At the recent CRO outreach meeting, the following dates were announced:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 – 3:30 pm(Be There at least a half hour early) – House Mental Health Budget Hearing before the Social Services Budget Committee – In Topeka, Docking Building Room 711. Please coordinate with Sheli Sweeney (785-234-47730) or Rick Cagan (785-233-0755)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 – Mental Health Advocacy Day at the Capitol – NEW LOCATION FOR 2012 – Topeka Performing Arts Center, 214 SE 8th Street – [Use Quincy Street entrance] 9:00 a.m. – Registration, 9:45 a.m. – Policy Briefing, 11:45 am – Lunch, Afternoon Appointments at the Capitol. – Click here to register and to ensure that you receive the latest updates. Click here for complete information.

June 2, 2012 – Topeka – State Wide advocacy training

June 3, 2012 –Topeka – Training Advocacy Trainers to carry out training in other communities throughout the state. – Watch for more details on these events as they become available.

The CAC is excited to announce that 4 training sessions on Trauma Informed Care will take place this month at various locations throughout the state. The trainings are designed for Mental Health Professionals and represent three years of work by the TIC committee. If you would like more information on these trainings or on Trauma Informed Care in general contact:

kscacgrantssbcglobalnet  (kscacgrantssbcglobalnet)  

 The CRO Outreach meeting will be held on February 7 in Topeka from approximately 10:30 – 2, with a working lunch. The CAC is invited to attend and participate in this meeting.

Immediately afterwards, the CAC can hold a 2 hour meeting to discuss updates/followups/next steps. Much of the days agenda for the CROs will be around legislative issues and the CAC medicaid proposals



Save The Date!

Mental Health Advocacy Day at the Capitol
Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Join fellow consumers, family members, providers and advocates for a chance to become better informed about mental health policy issues in the Kansas legislature and to educate your legislators about the issues of the day.

Please make appointments now with your Representative and Senator to meet with them when you come to Topeka. They need to hear your perspective and concerns about mental health program budgets and policy issues.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

• There is no registration fee.
• Click here to register and to ensure that you receive the latest updates.
• A lunch voucher will be provided for all who participate and travel stipends will be available subject to adequate funding.
• Click here  (infonamikansasorg)   for more information and for assistance in making appointments with legislators – or call 1-800-539-2660.

Preliminary Schedule of Activities

 Morning

9 a.m. – Registration

9:45 a.m. – Policy Briefing

11:45 am – Lunch

Afternoon

Appointments at the Capitol

Helpful Links

Kansas Legislature

Contact Your Legislators

Register Now

Kansas Mental Health Coalition 

Directions to Topeka Performing Arts Center

Kansas Mission of Mercy (KMOM) is a two-day dental clinic designed to provide urgent dental care to as many patients, both adults and children, as volunteer dental professionals are able to treat. Patients are treated on a first come, first served basis so there is no advance patient registration or qualifications.

Gary Parker passed on the following:

The Governor’s Mental Health Services Planning Council (GMHSPC) has set its calendar for 2012.  The council is going to be meeting at several various places across the state.  If a meeting is in your area, or if you would like to attend any meeting, the full council meetings are open to the public.  All meeting times are from 9 – 3.

 The council has met all across the state at different locations.  Each year, they are required to do a site visit at a Community Mental Health Center and a State Hospital.

 Here is the proposed calendar and locations (subject to change):

•  February 9, 2012, Topeka, SRS Learning Center, Room D
• April – Date to be established for secretary reports, Topeka
• June 8, 2012, Pawnee Mental Health Center, Manhattan, KS
• August 10, 2012, Wyandot Mental Health Center/Rainbow State Hospital, Kansas City
• October 12, 2012, Larned State Hospital, Larned
• December 7, 2012, Topeka

Hope to see some of you at the meetings!

The CAC Board and staff met via conference call January 3^rd.   Here are some of the highlights as well as a few updates since the meeting.

