Behavioral Health Related Initiatives/Collaborative/Events North Dakota July 2017 STATEWIDE GROUPS Behavioral Health Stakeholders (Informal) The purpose of the North Dakota Behavioral Health Stakeholders group is to build stronger behavior health services in North Dakota. This group consists of over 400 members representing many different groups. The group convened in the fall of 2013 with the purpose of discussing emerging behavioral health challenges. This network has brought together numerous organizations and individuals to develop a collaborative response to the Schulte Report, advocate for legislation and to encourage administrative changes to address unmet needs. A summary of all various actions and recommendations are available at the Center for Rural Health website. Web Link: https://ruralhealth.und.edu/projects/nd-behavioral-health Contact: John Vastag jvastag@ndassistive.org Behavioral Health Planning Council (Legal Governmental) A mental health planning and advisory council exists in every State and U.S. Territory as a result of federal law first enacted in 1986. The law requires States and Territories to perform mental health planning in order to receive federal Mental Health Block Grant funds. Stakeholders, including mental health consumers, their family members, and parents of children with serious emotional or behavioral disturbances, must be involved in these planning efforts through membership on the council. The Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is encouraging states to move toward a behavioral health planning and advisory structure that integrates mental health and substance abuse services. The council consists of 30 members who are appointed by the Governor. A diverse membership brings vast strengths and varying perspectives to the council. Points of view are presented from consumers of mental health and substance abuse services, family members, advocates, referral sources, schools, institutional and peer mentoring, service delivery, children s issues, community-based service providers, the general disability community, and the criminal justice system. Web link http://www.nd.gov/dhs/services/mentalhealth/ndmhpc/ Contact: Julie Huwe dhsbhd@nd.gov Building a Culture of Health in ND Think Tank (Education) The ND Center for Nursing/ND Action Coalition has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Center to Champion Nursing in America to introduce the Culture of Health Initiatives as a possible framework to address these existing behavioral health issues for ND. Contact: Patricia Moulton patricia.moulton@und.edu 1
Children s Behavioral Health Task Force (Legal Governmental) Task force on children's behavioral health - Membership - Duties - Reports to Governor and Legislative Management. 1. The task force on children's behavioral health is created for the purpose of assessing and guiding efforts within the children's behavioral health system to ensure a full continuum of care is available in the state. 2. The task force consists of the following members: a. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, or the superintendent's designee. b. The executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive director's designee. c. The State Health Officer, or the state health officer's designee. d. The director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or the director s designee. e. The executive director of the Indian Affairs Commission, or the executive director's designee. f. The director of the Committee on Protection and Advocacy, or the director's designee. 3. The executive director of the Department of Human Services, or the executive director's designee, shall serve as the chairman of the task force. The task force shall meet at least quarterly. Additional meetings may be held at the discretion of the chairman. 4. The task force may request appropriate staff services from the Department of Human Services. 5. The task force shall: a. Assess and guide efforts within the children's behavioral health system to ensure a full behavioral health continuum of care is available in the state. b. Make recommendations to ensure the children s behavioral health services are seamless, effective, and not duplicative. c. Identify recommendations and strategies to address gaps or needs in the children's behavioral health system. d. Engage stakeholders from across the continuum to assess and develop strategies to address gaps or needs in areas including. (1) Education (2) Juvenile Justice (3) Child Welfare (4) Community (5) Healthcare e. Provide a report to the Governor and the Legislative Management every six months regarding the status of the task force's effort. Contact: Julie Huwe dhsbhd@nd.gov Face it Together (Private Group) A state-wide initiative to solve substance abuse. With the support of a Community Innovation Grant from the Bush Foundation, we're engaging with communities and stakeholders across the state to address North Dakota's addiction crisis. A statewide task force of business, community and public sector leaders is being formed to identify ways to coordinate statewide services, remove barriers and fill gaps in current care models. 2
