July 16, 2007 - Vol 1, Issue 19
Update on Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council
The Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council met on Wednesday, July 11, 2007. At the meeting, there was a presentation of OMH's and OFA's budget priorities for geriatric mental health for 2008-9.
They are:
- Primary care physicians depression screening education
- Medicare Optimization
- More service demonostration programs
- Establish a Center for Excellence in geriatric mental health
Members of the Council suggested that the physician education program draw from experience and research regarding how to train physicians effectively. They also suggested that new service demonstration programs focus on the needs of people with serious and persistent mental illness by funding programs that integrate primary health care into mental health programs. It was also suggested that health providers and aging service organizations be permitted to be lead agencies and that applicants be permitted to use other sources of funds, such as Medicare and Medicaid, for program expansion. It was also suggested that the Center for Excellence conceptualize family caregivers as part of the workforce and that it work on the development of peer- to-peer models.
OMH and OFA did not commit the state to funding their priorities next year. We will need to work hard with the Governor's Office and the Division of the Budget to win inclusion of these and other items in the Governor's Budget Request for 2008-9.
There was also an update on the RFP status. The providers of the integration program have been sent contract packages. The gatekeeper program is still going through the procurement process at the State Controller's Office, but they hope it will be completed soon. In addition, Dr. Finnerty of OMH presented a plan for evaluation of the demonstrations.
The meeting also included a report about assisted living. Concerns were raised about the need for mental health screening and treatment. Michael Friedman agreed to organize a small group to make recommendations to the Council and the Department of Health.
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OMH Hearings
As you know, OMH is hosting a series of briefings and hearings on the 2007 Update and Interim Report to the 2006-2011 5.07 Plan. Here is the link to the schedule. We hope you will attend.
Stakeholders are being asked to address three areas:
- Mental Health services for children and families
- Housing Priorities
- Coordinated Care
Clearly stable, accessible housing, coordination of mental health, health, and aging services, and family support are key issues for older adults with mental disorders.
We have put together draft talking points that address these areas and others that we will gladly send to you for you to use in your testimony. Email: Kim Steinhagen at steinhagenk@mhaofnyc.org, and she will send them to you.
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Governor Spitzer Vetoes Geriatric Behavioral Health Legislation
On July 3, 2007 Governor Spitzer vetoed the Geriatric Chemical Dependence Act and the Veterans Geriatric Mental Health Act. Both would have created a Planning Council and a services demonstrations grants program.
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Upcoming Events
July 19 - Third Thursday Breakfast: Alzheimer's Disease A broadcast series on public health issues sponsored by the above listed organizations. The session will feature Mary Mittelman of the NYU School of Medicine and Earl Zimmerman of the Albany Medical Center Neurology Group. The session will occur from 9:00-10:00am. It will be available via satellite downlink, via a live webcast, and available as an archived online webstream two weeks after each broadcast. Please see flyer for more information.
September 18, 2007- Mental Illness and the Older Client: A Challenge for Geriatric Care Managers sponsored by the Greater New York Chapter NAPGCM. Dr. Mark Nathanson is the opening keynote speaker and Michael Friedman is the luncheon keynote. The conference will be from 8:00am-4:15pm at the New York Academy of Medicine. Please view the save the date card for more information.
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In the News
Home Care Industry Will Encounter 'Care Gap' Soon
From the Kaiser Daily Health Report, July, 6, 2007
As baby boomers "begin encountering the frailties of old age, the nation will face a widening 'care gap' that experts fear will compromise the quality of home care and force people into nursing homes too soon," the Dallas Morning News reports. The U.S., which today has about one million home care aides, will need as many as one million additional workers by 2017 and as many as three million more by 2030, according to experts. The growth in demand will come from the age-65-and-over population doubling in the next 25 years, in addition to a preference for receiving care at home instead of in nursing homes, according to the Morning News.
The labor market for home health care workers is not likely to increase because "the women who typically went to work as caregivers now have better- paying, less demanding options in other fields," the Morning News reports. Low wages and benefits, long hours and lack of training also prevent more people from entering the field. On average, home health care workers in 2005 made $17,710. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that home health care workers do not qualify for minimum wage overtime.
Steven Dawson, president of the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, said, "If we paid these people a livable wage, offered them health insurance, trained them better and listened to them, we'd solve this 'workforce crisis' in months. But we can't do that as long as our policymakers treat them as invisible" (Moos, Dallas Morning News, 7/4).
For full article, click here.
