|
This newsletter has been sent to all authorized representatives on each BHH services team. Please forward to other BHH services staff at your organization.
 |
|
News, programmatic updates, and useful information. |
On August 26, 2021, the Department of Human Services (DHS) hosted an information session for BHH services providers to review the changes to the BHH services State Plan Amendment; to provide an overview of the BHH services final evaluation report and discuss our efforts to develop an ongoing certification process for providers; and to hear from BHH services provider cohort representatives. We will post the presentation and transcript to the BHH services website and send a link to providers when it becomes available. The BHH services policy team appreciates the open discussion and the feedback providers shared. Thank you for your participation and for your continued work and commitment to the people we serve!
Highlights from the front lines
|
Do you want to spotlight your BHH services team in this quarterly newsletter? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact megan.seifert@state.mn.us.
Information related to the use of commercial tobacco products, and how to help people address their use of them.
|
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.
New Lung Mind Alliance cohort opportunity
Lung Mind Alliance will start a new cohort in early 2022 for mental health and substance use treatment organizations that want to integrate tobacco treatment into their existing services. Organizations will receive technical assistance, mentorship, and other resources to support their organizational readiness and process. Current cohort members include GroupWorks, Native American Community Clinic, Touchstone Mental Health, South Central Human Relations Center and Wilder Foundation. To learn more about the cohort, contact reba.mathernjacobson@lung.org. To learn more about how addressing tobacco in the context of behavioral health, check out these webinars.
Have your organization’s MN-ITS administrator create a profile for you.
Send an email to megan.seifert@state.mn.us with the following information:
- Username
- Email address
- Work phone
- MN–ITS username
You will receive a follow-up email letting you know when access has been granted. The email will include resources to support you in using the partner portal.
 |
|
Important dates specific to BHH services |
Opportunity to learn from interpreters about effective collaboration practices in health care settings
October 19, 2021, noon–1:00pm
Register for DHS’ virtual event to learn about the role of interpreters to facilitate communication in health care settings. The event will include a panel of interpreters from various backgrounds who utilize several languages. They will answer questions about collaboration, effective practices and their own experiences in health care settings.
This event is for:
- Early Intensive Developmental and Behavior Intervention (EIDBI) providers
- Case managers
- Educators
- Health care providers
- Families
- Advocates
Register here for this Webex event. Contact the DHS Disability Services Division (ASD.DHS@state.mn.us) with questions.
How to be Resilient in our High-Stress Society
October 28, 2021 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm CST
|
Our bodies are built for handling stress in the moment and then relaxing and feeling safe when the danger has passed. In our current society, our bodies often feel stressed and have a hard time recovering to a state of relaxation. The negative health impact of this stress is huge. Dr. Sara Cooper, a doctor of chiropractic with Balance Natural Health Center, will explain how to manage that stress and to reduce the negative impact on mental, physical, and emotional health. Learn why it is important for your health to manage stress well. Discover techniques you can incorporate into your day to make your body more resilient to stress, such as lifestyle options to encourage a healthy stress response, vagus nerve exercises and balancing techniques, breathing practices and loving kindness meditation. Register for the session here. Email questions to Anna Lynn at anna.lynn@state.mn or call 651-201-3627.
|
Driving Integrated Health at Your Organization: Quality Improvement and Foundational Factors that Lead to Success
October 29, 2021 at 1:00pm CST
Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), in collaboration with SAMHSA Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions, is engaging in a year-long virtual initiative to provide a roadmap for what every practice needs to know to keep integrated health “at work” within their care practice. This initiative is designed to empower professionals within the integrated health field with critical knowledge., Register for the first webinar in this series (October 29) which will explain how to navigate quality improvement measures, overcome state level policy barriers and jump through patient health information hoops. Webinar recordings will be available after the event. Learn more about the series at the PCDC website.
Building collaborative relationships with other providers to address whole-person care & promote service sustainability
|
DHS will participate in the Improving Behavioral Health Follow-up Care Learning Collaborative’s Affinity Group (BH AG). The BH AG seeks to drive measurable improvement in selected states on three behavioral health follow-up care measures in the Child (CH), Adult (AD), and Health Home (HH) core sets, by supporting state Medicaid program teams and their stakeholders. The improvement measures include:
- Follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness (FUH-CH/AD/HH)
- Follow-up after emergency department visit for alcohol and other drug abuse or dependence (FUA-AD)
- Follow-up after emergency department visit for mental illness (FUM-AD)
The BH AG will include four state teams in collaborative learning with staff from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), quality improvement advisors (QIAs) and subject matter experts (SMEs) to improve the timeliness of behavioral health follow-up care among beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The four states that will be participating are Minnesota, Arizona, Mississippi and Florida.
This Quality Improvement (QI) affinity group supports the broader Improving Behavioral Health Follow-up Care Learning Collaborative, sponsored by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS).
The goal of Minnesota’s quality improvement project is to increase the number of BHH services participants who receive follow-up care within seven days after hospitalization for mental illness, after an emergency visit with a principal diagnosis of mental illness or intentional self-harm, and after an emergency visit for alcohol and other drug abuse or dependence.
Solutions to Connect Minnesotans with Community Resources and Supports
A local private funder has commissioned Stratis Health, in partnership with Collective Action Lab, to facilitate the co-creation of a common approach using technology to support and facilitate referrals to address social needs across multiple sectors in Minnesota. An open invitation to a broad range of individuals and organizations will launch the collaborative design of a sustainable shared solution for connecting people with needed culturally responsive community resources and supports, such as health care, food, transportation and housing. For more information please visit the Stratis Health website.
Behavioral.Health.Home.Services@state.mn.us
|
