Speaker(s)

Laura Heitmann, LCSW

Natalie Fornelli, MS

With the reduction in mental health inpatient bed-space, law enforcement and courts across the country have had to spend an increasingly large percentage of their time working with people who have complex mental health and/or substance use disorders, which law enforcement and courts are often ill-equipped to adequately serve. Emergency Departments (ED) have also become a revolving door for individuals with behavioral health disorders, whose inpatient stays could often be avoided with a connection to a treatment provider. In 2013, Governor Nixon’s initiative to Strengthen Missouri’s Mental Health System, created two programs (the Community Mental Health Liaisons (CMHL) and the Emergency Room Enhancement (ERE)) to address these problems. The CMHLs were created to be a “boundary spanner” between the mental health and the criminal justice systems. Likewise, ERE program was created to divert costly and unnecessary hospitalizations and to reduce ED use. These initiatives have led to stronger community partnerships, improved crisis systems, and more appropriate treatment for individuals with behavioral health disorders. This session will also explore how Missouri identified a care gap through these programs, and in turn, developed an application for an 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver.