NACo News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Counties (NACo) Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing will receive a briefing Thursday, May 11 as part of its Mental Health Awareness Month fly-in, taking place May 9-11.
NACo will release new data highlighting county perspectives on addressing the mental health crisis.
Speakers at the briefing will include:
- Hon. Denise Winfrey, NACo president; board member, Will County, Ill.
- Hon. Kathryn Barger, co-chair, NACo Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing; supervisor, Los Angeles County, Calif.
- Hon. Helen Stone, chair, NACo Health Policy Committee; commissioner, Chatham County, Ga.
- Hon. Therese Brown, commissioner, Allen County, Ind.
- Dr. Kathleen Burke, director, substance abuse initiatives, Will County, Ill.
Key datapoints [EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 11] will include:
- Incidence of behavioral health conditions increased in 75 percent of counties over the past year and 89 percent over the past five years;
- Seventy-four percent of counties cited financial costs as a barrier to providing or expanding access to behavioral health services and 71 percent cited lack of direct service providers; and
- Eighty percent of counties indicated that, as a result of the mental health crisis, they have incurred indirect costs in the legal system, 77 percent of counties indicated they have incurred indirect costs in law enforcement and 54 percent indicated they have incurred indirect costs in the health system and hospitals.
Speakers will also address county policy priorities, including:
- Amending detrimental policies under Medicaid, like the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP) and the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion;
- Obtaining direct and flexible resources to support the recruitment, training and retention of a sufficient behavioral health workforce;
- Enhancing the intergovernmental partnership for the development and modernization of local crisis response systems and infrastructure, and
- Enforcing policies that ensure equitable coverage for treatment of mental illness and addiction.
