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This newsletter has been sent to all authorized representatives on each BHH services team. Please forward to other BHH services staff at your organization.
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News, programmatic updates, and useful information. |
Newly certified BHH services providers
The Department of Human Services (DHS) welcomes two new BHH services providers! Native American Community Clinic (NACC) was certified on October 23, 2020, and Life Medical was certified on December 11, 2020. In addition, HealthStar Home Health has added three new BHH services teams, bringing the total number of certified BHH services provider locations to 52!
Encounter Alert Service Event
On November 13, 2020, DHS hosted an information session highlighting Minnesota’s Encounter Alert Service (EAS). During the presentation providers received an overview of EAS, heard from fellow BHH services providers about how they use and benefit from EAS, and wrapped up with questions and discussion. Learn more about EAS online at https://mneas.org/. Thank you again to all who participated!
BHH services provider survey: Identifying key outcomes for BHH services
DHS is evaluating behavioral health home (BHH) services to better understand key outcomes for BHH services and identify trends in cost and quality of care. BHH services certified providers will receive a link to an assessment to help us identify key outcomes for BHH services. The results from the survey will be used to fulfill responsibilities to report on progress federally, conduct quality improvement across BHH services, develop ongoing certification standards, identify related service delivery gaps and enable appropriate support for providers of BHH services.
Highlights from the front lines
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Vikki Ebenhoh, MSN, RN, PHN is the Integration Specialist for South Central Human Relations Center’s BHH services program. She kindly agreed to write about some exciting collaboration endeavors for her team. Vikki wrote:
“I am excited to share a story about some statewide networking and collaboration that has been created with rural MN BHH providers! Back in July at the BHH Department of Human Services (DHS) check-in, I asked about opportunities to meet with other BHH providers because while I had been at our facility for a few years, I was new to the BHH program since January 2020. I thought it was important to share ideas and problem solve because of all the challenges this year has brought. The team at DHS thought this was a great idea and encouraged me to reach out to other providers as needed. I decided to go a step further create a workgroup of rural providers as there are specific challenges to working in rural healthcare.
I connected with about 13 other rural Integration Specialists at mental health clinics and we have been meeting virtually each month to address topics like marketing and referrals, BHH structure and roles of staff, forms and processes, and portal and EAS usage. We plan to also address registry usage and tracking, collaboration struggles, wellness programs and COVID-19 barriers/challenges in rural communities. We have rotated facilitation of meetings and type up meeting notes to share them within our BHH teams.
This group has been helpful not only in the ideas and collaboration, but to provide some networking opportunities within the group. While the BHH program is quite flexible in design, it can be a struggle to figure out what interventions and local program designs work in rural areas and which ones don’t. With this group, we can tailor ideas to our own locations, and share resources like forms and brochures. Additionally, it has opened up communication between BHH providers which has been great when there is a client move or transfer. Because this has been helpful for our rural providers, perhaps this idea could be helpful for the metro area as well. I would love to see a group of all BHH teams across the state maybe meeting virtually once a year or quarterly to share ideas and problem-solve.”
Vikki notes the cohort was originally intended to include Integration Specialists in greater Minnesota to address the unique challenges providers face in rural MN; however, the cohort recently expanded to include some providers that work in both the metro and greater MN. If you are an Integration Specialist interested in participating, please contact Vikki using the following contact information:
Vikki Ebenhoh, MSN, RN, PHN
Integration Specialist-Behavioral Health Home
South Central Human Relations Center
610 Florence Ave
Owatonna, MN 55060
800-722-0590
Office: 507-413-6092
Cell: 507-676-3456
Information related to the use of commercial tobacco products, and how to help people address their use of them.
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Did you know that, according to the American Lung Association, tobacco use is the number one cause of death in people with mental illness? Not only that, but it affects people with mental illness at alarmingly disparate rates compared to the general population. This section will provide ongoing information related to commercial tobacco products and how to help people address their use of them.
Free Tobacco Treatment Specialist training
We are excited to announce that the American Lung Association is able to offer a FREE Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training to a limited number of people who would be able to provide tobacco treatment within their mental health/SUD treatment program. Valued at over $1,200, this is a great opportunity to share with behavioral health partners in your community! The TTS training requires a nine-hour online component that must be completed prior to the live virtual training February 8-10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. via Zoom. Each person that would like to attend should fill out a sign-up form. They will receive an email next week confirming registration availability, and further logistics. If you have questions, contact Reba.MathernJacobson@Lung.org. This is made possible as part of technical assistance and the generous partnership with Hennepin Health Research Institute.
