Lessons Learned from Mental Lessons Learned from Mental Health Transformation State Health Transformation State

Incentive GrantsIncentive GrantsAchieving Consumer and Family –Achieving Consumer and Family –

Driven Systems and ServicesDriven Systems and Services

Carol BiancoCarol BiancoAdvocates for Human Potential, Inc. Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.

Albany, NY Albany, NY cbianco@ahpnet.comcbianco@ahpnet.com

Strategies for Engaging Consumers, Family Strategies for Engaging Consumers, Family Members and Youth Stakeholders Members and Youth Stakeholders

Why? Why? Idaho Strategic Plan Goal 6: Provide Idaho Strategic Plan Goal 6: Provide

AUTHENTIC stakeholder participation in the AUTHENTIC stakeholder participation in the development, implementation and evaluation of development, implementation and evaluation of the systemthe system

Transformation must be top down Transformation must be top down ANDAND bottom bottom up to gain traction and overcome fear and inertiaup to gain traction and overcome fear and inertia

Sustainability – Transformation must transcend Sustainability – Transformation must transcend administrations administrations

Connecticut’s vision statement Connecticut’s vision statement

Systems transformation efforts must involve at all levels and in all respects the active participation and leadership of people in recovery and their loved ones. Besides offering hope and role models for the possibility of resilience and recovery, this community possesses the primary source of wisdom about recovery. According to the New Freedom Commission vision, individuals in recovery, with service providers, will actively participate in designing and developing the services they need and use

Strategies for Engaging Consumers, Strategies for Engaging Consumers,

Family Members and Youth Family Members and Youth

Transparency and communicationTransparency and communication Develop a web site and use it vigorously for Develop a web site and use it vigorously for

sharing information and soliciting sharing information and soliciting stakeholder involvement – several states stakeholder involvement – several states use Facebook, Twitter, Network of Care and use Facebook, Twitter, Network of Care and various Web 2.0 toolsvarious Web 2.0 tools

Communicate widely using list-serves, video Communicate widely using list-serves, video and teleconferences, town hall meetings. and teleconferences, town hall meetings.

Create lots of tables with lots of seats – Create lots of tables with lots of seats – expand the circle of people who offer input, expand the circle of people who offer input, move around the statemove around the state

Strategies for Engaging Consumers, Family Strategies for Engaging Consumers, Family Members and YouthMembers and Youth

Provide orientation, coaching, and Provide orientation, coaching, and debriefing to consumers and family debriefing to consumers and family members who participate in committees, members who participate in committees, advisory groups, etc. advisory groups, etc.

Provide material support to promote Provide material support to promote participation and recognize the value of participation and recognize the value of their contributions (travel expense their contributions (travel expense reimbursement, stipends, child care) reimbursement, stipends, child care)

Use a multi-faceted approach – embed Use a multi-faceted approach – embed CFY throughout all activities CFY throughout all activities

Selected State Examples Selected State Examples

Washington State Washington State ConnecticutConnecticutHawaii Hawaii

WA State WA State

Community Transformation Partnership Community Transformation Partnership (CTP) Alliance of all CFY statewide (CTP) Alliance of all CFY statewide organizations. organizations.

Toolkits on funding and building sustainable consumer-run organizations

News Informants deployed across the state

Washington StateWashington StateRegional Organizing Initiatives (ROIs)Regional Organizing Initiatives (ROIs)

Goals Goals Creating and maintaining regional coalitions and Creating and maintaining regional coalitions and

partnerships. partnerships. Influencing policy development. Influencing policy development. Building leadership capacity. Building leadership capacity. Promoting recovery and wellness. Promoting recovery and wellness. Uniting consumer voices for system change. Uniting consumer voices for system change.

MethodsMethods

$15,000 annual grants $15,000 annual grants Special projects to build local buy-in and organizational Special projects to build local buy-in and organizational

leadershipleadership

WA state Regional Organizing WA state Regional Organizing InitiativesInitiatives

Outcomes so far……Outcomes so far…… ““Seeds of Change” social networking web site: a portal for Seeds of Change” social networking web site: a portal for

employment opportunities, peer counselors, local employment opportunities, peer counselors, local services and recovery information statewide. services and recovery information statewide.

Replacing grave markers to identify anonymously buried Replacing grave markers to identify anonymously buried State Hospital patients and bring dignity to their State Hospital patients and bring dignity to their memories.  memories.  

Literary publications written by consumers to provide Literary publications written by consumers to provide better public understanding of mental illness. better public understanding of mental illness. 

Adult consumers to become certified Wellness Recovery Adult consumers to become certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) facilitatorsAction Plan (WRAP) facilitators

Engaged consumers who have not otherwise been Engaged consumers who have not otherwise been involved in community organizing activities involved in community organizing activities

Statewide Leadership summit – plan for a statewide Statewide Leadership summit – plan for a statewide entity.entity.

