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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-04 BHAC MINUTES1 Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (Mental Health-Substance Use Disorders) MINUTES May 4, 2021 3:00-5:00 PM FINAL I. Call to Order/ Introductions X Heidi Eisenhour-Chair Excused Absence ___ Ariel Speser-Vice Chair X Chris Ashcraft Excused Absence __ Patricia Beathard X Jill Buhler-Rienstra Excused Absence ___ Anne Dean X_ David Fortino X Patrick Johnson X Sheila Westerman Staff: Anna Mc Enery, Veronica Shaw Guests: Denise Banker, Lindsay Scalf, Miranda Burger, Whitney Friddle, Trish Beathard, Nat Jacobs, Leah Russell, Brian Gleason, Lily Haight, Lexa Murphy, Joe Nole, Troy Surber, Lori Fleming, Alexis Schmierer, Ford Kessler, Thomas Olson, Gabbie Caudill, Nat Jacobs, Tanya Barnett, Minnie Whalen, Beulah Kingsolver, Apple Martine & Jon Walsch II. Approval and/or modification of the draft Agenda of May 4, 2021 Member Buhler (M)/Member Fortino (S)/ Approved with no changes. Review/Adoption of Draft Minutes of February 2, 2021 and March 2, 2021 Member Westerman (M)/Member Fortino (S)/ Approved with no changes. III. Public Comments- None IV. BUDGET Staff, Veronica Shaw reported on the 2021 Budget Tracking Spreadsheet & Sales Tax Projection Considering COVID, sales tax revenue is doing quite well. Year to date actual revenue is 8% above year to date budget projections. Just a reminder that the carry-over into 2021 is $532,944. V. UPDATES/15 Minutes Drug Court Update It was reported that numbers in Drug Court are down significantly. There have been people who might have been very good candidates for Drug Court, and they have been encouraged to attend, but they do not want to jump through all the required hoops. COVID has limited the police contact, so they are seeing some people who have high re-offense rates, high police contact. Therefore, there is concerns that they may be missing some of the outliers who are behaving themselves. Member Johnson asked if the same person could be in Behavioral Court and Drug Court. Brian Gleason explained that as a practical matter it should not happen. The demands of both Courts are too much for someone to do them simultaneously. 2 Guest Nat Jacobs explained some drug-based cases that were in Superior Court, were transferred to Behavioral Health Court, once it became clear that the core issue was mental health based, rather than drug and alcohol based. Guest Ford Kessler explained that people in Drug Court who have mental health issues get treatment in conjunction with their substance treatment. Someone might be in Family Therapeutic Court and Drug Court at the same time. That is because the structure of Family Therapeutic Court is set up differently and it can be effective to have certain individuals in both Courts at the same time. Mr. Kessler shared that the numbers are lower than they have ever been for Drug Court; he noted that there have been many changes over the last year. Drug Court has the capacity to handle more people, but they are just not showing up. He explained that most people attending Drug Court are not high functioning individuals. VI. PRESENTATIONS a. What is N.E.A.R. Science? Minnie Whalen, Clallam Resilience Project Manager (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, ACEs and Resilience/ How does it affect our Communities?) Staff Anna Mc Enery introduced Minnie Whalen of the Clallam Resilience Project. She requested the Committee consider funding a three-hour N.E.A.R. Science Sciences (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience) Training for our 1/10th of 1% Vendors and then a three-hour follow-up Workshop. (Minnie Whalen would present both.) The focus would be on how 1/0th of 1% Vendors can integrate N.E.A.R. Science into the culture of their agency/staff and the work they are doing with their clients. Guest Minnie Whalen gave a PowerPoint presentation introducing the Clallam Resilience Project. They are a cross sector consortium with shared leadership, whose purpose is to expand the understanding of N.E.A.R. Sciences (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience). Research from the N.E.A.R. Sciences provides opportunities to connect, to learn and educate, on the how and why of trauma informed care. Minnie Whalen explained the relationship between ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and areas of neglect, abuse, and household challenges. The more ACES one has, the higher the risk for negative health outcomes and lasting effects on potential, risky behaviors. She explained that Epigenetics – is how ones’ behavior and environment can affect how ones’ genes work and that trauma can be transferred inter-generationally. Project goals for the Clallam Resilience Project are around education - through care, wellness, skill building and collaboration. Minnie explained why a trauma informed approach is beneficial: • Individuals and families can better access resources and the support of their communities, • Organizational approaches better benefit all stakeholders, • Community develops the capacity, knowledge, and skills to understand and respond to the adverse effects of trauma. 