Childrens Ad Hoc Committee

1
Childrens Ad Hoc Committee

• Conni Wells, Chair
• Judge Melanie May
• Commissioner Jennifer Flynn
• Pat Barton
• Dr. Jean McCarthy

2
Goal

• Florida families and their children will thrive
  in an environment that is respectful, supportive,
  and responsive to their individual needs.

3
Objectives

• An aggressive, proactive, and preventive approach
  will promote interventions to divert children and
  youth and their families from requiring long term
  services
• Children and youth and their families will be
  supported through a culturally competent,
  community based, collaborative, coordinated, and
  accessible system of care

4
Objectives, continued

• Florida communities will have the capacity to
  identify, address and meet the ongoing mental
  health and substance abuse needs of its
  residents, beginning from infancy through the
  entire life span
• Current, evolving, and future service structures
  will have an effective mechanism for partnership,
  collaboration, and accountability for shared
  populations
• Necessary programs, adjustments, changes, and
  implementation needs will be funded at an
  appropriate level to maximize the potential for
  success

5
Strategies

• Prioritize areas of focus
• Examination of priority areas, resources, and
  gaps in information
• Convene regional workgroups to gather input from
  state and community experts, policymakers,
  community leaders, families, youth, and consumers
  and develop strategic recommendations and
  approach
• Development of recommendations on components
  necessary to meet objectives and goals for report
  to the legislature

6
Building on Previous Work

• Recommendations of Florida Commission on Mental
  Health and Substance Abuse
• Presidents New Freedom Commission on Mental Health

7
FL Commission on Mental Health and Substance
Abuse Conclusions

• Floridas laws and regulations must be modified
  to accommodate the new realities of the
  traditional (i.e. DCF) and non traditional mental
  health and substance abuse systems

8
The state leadership, purchasing and
accountability infrastructure must be redesigned
to

• Increase efficiency and effectiveness
• Recognize and treat mental health and substance
  abuse problems in the natural settings where they
  occur
• Decrease the need for more intensive and
  expensive services
• Promote independence and recovery for persons
  with mental health and substance abuse disorders
• Use preventative interventions to reduce the rate
  of illness in the general population

9
Recommendations

• Creation of a statewide Coordinating Council for
  Mental Health and Substance Abuse Policy as a
  part of the Governors Office
• Coordinating Council to provide and coordinate a
  wide range of public education and prevention
  activities that reflect best practices and
  effective treatment

10
Recommendations, continued

• Update statues to conform to current needs and
  circumstances
• Reform Florida behavioral health emergency
  services (make consistent with Baker and Marchman
  Acts)
• Provide continuing care services for those
  needing ongoing mental and addictive needs

11
Recommendations, continued

• Address the needs of specific groups in a manner
  that is sensitive to cultural, gender, and age
  differences (includes older adults, co-occurring,
  multiple disabilities, low prevalence disorders,
  homeless, trauma victims, children and families
  in juvenile justice and dependency system, and
  very young children)

12
Recommendations, continued

• Ensure that persons incarcerated receive
  appropriate treatments and support
• Refocus and address issues of access and choice
• Promote the development of educational programs
  for professionals and para-professionals

13
Presidents New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health

• The Mission
• Conduct a comprehensive study of the U.S.
  mental health service delivery system, and
  recommend improvements to the President

14
Focus

• Positive individual outcomes
• Community-based care
• Cost effectiveness, reducing barriers
• Moving best research to best practices
• Innovation, flexibility, accountability at all
  levels of government

15
Vision

• ITS A FUTURE IN WHICH
• Everyone with mental illness will recover
• Mental illness can be --
• Prevented or cured
• Detected early
• Everyone of all ages with a mental illness has
  access to effective treatment and supports
  essentials for living, working, learning, and
  participating fully in the community

16
Goals of the Transformed System

• Goal 1 Americans Understand that Mental Health
  Is Essential to Overall Health
• Goal 2 Mental Health Care Is Consumer and
  Family Driven
• Goal 3 Disparities in Mental Health Services
  Are Eliminated
• Goal 4 Early Mental Health Screening,
  Assessment, and Referral to Services Are
  Common Practice
• Goal 5 Excellent Mental Health Care Is
  Delivered and Research Is Accelerated
• Goal 6 Technology Is Used to Access Mental
  Health Care and Information

17
Way of Work

• It is the intent of the Childrens Ad Hoc
  Committee to achieve activities and outcomes
  through a strategic approach that will involve
• Complete discussion and examination of issues,
  resources, and gaps related to services and
  supports for families raising children in
  Florida
• Inclusion of all stakeholders
• Development of recommendations that are clear,
  specific, targeted, and concise regarding what is
  necessary to improve the system of care for
  families and communities in Florida and,
• Development of recommendations that are built
  upon the integration of accountability at each
  juncture of the service delivery system

18
Timelines

• Strategy
• Key Players
• Begin Date
• End Date
• Products

19
Prioritize areas of focus
20
Examine priority areas, resources, and gaps in
information
21
Convene regional workgroups to gather input
develop strategic recommendations and approach
22
Develop recommendations on components necessary
to meet objectives and goals for final report to
legislature
23
...if we wait for the moment when
everything,absolutely everything is ready, we
shall never begin.Ivan Turgenev