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Tags Posts tagged with "Mental Health Safety Net Coalition"

Mental Health Safety Net Coalition

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The Mental Health Safety Net Coalition call scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 1:00 pm is cancelled and will be rescheduled. The Coalition’s Communications Team will meet this coming Monday to update the agenda, and a new date and time will be determined.

We currently remain at a budget impasse, with several critical areas still awaiting resolution. The Coalition continues its work, and we look forward to our next meeting.

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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RCPA invites members to participate in the Coalition for the Mental Health Safety Net meeting on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. You can register for the meeting here.

The Coalition will also be meeting on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, June 7, 2023 / 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
  • Wednesday, July 12, 2023 / 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

The Coalition is open to all stakeholder groups, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system. If you would like to join the coalition or have any questions, please contact Jim Sharp.

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The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This week’s advocacy letter, which is being sent on behalf of the Coalition, stands as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. Governor Shapiro’s budget address called for an initial $20 million investment as a starting point to creating a sustainable funding platform for county-based mental health services. These budgeted funds, if approved by the General Assembly, would represent the first increase in county-based mental health funding in more than a decade. Now is the time for action on sustaining the funding of community-based mental health services and creating the legislation to move on the allocation of the $100 million in funding, as outlined by the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Commission.

The Coalition is open to all new partners. Join our mission of advocacy for this 2023–24 initiative and begin engaging with your representative. The Coalition will also be developing an advocacy toolkit for members in order to come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This week’s letter of advocacy, sent on behalf of the Coalition, stands as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. As we await Governor Shapiro’s budget address, the “Time is Now” for action to sustain the funding of community-based mental health services and to create the legislation to move on the allocation of the $100 million dollars in funding as outlined by the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Commission.

The Coalition is open to all new partners to join our mission of advocacy for this 2023–24 initiative, as the time to act is now for engaging with your representative. The Coalition will also be developing an advocacy toolkit for members to come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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RCPA invites members to participate in the Coalition for the Mental Health Safety Net meeting on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. You can register for the meeting here.

The Coalition will also be meeting on the following dates:

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 • 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 • 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 • 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

The Coalition is open to all stakeholder groups, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system. If you would like to join the collation or have any questions, please contact Jim Sharp.

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The sustained funding of community-based mental health services, such as community residential programs, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention, are critical to the wellbeing of our constituents and our communities. Funding levels for county mental health services have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available. Yet for too many years, state funding for mental health services has lagged far behind its needs. Counties find themselves advocating for the prevention of funds being cut instead of achieving the increases that are needed to catch up from years of underfunding.

This year, RCPA and other system stakeholders once again teamed with the County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) through the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition. The mission and vision of this campaign continues to promote awareness of the critical funding needs of mental health services for vulnerable Pennsylvanians. As RCPA and the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition continue our efforts, we ask our members, stakeholders, and partners to join us in this collaborative effort by engaging with your legislators. “County mental health services provide a critical piece to the public safety net for people in need,” notes Richard S. Edley, PhD, President and CEO of RCPA. “The system sustained cuts over a decade ago with little relief since then. It is time to restore those dollars and further enhance the system. Not only will it provide critical funding for the individuals receiving services, but there are positive benefits — both financially and clinically — to the entire community.”

The Coalition welcomes the many new partners for this 2023–24 initiative, as the time to act is now for engaging with your representative. Local communities and providers have come together to sustain the safety net and serve those who need it most. The reality is that the demand for service far outweighs capacity and rate structures to serve this population.

View our first of many communications that will go out on behalf of the Coalition as an open call to the PA General Assembly and stakeholders. This will provide you with strategic talking points for our outreach. If you have additional questions or would like to join the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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