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Amendment # 327 to FY19 HWM: Elder Behavioral Health

The HWM Committee did not include funding for our Elder Behavioral Health in FY19; which means our 5 current EMHOT Projects would cease June 30th and our efforts to develop Behavioral Health Programs statewide would be dealt a significant setback.

MCOA is asking all members to make one call to their state representative on FRIDAY (ok early Monday would also work) and ask them to support Amendment #327 co-sponsored by Ruth Balser and Denise Garlick. Ask them to sign the House Amendment Book (clerk’s office) by noon Monday.

Every representative received the email below on Thursday morning but they will need encouragmeny from their local COA to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Please make this one call

David P. Stevens

 

Members of the House of Representatives:

The Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging requests your support for Amendment #327 (text below) to the proposed HWM FY19 Budget (H4400). Currently an earmark for FY18 is funding 5 pilot EMHOT projects, (Elder Mental Health Outreach Teams) across our Commonwealth that are helping older adults cope with depression, dementia, bipolar disorder, addiction, hoarding, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress.  No such earmark was included in H4400 for FY19.

These Community collaborations consisting of PCPs, therapists, police and fire personnel, EMTs, ASAP protective service workers and care managers, housing authority staff, councils on aging staffs, home health agency RNs, medical center discharge planners and more; work with mobile EMHOT mental health clinicians to meet elders in need where elders are; in ERs, in their homes, and upon request. This key feature helps alleviate an elders’ lack of personal mobility and/or lack of transportation, both of which have long been identified as barriers to mental health treatment for many elders. Currently there are waiting lists for EMHOT services.

These services will end June 30th unless this amendment #327 is passed. Please go to the House Clerk’s office and sign the amendment book for #327 Elder Behavioral Health and inform lead sponsors Representative Ruth Balser and Chairwoman Denise Garlick as well as Speaker Robert DeLeo and Chairman Sanchez of your support.

A fact sheet will be posted later this week on www.mcoaonline.com under the Advocacy tab which provides more details on these projects.

Amendment #327: This amendment request is an earmark to line item #5046-0000 that includes language and the necessary allocation to continue these 5 projects through FY19.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

David P. Stevens

Executive Director

Massachusetts Councils on Aging

Email: david@mcoaonline.com

Web: www.mcoaonline.com

Cell: 413.539.0565

 

Amendment #327 to H4400

Elder Behavioral Health

Representatives Balser of Newton and Garlick of Needham move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 5046-0000,  by adding the following: “; provided further that the Department of Mental Health and the Executive Office of  Elder Affairs shall execute an elder behavioral  health  interagency service agreement to provide not less than $500,000 for adult and community based behavioral health services to adults over the  age of  60,” and in said item by striking out the figures “486,718,033” and inserting in place thereof the figures “487,218,033”.

 

Amendment #327 to H4400

Elder Behavioral Health

Representative:
Jonathan Hecht
Leonard Mirra
Paul McMurtry
James M. Kelcourse
John C. Velis
James K. Hawkins
Danielle W. Gregoire
Brian M. Ashe
Angelo M. Scaccia
Steven Ultrino
Christine P. Barber
Kay Khan
Stephan Hay
James J. O’Day
Susannah M. Whipps
Frank I. Smizik
James J. Dwyer
Natalie Higgins
Denise Provost
David M. Rogers

 

 

Massachusetts Councils
on Aging

116 Pleasant Street, Suite 306
Easthampton, MA 01027
 
Telephone: 413-527-6425
Fax: 413-527-7138