The COVID-19 pandemic has had, in many ways, an outsized impact on Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Existing health disparities have worsened in many areas, and behavioral health is no exception. To combat this, Minnesota must invest in an expansion of programs that promote more equitable behavioral health outcomes.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently approved Minnesota’s plans to spend more than $76 million in supplemental COVID-19 relief funding for behavioral health services. Funding is going towards prevention and treatment efforts related to the pandemic, but because of the pandemic's disproportionate effect on Black, Indigenous and communities of color, it is also going towards efforts that promote behavioral health equity. Among many examples, funding will go to:
- Substance use disorder providers to hire mental health professionals of color
- Culturally specific opioid abuse prevention, outreach and treatment for East African communities
- Culturally specific substance use disorder and mental health treatment that American Indian tribes provide to children and families
- Trauma-informed training programs for mental health providers working with tribal nations
- Mental health first aid training for tribal members, increased support for traditional healing, and culturally appropriate and COVID-19 friendly social support activities for American Indian children
- An expansion of the Cultural and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure Grant program, which supports culturally specific, trauma-informed mental health and substance use disorder services within targeted cultural communities in Minnesota.
With the recent federal approval, Minnesota can move forward with finding partners for these and other important programs aimed at preventing substance abuse, treating substance use disorder, and promoting mental health. You can learn more about what's in the funding plans by visiting the Behavioral Health Division's grants and RFPs webpage.
Everyone deserves access to trauma-informed, culturally relevant services. We're working to make that a reality here in Minnesota, through the pandemic and beyond.
|
Paul Fleissner
Behavioral Health Division director
 A study on telehealth experiences will be the first project for the new Medical Assistance Participant Expert Panel. (Stock photo)
Minnesota is working to improve how it serves people receiving Medical Assistance, but to do that, it needs to know what's working well and what isn't. A new participant expert panel aims to offer vital input.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services, in partnership with Wilder Research, is seeking 10 people to serve on its new Medical Assistance Participant Expert Panel, where members will meet monthly to share their experiences in the program. A Medical Assistance staff person and a community researcher will facilitate the panel and lead discussions on a variety of topics.
In the first year, the group will focus on a study that looks at Medical Assistance participants' feelings on telehealth services. Expert panel members will share their thoughts on the planned questions for the study, and once the study is done, the panel will help in understanding the results. A few leaders who run Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program and behavioral health services will attend each meeting, but they will mostly just listen to the expert panel.
The department will compensate members of the expert panel for their time. The meetings will be virtual to begin, but will eventually be in person. To be eligible to apply, individuals must be currently enrolled in Medical Assistance and/or MinnesotaCare and have been enrolled for at least a year, and must be at least 18 years of age.
The department and Wilder Research are currently working with community partners to recruit members, including those who represent the diversity of Minnesota, to the Medical Assistance Participant Expert Panel. Those interested in applying for the panel should contact Kristin Dillon at kristin.dillon@wilder.org or 651-280-2656, or fill out the application at surveymonkey.com/r/MAPanelApp.
The panel's first meeting is expected to take place in November 2022. Those who are not interested in participating in the panel, but would like to offer feedback as part of the telehealth study, should watch for survey, interview and focus group opportunities in the near future.
The Minnesota Department of Health plans to issue grants to increase awareness and knowledge of its Quit Partner programs in communities that are disproportionally impacted by commercial tobacco and may have been targeted by the tobacco industry.
The goal is to provide grant funding to engage community members to build trust in Quit Partner programs, increase use of the programs and ultimately reduce commercial tobacco use rates among adults within the impacted communities.
A request for proposals is currently available on the Minnesota Department of Health's website. Proposals are due Dec. 14, 2021. Notices of intent to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged by Nov. 12, 2021.
The Minnesota Certification Board is offering a new online interactive training on opioids developed for peer specialists.
The training has three lessons: History and Overview of the Opioid Epidemic, A Brief Overview of the Types and Effects of Opioids, and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery.
Peer specialists who successfully complete the courses will be awarded three Minnesota Certification Board-approved continuing education units and a personalized completion certificate. While the training is designed for peer specialists, any interested party can participate.
To register, visit mcboard.org/opioid-training-for-peers and follow the directions for registration.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services recently licensed the Leo A. Hoffmann Center as a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility provider, and they are now accepting referrals for admissions.
The Leo A. Hoffmann Center in St. Peter, Minnesota, has a current capacity of 40 beds. They typically serve males, ages 11-17, who have engaged in harmful or inappropriate sexual behavior. They also serve youth who are experiencing patterns of emotional disturbance and show symptoms of a variety of mental health diagnoses.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities provide active, in-patient treatment to children and youth under age 21 with complex mental health conditions. There are two Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities in Minnesota, and two more plan to open soon.
Visit the Minnesota Department of Human Services Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility webpage or the Leo A. Hoffmann Center website for more details.
The Behavioral Health Division has recently issued the following request for proposals:
See all open proposal requests at mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/grants-rfps/open-rfps.
The Behavioral Health Division recently issued the following e-memos:
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
Change which emails you receive from DHS
Subscribe to Behavioral Health Monthly
|