WA Self Help Empowerment and Evaluation Alliance (SHEEA)

Administered mini grants and developed toolkit to directly involve mental health consumers and families in various aspects of evaluation, including:

Participating in training and education on evaluation practices (developing surveys or learning interviewing techniques)

Developing questions about the extent of program success Defining program oversight and monitoring processes Providing project oversight and evaluation planning Collecting and analyzing data Interpreting evaluation findings Writing reports and presenting findings to key stakeholders

ConnecticutConnecticut

CFY Advisory Council to Transformation Working CFY Advisory Council to Transformation Working GroupGroup

Reviews and approves all budgets and special initiatives

Creating Transformation Toolkit to document the transformation process, highlighting those interventions that have been the most effective in promoting a resiliency and recovery-oriented, consumer and family-driven system, and to provide various tools for the ongoing education and empowerment of other consumers, youth.

CT Quality Improvement Collaborative (QuIC)

Purpose Promotion of choice and self-determination through appropriate, quality

mental health services based upon a consumer, family, youth driven performance measurement and continuous quality improvement process.

Memorandum of Agreement signed by all statewide Mental Health Advocacy organizations

Providers, CYF Organizations and State Agencies formed a Coordinating Center

500 Members enrolled in QuIC 57% Consumers 29% Family Members 15% Youth/Young Adults

Developed a set of standards and survey instruments for CFY involvement in quality improvement process adopted by local CMHCs.

Developing process to evaluate the quality of recovery/resiliency-oriented mental health services throughout the system.

Consumer Research and Evaluation Network is training consumers, youth, and family members in quantitative and qualitative research methods to evaluating other MHT activities.

CT Parent Leadership Training CT Parent Leadership Training

A training curriculum on leadership skills was selected, refined, and offered repeatedly throughout the state to the parents of children with emotional/behavioral difficulties.

Purpose facilitate parents’ increased participation and

influence in their child’s treatment team; increase parents' competency in skills necessary

for paid and volunteer family advocate roles on behalf of other families and their children; and

assist parents in developing skills to shape state policy, thereby moving Connecticut closer to a family-driven system of care.

Connecticut Connecticut Addressing BH Workforce shortage and Addressing BH Workforce shortage and

consumer unemploymentconsumer unemployment Connecticut Recovery Connecticut Recovery

Employment Consultation Employment Consultation Service (CRECS) Service (CRECS) Helps people in recovery Helps people in recovery

from diverse cultural from diverse cultural backgrounds obtain backgrounds obtain employment at all levels employment at all levels of the behavioral healthof the behavioral health

Received approval as a Received approval as a SSA Ticket to work SSA Ticket to work vendorvendor

Provides employment Provides employment coaching and consultation coaching and consultation to providers to providers

Recovery UniversityRecovery University 60-hour advanced

training and certification program for peer for peer recovery supportersrecovery supporters

Upon successful completion of the course and the certification examination, graduates will be state certified as Recovery Support Specialists (RSS)

Hawaii Hawaii

Consumer Youth and Family Alliance - “ Consumer Youth and Family Alliance - “ Na Hui” - Na Hui” - a group of people who come together for a common goal. Alliance of all state Advocacy organizations

Regional Hui to engage natural community supports and grow local infrastructure

Established Consumer and Family speakers’ bureau

Planning questions given to current Planning questions given to current

Transformation SIG states Transformation SIG states Consumer-Operated ServicesConsumer-Operated Services: Who will “own” the development of : Who will “own” the development of consumer-operated services,? How will the state finance consumer consumer-operated services,? How will the state finance consumer operated services?operated services?

Statewide Family/Consumer Networks and Youth Organizations: Statewide Family/Consumer Networks and Youth Organizations: What What steps has the state taken to ensure funding for these activities? How is the steps has the state taken to ensure funding for these activities? How is the State addressing the infrastructure development needs, esp. for young or State addressing the infrastructure development needs, esp. for young or emerging organizations, (i.e., providing linkages to non-profit development emerging organizations, (i.e., providing linkages to non-profit development resources in the state).resources in the state).

Peer SpecialistsPeer Specialists: How is the state working to ensure that peer specialist : How is the state working to ensure that peer specialist services are integral to the service delivery system? What about Medicaid services are integral to the service delivery system? What about Medicaid reimbursement? How will consumers/family/youth (CFY) continue to be reimbursement? How will consumers/family/youth (CFY) continue to be involved in workforce development? involved in workforce development?

Policy and Advisory Boards:Policy and Advisory Boards: Which state agency will take ownership for Which state agency will take ownership for on-going support of CFY involvement in decision-making and advisory on-going support of CFY involvement in decision-making and advisory bodies, and what funds are dedicated to support this? bodies, and what funds are dedicated to support this?

Evaluation:Evaluation: How does the state plan to involve CFY in evaluating services How does the state plan to involve CFY in evaluating services and system activities? Which state agency would take ownership of and system activities? Which state agency would take ownership of cultivating CFY involvement and how would CFY evaluation work be cultivating CFY involvement and how would CFY evaluation work be financed?financed?