Quit Partner™ is Minnesota’s free way to quit nicotine
Quit Partner™ is Minnesota’s free way to quit nicotine, including smoking, vaping and chewing. Quit Partner offers a behavioral health program to support individuals living with a substance use disorder and/or a mental illness (such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD, or bipolar disorder). During Quit Partner enrollment, individuals have the option to enroll in this specialized program, which includes additional coaching calls and quit medications. Coaches have received extensive training to help support this population on their quit journey.
Anyone can call Quit Partner and get connected to a quit service, whether through Quit Partner or their health plan. Quit Partner provides services to those who are underinsured (meaning their health plan insurance does not cover counseling, medication, or both) or uninsured. In addition, any Minnesotan, regardless of insurance status, can get two weeks of free quit medications from Quit Partner. To learn more or sign up, visit www.QuitPartnerMN.com or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).
Commercial Tobacco Use and Opioids
The American Lung Association national office recently released a fact sheet and brief on tobacco and opioids (available at The American Lung Association’s webpage for Opioids and Lung Health). Follow the link to find downloads which present the key themes and intersections among tobacco, lung health and opioids.
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Important dates specific to BHH services |
Upcoming Information Session: Housing Stabilization Services (HSS)
DHS invites you to a virtual presentation highlighting Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) on February 3, 2021, at 10 a.m. HSS is a new Minnesota Medical Assistance benefit to assist seniors and people with disabilities, including mental illness and substance use disorder, find and keep housing.
During the presentation you will:
- receive an overview of HSS,
- learn how your organization can enroll to provide HSS,
- hear from providers of HSS and learn about ways to connect the people you serve with HSS, and
- have time for questions and discussion.
Learn more about the service at the Housing Stabilization Services webpage at the DHS site.
DHS staff recently sent a “save the date” calendar invitation for this presentation. Please contact Michaelyn Bruer at michaelyn.bruer@state.mn.us if you did not receive the invitation and are interested in participating.
Free “Ethics of Care: Dismantling Racism” Webinar
Dr. Manijeh Daneshpour, PsyD, LMFT, will present “Ethics of Care: Dismantling Racism” on February 12 at noon CST. Over the last 30 years, the changes in the workplace impacting working-class families, racial tensions between different races, and cultural influences have been slowly taking a psychological toll, though in a more diffuse, less detectable way than with any single traumatic event. Psychotherapy, as a field, is not prepared to respond to the major social issues affecting our patients’ lives. This presentation will discuss how psychotherapists can play a significant role in discussing racial, cultural, and political issues in the consulting room since lack of discussions is part of the problem, implicitly reinforcing false assumptions about personal responsibility, isolation, and the social status quo. to register, visit the Ethics of Care: Dismantling Racism website.
The American Lung Association is pleased to host three “regional” trainings featuring
Dr. Jill Williams
Dr. Williams will present data to support the importance of addressing commercial tobacco use in mental health and substance use disorder treatment programs along with practical next steps for supporting commercial tobacco-free environments in these settings.
Jill M. Williams, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at the Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick. A member of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, the focus of her decades of work has been in Addressing Tobacco Dependence in People who Smoke with Mental Illness. She has led many initiatives related to policy development and treatment and will bring an energizing point of view.
The American Lung Association has structured the three dates to reflect “regions” of the state, noting that if you aren’t able to attend the date designated for your region, you are welcome to join any of the other opportunities. Note, each presentation will have the same content and time for questions. Dates and Times:
February 5, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Northern Minnesota https://action.lung.org/site/Calendar?id=116086&view=Detail February 9, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., Central Minnesota-Metro https://action.lung.org/site/Calendar?id=116087&view=Detail February 11, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m, Southern Minnesota-Metro https://action.lung.org/site/Calendar?id=116088&view=Detail
1.5 Hours of FREE Continuing Education
- National Commission for Health Education Credentialing CHES/MCHES CECH, pending
- Available for those who attend a live training
- Social Work (State of Minnesota Board of Social Work)
- Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy LPC/LPCC, pending
- Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy LADC, pending
- Nursing: It is the licensee's responsibility to determine whether a continuing education activity meets the requirements of the MN Board of Nursing
Information on upcoming learning opportunities and available resources that may be helpful for BHH services providers.