The goal is to design a public/private partnership plan that ensures far greater access to high quality, effective addiction care, and support across North Dakota. The task force will issue a report with recommendations by the end of the year. Contact: faceit@wefaceittogether.org ND Health Information Network (Government) At the North Dakota Health Information Network (NDHIN), we are dedicated to improving healthcare by creating a secure medical record sharing network for providers and consumers. We aim to empower patients by ensuring their medical data remains safe and private. Our Health Information Technology Office is responsible for implementing this information network, and developing efficient health record systems, which in turn will benefit patients with higher quality care. We promote proper handling of patient data by training health personnel and improving the record sharing process. The NDHIN creates a safe connection for life s critical moments. Contact: Sheldon Wolf shwolf@nd.gov ND Rural Health Learning Collaborative Team (Government) The vision is to increase access to behavioral health care services in rural areas by expanding delivery settings and improving regulatory barriers. This is a seventeen member group appointed by the ND Health Department. Goals and objectives are being developed. Contact: KMinnes@NGA.ORG Reducing Pharmaceutical Narcotics Task Force (Informal) The Reducing Pharmaceutical Narcotics in Our Communities Task Force is a group of over 40 public and private organizations including the medical community, law enforcement, treatment services, educators, policy-makers and others gathered to address the state-wide public health concern of the opioid crisis. The five pillars of the task force are: Education, Prescription Drug Take-Back Program, Law Enforcement, ND Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), and Effective Treatment. The task force has been meeting since 2008 and has worked to improve the PDMP, pass Good Samaritan laws, providing naloxone prescription authority to pharmacists, etc. Contact: Mike Schwab mschwab@nodakpharmacy.net John Vastag jvastag@ndassistive.org ThinkND Behavioral Health Group (Not for Profit) Behavioral health was a top concern among those polled, and was even more of a prominent issue when we conducted our focus groups a few months later. The current mental health and substance abuse treatment systems in our state have clear and identified gaps which are impacting nearly every population in the state - from children to seniors in our cities and small towns, in our schools and in our neighborhoods. The ND legislature has been studying these issues closely during the interim session and has approved a significant set of measures for consideration during the 2017 session which would address a number of the core concerns. But there is more work to be done, and ThinkND's Blue Ribbon Panel will assess the ongoing crisis and contribute expert, non-partisan, third party analysis of and recommendations for how to curb it. Contact: Tasha Carvell tasha@thinknd.org 3
LOCAL INITIATIVES Local commissions on Substance Abuse Bismarck The Mayor s Gold Star Community Task Force includes communities of Bismarck/Mandan/Lincoln Established in June 2017, the mission of the Mayors Gold Star Community Task Force is to provide strategic leadership and guidance to develop a continuum of care model, which incorporates prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts using a collective, adaptive approach to effectively reduce substance misuse, overdose, death and the disease of addiction. Contact: Renae Moch rmoch@bismarcknd.gov Dickinson Their vision is to have a strong and healthy community free from the burden of addiction along with an informed community investing in a culture of addiction prevention. Contact: karen.buresh@dickinsongov.com Fargo The Mayors Blue Ribbon Commission on Addiction includes Dilworth, Fargo, Horace, Moorhead, and West Fargo. Established in September 2016, the core purpose of the commission is to mobilize the community to take back what addiction is stealing. The five-year vision is a strong and healthy community, free from the burden of addiction. The commission released emerging strategic recommendations in December. This included six overarching themes that apply to all three expert panels priorities: Framing the problem through data, clear messaging and community readiness. Reprioritizing funding & reimbursement to grow and sustain programming with proven outcomes. Fully integrate with healthcare providers. Build the capacity of organizations to innovate and produce results. Leverage technology to improve collaboration, awareness, education and access to care. Improve social capital by moving away from a punitive focus and helping people develop networks of connectedness. Contact: Ann Malmberg Ann.Malmberg@essentiahealth.org Grand Forks Grand Forks Call to Action on Addiction and Substance Abuse Led by Mayor Brown and the Grand Forks City Council, the CTA has begun to mobilize the community around addressing addiction and substance abuse. 300 community members attended the initial public Call to Action and the resulting four committees (Prevention & Education, Intervention & Treatment, Recovery & Support, and Data & Communication) are developing strategic recommendations that will be compiled into a long-term Community Action Plan. The CTA is founded in a spirit of compassion and dedicated to de-stigmatizing addiction, coordinating existing resources, and mobilizing the community for effective, long term culture change about all phases of addiction including 4
prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. This effort is let by a steering committee of community members across diverse sectors and background. Recommendations and an adopted community plan are expected in Fall 2017. Contact: Peter Haga phaga@grandforksgov.com Minot Their vision is to have a strong and healthy community free from the burden of addiction along with an informed community investing in a culture of addiction prevention. Contact: Tami Stroklund tami.stroklund@minotnd.gov Moorhead, MN regroup At regroup, our mission is to strengthen the recovery community through peer-to-peer support, public education, and advocacy. We serve the 25 counties of northwest Minnesota and surrounding areas. We are people living in ling-term recovery from addiction. Children s Consultation Network in Cass and Clay County In 2006, a Children s Mental Health Initiative funded by Dakota Medical Foundation recognized that gaps existed in diagnosing children and getting help to families. From a summit of all Cass and Clay County providers and referral sources, came an advisory council of more than 20 area children s mental health experts. We pioneered new widespread screening systems and Children s Consultation Network (CCN) in 2010 to provide helpful, expert resources to parents and caregivers of young children. CCN therapy provides assessment, education and short-term, therapeutic consultation for children through age 8 with difficult behaviors or emotions, and their caregivers. Services are provided in-office, in-home or in the community, including at school and childcare facilities. Contact: rvcmhc@rvcscc.org Re-Think (Cass/Clay Counties) The ReThink Mental Health Initiative focuses on improving behavioral health systems and promoting mental health and well-being in the Cass/Clay community. Over 40 individuals are involved. A major initiative has been the community wide implementation of the Columbia Suicide Screening protocols across key partnerships including education, first responders, healthcare providers, and information and referral organizations through both training and use of common forms. Contact: Rory Beil Rory.Beil@co.clay.mn.us FUTURE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EVENTS September 26 Recovering Re-invented (Administrative) - Bismarck Gov. Doug Burgum and First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum are inviting addiction recovery advocates, behavioral health providers, business and community leaders, faithbased organizations, families, first responders, health care providers and administrators, law enforcement, Native American communities, university and college representatives and more to save the date for Recovery Reinvented on Sept. 26, 2017, in Bismarck. 5
The daylong event will feature facilitated conversations with state and national recovery experts to discuss ways to reinvent recovery through innovative implementation in North Dakota. The Governor and First Lady recognize that alcohol and drug use is the number one social problem in North Dakota. Half of all arrests are alcohol or drug related, and 75 percent of those in our prisons have an addiction. Addiction is a chronic disease that is treatable. The governor and I have pledged to reduce the social stigma and shame surrounding addiction and treat addiction like the chronic disease that it is, Helgaas Burgum said. Recovery Reinvented will bring together state and national recovery experts to share innovative practices that can lead to action reinventing recovery right here in North Dakota. Contact person: dhsbhd@nd.gov Sept 27-29 ND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONFERENCE - Bismarck This event is developed in partnership with the North Dakota Behavioral Health Planning Council, Mental Health America of North Dakota, the North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the ND Addiction Counselors Association, the ND Addiction Treatment Providers Coalition, the Federation of Families for Children s Mental Health, and the North Dakota Department of Human Services. It provides a full range of updates on emerging issues/innovations. A detailed agenda will be available August 1. Contact Person: Pam Sagness psagness@nd.gov Nov UPDATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCE/NEEDS ASSESSMENT The revised and updated ND Behavioral Health Resource and Needs Assessment will be released. This document will provide additional resources for all the various groups on needs and resources. DISCLAIMER This document is not inclusive of all initiatives but only those that have been identified to the Behavioral Health Stakeholders Steering committee. The information in this document was secured from various websites and other documents. 6