spacer
Mental Health America
sky

Print Version Increase Font Size Decrease Text Size

Mental Health America of Indiana
2007 Public Policy Agenda

 

Click here to visit the Indiana Legislature Home Page

Click here to contact your legislator.

ISSUE: ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH MEDICATIONS

STATEMENT: Access to medications is critical for people with serious mental illness and addiction. Due to research in the last decade, new medications have been developed that can have better outcomes and fewer side effects for individuals with serious mental illness. Studies have shown that by cutting costs in the area of mental health medications, states have spent more money on even more costly services such as crisis care and hospital services for the long term. Most importantly, quality of life for individuals is impaired and the individual may not fully recover to the functioning level that they had achieved before switching medications.

The Mental Health America of Indiana, consistent the recommendations from the Transformation Work Group (TWG), will work to ensure that persons with mental illness and addiction have access to the most appropriate medications, whether they are provided by Medicaid, Medicare, DMHA, DOC, private insurance, or by any other payer source or in any other treatment setting.

PRIORITY LEVEL I

ISSUE: FORENSIC ISSUES

STATEMENT: Mental health, addictions and corrections issues often overlap and persons with mental illness and/or addictive disorders fall through the cracks in our criminal justice system. Historically, our correction facilities have been inadequate for persons with a mental illness or addictive disorder. MHAI has commissioned a study to evaluate DOC services and implement recommendations based on the results. Ultimately, prevention may avoid the criminalization of mental illness and addictions and the resulting labeling that often creates barriers to housing, employment, and the ability to be a productive member of society.

MHAI, consistent with the recommendations from the Transformation Working Group, will advocate for a comprehensive change in our system so as to provide for a continuum of mental health and addictions treatment for forensic patients, both juveniles and adults. The continuum must include: a statewide pre-& post-diversion program with treatment for individuals charged with misdemeanors and non-violent class “D” felonies; a statewide community corrections program with a mental health and addiction treatment component; re-entry programs, including eligibility for financial assistance, treatment, employment and housing; and a forensic facility designed to treat forensic patients that includes access to appropriate mental health medications. Further, police and correction officers must receive adequate mental health and addictions education and programming.

PRIORITY LEVEL II

ISSUE: MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION FUNDING

STATEMENT: According to an actuarial study conducted by Mercer, there are 228,971 persons in need of services from the Division of Mental Health and Addiction at 200% of poverty level while 153,477 people are not receiving services from the Hoosier Assurance Plan. Historically, the funding for the Division has been flat-lined creating a net deficit in funding due to cost of living increases and inflation. It is imperative that the Division of Mental Health and Addiction budget for hospital and community services be adequate to meet designated outcomes for SMI, SED, SA, and Forensics. The huge gap that currently exists between the need and the services provided already has left the system in crisis.

The Mental Health America of Indiana will work to insure that mental health and addiction services are increased as appropriate.

PRIORITY LEVEL II

ISSUE: INSURANCE PARITY

STATEMENT: Full health insurance coverage is typically available to provide coverage for patients with diabetes or cancer, and now for persons who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Such coverage is the cornerstone of any prevention program. Certainly, untreated mental illness and addictive disorders create additional costs, both in mental and physical health care. While SAMHSA studies show the cost of substance abuse parity to be minimal, the Indiana legislature has only supported the concept for state employees and limited the private sector to a mandatory offering.

With regard to the uninsured, the issues are no different. Any health insurance program targeted to the uninsured must have mental health and substance abuse coverage—and at the same level as physical health care.

MHAI will work for full parity legislation that prohibits any discrimination of insurance coverage against all persons across the lifespan in need of treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, irrespective of the sector for which the coverage is provided.

PRIORITY LEVEL I

ISSUE: INCREASE ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX

STATEMENT: Mental Health and Addictions treatment is significantly under funded in Indiana. MHAI supports additional alcohol and tobacco taxes and recommends that a portion of this additional funding be utilized to support mental health and addictions treatment services as recommended by the Transformation Working Group.

MHAI will work for revenue enhancements to support mental health and addictions treatment.

PRIORITY LEVEL II

ISSUE: CHILDREN, YOUTH AND JUVENILE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SCREENING POLICY

STATEMENT: The prevalence of mental illness, addiction and serious emotional disorders in children and youth under age 18 is oftentimes not adequately or appropriately diagnosed. At the same time, the efficacy of early treatment for mental illness, addiction and serious emotional disorders is proven and the benefits have been demonstrated.