Chris White attended the meeting of the Kansas Mental Health Coalition in December and several others participated via teleconference.  It was decided to submit a request for funding to the legislature on behalf of the CAC.  The request would probably help to fund the Leadership Academy and Recovery Conference, though the request has not yet been finalized.  The coalition emphasized that the CAC should tightly focus on how the funds will be used and that they should follow up with legislators on their own.  Some assignments of legislators to be followed up with were made, but more are needed. If you would like to help please, contact Rene Strunk, renestrunkyahoocom  (renestrunkyahoocom)   . 

The Lilly Reintegration Scholarship program is designed to offer financial assistance for a wide range of educational opportunities in which students work to attain a certificate or degree.

 * Eligible programs include:

• High school equivalency programs
• Trade or vocational school programs
• Associate degrees
• Bachelor degrees
• Graduate degrees

See the following link for mor information.  Good Luck!

http://reintegration.com/userimages/reintegration_application_2012-2013.pdf

Activity in the forum has been a little slow of late, but you have the opportunity to change that and help the CAC and others in the process. First if you haven’t already registered for the forum, do so and a password will be emailed to you. Login and give us your input.

I’ve created a new forum called Creative Ideas and threads for program ideas, fundraising ideas and grant sources. Do some brainstorming, then list your ideas in these threads or create a new one if you have an especially good idea. The hope is that as people build on these ideas and suggestions that some will emerge as viable concepts for funding and programming for the CAC, CROs and other organizations during these tough times. Get creative, get wild, have fun.

I’ve also started a thread in the General Mental Health forum where you can offer words of encouragement to the CAC board and staff. They are working extra hard during these trying times so sign in and encourage them.

 Come on let’s get the forums overflowing with creative ideasand positive energy.  Don’t wait for someone else sign in and give us your ideas, the more the better.

Members and staff of the CAC, as well as representatives from, NAMI, KU and WSU met together December 8, 2011 for a planning and strategizing session. It was made clear that the state of mental health services throughout the state will most likely be changing if proposals to the legislature are approved in the coming session. Under the current proposals the existing SRS, as well as some other agencies would be reorganized into three departments, with mental health services falling under the Department for Aging and Human Services. Likewise, the current Medicaid system will be switching from a fee for service format to a managed care format with consumers eventually having a choice between three providers. The hope is that the system will provide better care at a lower cost. It was also reported that funding for CRO’s as well as SAMHSA state network grants may not be renewed.

This climate of change brings with it both obstacles and opportunities. The obstacles include trying to survive and thrive in the current climate of change, uncertainty and financial cutbacks. The opportunities include the possibility of building a funding base less dependent on state government, the chance to influence and be a positive part of the many changes coming about in mental health care, and the hope that the final outcome may be a system, of agencies and entities that the better serve and promote recovery among mental health consumers.

Among the actions taken by the council were decisions to proceed with seeking grants from private and government agencies; to pursue affiliating with the National Association of Peer Specialist (NAOPS) and to seek out additional ways to encourage the increased use of Certified Peer Specialist in facilitating recovery; the formation of a committee to meet with the Mental Health Coalition with the hope of including funding for the CAC as a part of the funding request to the legislature. The committee will also follow up with individual legislators to try and secure passage of the funding. A second committee was appointed to look into additional fundraising activities including fundraising events, corporate sponsorships, and direct appeals. The Board expressed its gratitude to NAMI, KU and WSU for their participation, input and assistance with transportation and looks forward to continuing cooperation.

The CAC board members and staff continue to remain positive amidst the ever-changing financial climate. It will mean at least some short term changes in traditional programming. Regrettably the Recovery Conference will not take place this year and the fate of the leadership academy is on hold for the time being and much of the communication and work must now be done via teleconference. Work continues however, on the Trauma Informed Care and peer support initiatives and perhaps most importantly in advocacy for consumer participation at the national, state and local levels.

Now is the perfect time to get involved! Write your state legislators and others in authority and encourage friends and relatives to do the same. Let your voice be heard that funding for consumer initiatives is money well spent. Be active in your local CROs, NAMI and other groups, Volunteer to help with committees and projects, present your creative ideas for funding and programming, as well as your words of encouragement to Board and Staff members or post them in the forum. Your voice and actions can make a positive difference in the lives of many. Now is not the time to lose hope, but to redouble our efforts. Thank you for your hard work, encouragement and support.