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Our state has long struggled to meet the needs of children, youth and young adults with complex mental health conditions. As a result, in 2015 the legislature created a new children’s mental health service in Minnesota: Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF).
Despite the need, creating a new level of service has been no small feat. Not only are there rules, rates and processes that need to be developed, we had to find providers that were not only willing, but able to succeed.
The first PRFT facility, Northwood Children’s Services in Duluth, began operations in 2018 with 48 beds. When it opened, it already had a waiting list.
But the wait will hopefully be coming to an end. March 19 is the open house for a new PRTF in East Bethel. Cambia Hills, from The Hills Youth and Family Services, is a brand new, state-of-the-art 60 bed facility serving children age 7-17 with complex mental health conditions. Cambia Hills will offer a range of comprehensive services to treat the psychiatric condition of youth on an inpatient basis under the direction of a physician.
PRTFs are picking up momentum. By the end of the year, North Home Children and Family Services in Grand Rapids is expected to open with 52 beds. Plus, with funding received in the last legislative session, an RFP recently closed for an additional 80 beds and now contract negotiations are underway. As a result, by the end of 2020, Minnesota should have over 200 PRTF beds. In 2023, an additional 70 beds will be added.
 A pilot study conducted by Wilder Research for DHS has demonstrated the value of including nicotine treatment as part of treatment for substance use disorders. Not only can it reduce nicotine dependence, it can improve overall outcomes for people in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
Although the smoking rate has been declining overall, rates are still very high among people in SUD treatment. The Minnesota Department of Health reports that in 2018 14% of the state’s adults smoke, compared with 77% of adults in SUD treatment. Nicotine treatment traditionally has not been included as part of SUD treatment, even though tobacco-related illnesses claim more than eight times as many lives as alcohol and drug use combined.
The nicotine treatment pilot study took place at CentraCare/Recovery Plus in St. Cloud and Park Avenue Center and Wayside Recovery Center in Minneapolis. The study found:
- 11% of people in the pilot study stopped smoking
- Almost seven in 10 showed measured improvement in the severity of their substance use disorder
- People in the pilot were more likely to complete substance use disorder treatment.
For more information, see:
 The Health Information Resource Center has awarded DHS two national Digital Health Awards for innovative campaigns promoting substance abuse and recovery. The annual competition recognizes the world’s best digital health resources.
A webpage at Knowthedangers.com was honored with a Gold Award in the microsite category. The page, created for National Recovery Month in September, was recognized for its outstanding work raising awareness of substance use disorders, including opioids, and providing resources for those seeking information on recovery and treatment.
In the video category, DHS won an award of merit for the “Set You Free” campaign. The campaign features a collaboration with Minneapolis-based hip hop artist Danami-Maurice Champion to create a music video that celebrates the power of love and connection as part of an opioid recovery journey. To create the campaign, several Minnesotans were interviewed to gain authentic stories that eventually grounded the campaign through message and song.
The Digital Health Awards program is organized by the Health Information Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for professionals who work in consumer health fields.
 Women’s Recovery Services are entering its 2nd year of funding for the Pregnant and Post-Partum Women SAMHSA grant. From March 1, 2019, through May 31, 2019, the 11 grant-funded programs served 592 women and 1,077 children, and 26 babies were born while their mothers received treatment services in this program.
Now Wilder Research has prepared a return on investment study for DHS. The study concludes that the benefits generated by Women’s Recovery Service programs add up to $22.8 million over the lifetime of participants, and the cost to society is $5.5 million, yielding a ROI of $4.17 for every dollar spent on the program.
Wilder Research writes: “The women in these programs showed significant improvements across multiple areas at program exit.”
The Behavioral Health Monthly newsletter comes from the Behavioral Health Division at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. We welcome your feedback!
For more information about Behavioral Health Services in Minnesota, visit:
Children’s mental health / Adult mental health / Substance use disorder
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