The Mental Health America of Indiana supports and will work to guide and create, consistent with recommendations made by the President’s New Freedom Commission, the Surgeon General and the Transformation Working Group, opportunities for systematic, standardized and regular screening of children for mental illness, addiction and serious emotional disorders and youth in any and all appropriate settings including but not limited to public and private schools; child welfare; juvenile courts; and primary care settings. Any screening program must:

  • ensure that only qualified personnel conduct the screening and assessment, and develop the treatment program;
  • ensure that records of the screening, assessment and treatment are kept confidential in accordance with current privacy standards for these types of records; and
  • prohibit discrimination based on the screening, assessment and treatment.
  • provide for active parental consent
  • not be used as an assessment

MHAI supports all efforts to avoid stigmatization as well as the parent’s right to opt out. Once an illness is identified, treatment must also be made available.

PRIORITY LEVEL: I

ISSUE: MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALS

STATEMENT: Indiana’s commitment to the provision of mental health care is stated in the Constitution. This commitment has historically taken the form of serving large numbers in state hospitals to now serving individuals in the least restrictive setting, with only a small proportion served in state institutions. Indiana must insure that consumers of mental health and addiction services have access to the full continuum of care, including long-term inpatient psychiatric services, when required. The state must also insure the quality of these services and whenever appropriate, ensure that they are evidence-based.

As the state moves toward the provision of inpatient care in the state hospital setting, MHAI will advocate to insure access to appropriate and quality services. Specifically, MHAI will work to ensure that an appropriate, evidenced-based, continuum of mental health services, including addiction services, are provided by appropriately credentialed personnel for current patients and individuals for whom long term in-patient services are appropriate. The Association will advocate for the provision of services in the least restrictive setting and the appropriate use of inpatient beds. Adequate funding must be made available and all dollars generated from potential efficiencies must be reinvested in the mental health system.

PRIORITY LEVEL: I

ISSUE: OUR TOWN

STATEMENT: Our Town is a program of the Mental Health Association of Greater Indianapolis and is a replication of a program recognized as a best practice by the President’s Freedom Commission. Our Town supports and assists young adults with psychiatric disabilities in recognizing and using their strengths and abilities to live, work and thrive in the community.

MHAI will advocate for the funding necessary to continue and potentially expand Our Town in Marion County and in other communities when appropriate.

PRIORITY LEVEL: I

ISSUE: DEATH PENALTY and PEOPLE with MENTAL ILLNESS

STATEMENT: The process of determining guilt and imposing sentence is necessarily more complex for individuals with mental illness. A high standard of care is essential with regard to legal representation as is a psychological/psychiatric evaluation for individuals with mental illness involved in death penalty cases.

MHAI believes mental illness should always be taken into account during all phases of a potential death penalty case and opposes the death penalty in cases where the defendant has a Serious and Persistent Mental Illness.

PRIORITY LEVEL: II

ISSUE: MENTAL HEALTH TRANSFORMATION

STATEMENT: The President’s Freedom Commission recognized that the country’s mental health system was woefully inadequate and found that it must be significantly transformed to appropriately serve individuals in need of mental health services. The Commission called on each State to plan to transform their system of mental health care. Indiana has taken on this responsibility by creating the Transformation Working Group to develop recommendations to Transform the Mental Health Delivery system in the Hoosier State. Emphasis will be placed on effectiveness, efficiency, coordination and collaboration between state agencies.

MHAI will support and allocate available resources to provide leadership to the Mental Health Transformation effort.

PRIORITY LEVEL: I

ISSUE: SOCIAL HOST LIABILITY

STATEMENT: In a 2005 poll of 13-18 years olds, conducted by the American Medical Association, one out of three minors said it is easy to obtain alcohol from their homes with their parent’s knowledge. That number increases to 40% when the alcohol is obtained from a friend’s parent. One out of four parents polled agreed that children should be able to drink in their own homes in the presence of their parents. Some local Indiana polls indicate that more than half of minors get their alcohol from their parents. Annual data from the Indiana Prevention Resource Center shows that 26% of Indiana high school seniors engage in binge drinking, and the 2006 Indiana Collegiate Alcohol Use Survey data shows that 45% of Indiana college students engage in binge drinking.

Parents are often a first source of alcohol for minors, whether the parents give it to them, allow drinking in their home, or the minors take it from their parents without their knowledge. Other adults such as older friends and siblings also provide alcohol to minors or allow minors to drink in their homes. The current penalty for providing alcohol to minors is a Class C misdemeanor.

MHAI supports increasing penalties for providing alcohol to minors to send a stronger message to parents and other adults that providing alcohol to minors is a serious offense. We support legislation to increase the penalties for providing alcohol to minors to a Class B misdemeanor for a first offense, Class A for subsequent offenses, and imposing and automatic D Felony if the drinking results in a serious injury or death to the minor or another person.

PRIORITY LEVEL I

2005 Public Policy Agenda
2003 Public Policy Agenda

Back to top