AACP, GAP, and NATCON Medical Director’s Institute), who is the relatively new CEO at Silver Hill, and is bringing a wealth of positive energy to the organization with his leadership.

 

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