For Immediate Release
| Media Contact: |
Kevin Sadaj |
Date: March 22, 2017 |
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(248) 417-0545 |
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| |
kevin.sadaj@mccmh.net |
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Macomb Mental Health invites community to public forum
Community input may impact final federal rules
Macomb County Community Mental Health (MCCMH) is hosting a community conversation about Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28 at the Community Care Center in Sterling Heights.
HCBS provide Medicaid beneficiaries with opportunities to receive services in their own home or community rather than in institutions or other isolated settings. These programs serve people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and/or mental illnesses.
A panel of mental health care experts will discuss the Federal HCBS Final Rule, which seeks to promote inclusion, access and full participation of services in the local community. The Michigan State Transition Plan will also be discussed before it is completed and sent to the federal government by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
“The Community and Mental Health Board and administration want to hear from the community about how we can make our local approach to the mandate the best experience and benefit for individuals and families served by Macomb County Community Mental Health,” said John Kinch, executive director of MCCMH.
In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a set of rules for the delivery of HCBS through Medicaid waiver programs. Through the HCBS rules, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services aim to improve the experience of individuals receiving services by enhancing access to the community, promoting the delivery of services in more integrated settings and expanding the use of person-centered planning.
In response, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is developing a statewide transition plan to bring its waiver programs into compliance with the new federal regulations while continuing to provide vital services and supports to Michigan citizens.
On Feb. 17, the agency hosted a Legislators’ Educational Forum to discuss current issues in mental health, namely a state-planned decrease in funding which would leave MCCMH facing a total budget cut of $30 million by September 2017. Participants also discussed how budget cuts would impact Community Living Supports Services, which support adults with serious mental illness, children with severe emotional disturbance, children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders.
Politicians and the community expressed support for assuring adequate Medicaid funding in Macomb County for the approximately 181,000 Macomb County residents enrolled in Medicaid, of which the MCCMH serves approximately 15,000 annually.
To register to be part of the community conversation, please email Stacey Raymond of MCCMH at stacey.raymond@mccmh.net. Walk-ins are welcome.
Macomb County Community Mental Health is the public provider of mental health, substance use and developmental disability treatment services in Macomb County. MCCMH programs and services are supported and funded, in part, by the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Macomb County Board of Commissioners and are administered by the Macomb County Community Mental Health Board. Visit http://www.mccmh.net/ online for more information.
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