 PRINT VERSION
 EMAIL ARTICLE
Article Posted: 01/30/2004 9:21:14 AM
Gov. Johanns Unveils Report Confirming Feasibility of Mental Health Reform
Gov. Mike Johanns and State Senator Jim Jensen presented a report today compiled by a prominent health care expert which concludes that the proposed mental health reform plan, introduced by Sen. Jensen as LB 1083, can be achieved.
The Lewin Group report is titled “Balancing New Adult Behavioral Health Community Supports.” The Executive Summary of the report concludes that, “Lewin not only believes that the Road to Recovery is a highly principled plan… we believe that the Road to Recovery is achievable on the timeline, and for the budget, laid out by Governor Johanns and Senator Jensen.”
Gov. Johanns called the report a planning document that provides valuable direction to achieve the reform. He said, “I am encouraged by the report’s affirmation that the Road to Recovery plan, as outlined in LB 1083, is right on track. With this report, it is clear that we can achieve our goal to improve the lives of citizens with mental illnesses by reforming our system of services as we have proposed.”
The Road to Recovery plan proposes a transition from institutional care provided at antiquated regional centers to expanded community services closer to consumers’ home communities where they can access the support of family and friends which improves their chances of recovery. Those services will range from secure inpatient care to assisted living care.
The Lewin report suggests steps for closing the Hastings and Norfolk Regional Centers, a transition strategy for moving long-term residents to the community, and methods for identifying appropriate community-based supportive services for the approximately 1,100 individuals who are committed to a regional center annually for short term reasons. It also calls for ongoing stakeholder discussions to understand the implications of the plan and define implementation steps.
“I couldn’t agree more with the recommendation to include stakeholders in the planning,” Gov. Johanns said. “That’s why we held meetings across the state while formulating the plan and why we recently met with law enforcement, providers of mental health services and consumers to seek their input. We’ve also stayed in contact with the six mental health regional administrators across the state.”
Last week, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) met with representatives from the six mental health regions to assist in developing specific plans for their areas, whether that requires an expansion of existing community services or development of new services.
The Governor was joined at today’s news conference by all six regional mental health administrators across the state who voiced their support for the reform initiative.
“I cannot overstate the significance of having the support of all six mental health region administrators,” Gov. Johanns said. “Their unified backing of the reform is confirmation that it is the right thing to do and we will work together to achieve it with the Legislature’s permission.”
Sen. Jensen said, “I am very pleased and extremely grateful for the partnership of our six behavioral health regions in the process of reforming the state’s behavioral health system. Their hard work and dedication will help ensure that consumers and their families are served and that services are developed where they’re needed and closer to where consumers live, work and worship.”
The regional mental health program administrators are John McVay, Region I; Larry Brown, Region II; Beth Baxter, Region III; Jean Sturtevant, Region IV; C.J. Johnson, Region V; Tom Greener, Region VI.
John McVay, Region I Program Administrator, said, “Region I is in full support of the reform initiative. Since July 2002, we’ve been providing community services ranging from secure inpatient care to community support services. We now serve 80 percent of the patients who previously had been committed to a regional center. This reform does not propose a new concept in care, rather it provides the funding to fully transition to the kind of care we should be providing across the state.”
C.J. Johnson, Region V Program Administrator, said, “It is time for our state to fully commit to meeting the needs of mental health consumers and this reform supports those efforts. While much attention has been paid to the impact on Hastings and Norfolk, Region V would have to make changes, too. More community-based services will be needed to care for the consumers at the Lincoln Regional Center who are ready for lesser levels of care. We embrace this reform effort and we stand ready to develop an implementation plan to more fully serve people with mental illnesses.”
The Lewin Report can be accessed through the Governor’s website at www.gov.state.ne.us by clicking on the box on the right side of the screen titled “Reforming Mental Health Services in Nebraska.”
|