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DHS BHH Partner Portal
Yvonne Monien, MSN, PMHRN-BC, Integration Specialist with the Human Development Center, shared with us one way they use the partner portal for population health management. She says they used the information as a teaching tool for their BHH services staff. As a team, they made the decision that they needed to do something up front in the process to prevent high Medicaid costs from ER and inpatient visits they were seeing in the Care Management Report. The “Coordination Risk Indicator” (found in the Care Management Report and the CMR Coordination Risk Sub Report) changed their process for assessment and for their Health Action Plan. Their process now includes a team review of behavioral, medical and dental coordination risks. With every Health Action Plan, the Systems Navigator and the Integration Specialist consult to identify and document the Coordination Risk Indicator:
- LCI – client is Likely to experience Coordination Issues among medical, behavioral, and dental providers.
- PCI – client may Possibly experience Coordination Issues among medical, behavioral, and dental providers.
- UCI – client is Unlikely to experience Coordination Issues among medical, behavioral, and dental providers.
The team uses an understanding of coordination risks to ensure the Health Action Plan is developed accordingly, allowing staff focus and time to be directed much more efficiently and effectively.
Learning materials for the DHS BHH Partner Portal
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Partner Portal Reference Guide – Reference documentation for the six reports in the partner portal that includes a summary of each report and definitions for each column in the reports.
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eLearning Modules – 11 eLearning modules designed to train new BHH services team employees. eLearning modules 9, 10 and 11 discuss the partner portal in detail. You can view the eLearning Modules in Trainlink.
- Webinars – In 2018 and 2019 DHS held three webinars based on population health management and discussed ways of using data to inform population health management. The three “newly remastered” webinars are here:
Family Medicine Faculty Lead and Collaborate on the Creation of “Change That Matters” Curriculum
An interdisciplinary group of faculty members have created Change That Matters, a 10-module curriculum to teach physicians and other healthcare providers how to effectively support patients with health behavior change (such as smoking cessation, healthy eating, and physical activity) and behavioral health (such as depression, stress, and managing chronic pain) topics. Change That Matters involves three components for each module:
- Interactive patient handouts (English & Spanish)
- Electronic health record (EPIC) templates for (1) use in visit to guide assessment and goal setting, and (2) After Visit Summary (AVS)
- Didactic PowerPoint slide set with context about the topic, overview of research-based interventions, and review of the materials for that module
The entire curriculum is available for free on the Change That Matters website so providers can download and immediately use any resources they desire.
Building collaborative relationships with other providers to address whole-person care & promote service sustainability
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Minnesota Department of Corrections’ First Virtual Transition Fair
The BHH services policy team participated in the Minnesota Department of Corrections’ (DOC) first ever virtual transition fair for Stillwater prison. The purpose of DOC transition fairs is to provide reentry services and resources to people nearing release from prison. Our team created a brief video summarizing the intent of BHH services and how it may be of benefit for people upon their release. The video was shared with people via an in-house television broadcast on the facility’s education channel. We were told that this general television broadcast ensured that all transition fair videos would reach the majority of the people in the prison. Please contact Sophie.Burnevik@state.mn.us if you are interested in viewing the video.
You are invited! Regional meetings hosted by the Pediatric Care Coordination: Community of Practice
The virtual regional meeting provides an opportunity for people in your area who manage care for children and youth with special health needs to share experiences, network, and collaborate. The meeting will be a combination of small group discussion/networking and collective learning about innovative care coordination strategies in the region.
Regional meetings will occur from noon – 1 p.m. on the following days:
- Northeast: Tuesday, February 23
- Northwest: Wednesday, February 24
- Central/West Central: Thursday, February 25
- Southwest: Tuesday, March 2
- Southeast: Wednesday, March 3
- Twin Cities Metro: Thursday, March 4
Register for your virtual regional meeting here! If you're not sure what region you belong to, please see the registration page for guidance. We also invite you to visit the mnpedscares.com website for more information on the meetings. Please register for your regional meeting at least two business days before the meeting date. Feel free to share this information with others who might be interested in participating. They can register to become a member and then are welcome to join the meeting. Questions? Please email Amy at amy@acetinc.com.
Behavioral.Health.Home.Services@state.mn.us
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