3 Guest Apple Martine noted that this is an extremely helpful reminder about how brains are processing, and how coping strategies can be deployed, whether they are adaptive or maladaptive. It is one thing to hear about it in a presentation and another thing to engage people in courageous conversations. Learning how you can meet them where they are, -- where stress and trauma have made a deep impact on their ability to cope. Staff Anna Mc Enery expressed hope that this committee could provide funding for 1/10th of 1% Vendors to send two staff from each agency to attend for a total of six hours each and to pay the Clallam Resilience Project time to provide the Training and Workshop. Board member Patrick Johnson asked if the obligation of the participants would then be to share the information with their agencies. Staff Mc Enery confirmed that understanding, and the hope would be to move the effects of the Training and Workshop forward. Discussion ensued about whether all agencies would be interested, and if there should be more staff attending to have the most impact. Staff Mc Enery reiterated the desire that the Committee consider funding two from each agency and agencies could decide to include more if that was their choice. Chair, Commissioner Eisenhour expressed support of the opportunity, as it would build the capacity of our collective community and bring a new set of tools that could be used and talked about together. Minnie Whalen explained that the idea is for agencies to be able to normalize the experience around some of the neurobiological effects. That happens with clients, staff members, board members and others within an agency and amongst agencies. This is the opportunity to talk about trauma informed care and trauma informed environments. How do we identify strengths for how we mitigate and prevent trauma within our agencies, for clients, or staff? How do we learn from each other? Ms. Whalen went on to say, there needs to be models, there needs to be support, and there needs to be a place for the community to practice this work. The Clallam Resilience Project has that already in place and would be happy to share and welcome 1/10th Vendors into it. This includes ongoing support, social media, resources, newsletters and monthly meetings. Guests Lindsey Scalf, and Denise Banker both expressed their appreciation of the trainings and opportunities they have had to engage through the Clallam Resilience Project. Having the opportunity to connect personally, to expand the conversation and dialog in all human service arenas could be so beneficial, but also in every interaction with the public. Tanya Barnett also expressed her support, having been a participant and stated that she would like to help with the technical coordination for this work/opportunity in Jefferson County. Staff Mc Enery will contact all the Vendors to ascertain their interest in participating in this training. Member Buhler-Rienstra suggested that Vendors be encouraged to express what kind of training might be beneficial for their organization if their response to this one is not favorable. Chair Eisenhour asked for the motion. Member Westerman/M to set aside $7,620 from the 1/10th of 1% funding for the N.E.A.R Training/Workshop and Vendor stipends, Member Johnson/S and the vote was unanimously favorable. Staff Mc Enery thanked the Committee for their support of this endeavor and stated that she hopes we can include training in future budget planning. 4 b. The New Navigator with the Sheriff’s Office/Jon Walsch Jon Walsch introduced himself as the new Navigator with the Sheriff’s Office. Jon is excited to be here, believes this is a team role and he is excited to be a part of the team. Jon is a retired Army veteran, has several years’ experience as a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) and as a Mental Health Professional. Staff Mc Enery asked Jon if he could share some of the ways he is working with the Sheriff’s Office in his new role. Jon said he looks at himself as the “tip of the spear”. When a call comes in to 911 and determinations’ made that they it is a mental health or behavioral health issue, he rides along with the Deputy to make that initial contact to determine if the issue can be resolved on site, or if other resources need to be brought in to play. Jon thinks that after further protocols are developed (and if the situational safety is not an issue), there may be times when he is able to answer a call without a Deputy in attendance. A big part of his job will also be “welfare checks”. Staff Mc Enery asked if Jon would be providing some for the Sheriff Department, as Jud Haynes has done with the Port Townsend Police Department. Jon stated that he believes that is in the plan. He added that Jud’s work in the Police Department has paved a way forward at the Sheriff’s Department. The Committee thanked Jon for attending this meeting, so they could meet him. VII. VENDOR REPORTS a. District Court/Behavioral Health Court Guest, Brian Gleason reported that the focus is currently on what to do with clients regarding goal setting, life skills, and transitioning into life in Phase III and Phase IV, -- helping them determine what they want to do with their life. There are several clients with hurdles around disability issues and numbers of hours they can work, some have technology issues, etc., that is why we redid our program this year, and we are trying to get the resources they need. Currently there are 18 in the program. Three individuals have had significant TBI’s. Thanks to Staff McEnery and this Committee, two staff members with the Traumatic Brain Injury Alliance attend the staffing meeting every week. Several people are moving into Phase III and Phase IV and so the program is fairly “end” heavy currently. If you go to the Jefferson County Website and click on the calendar page of District Court, you can watch all the court hearings that are done through Zoom on YouTube. Mr. Gleason expressed concern about the number of therapists and their availability through DBH and encouraged any assistance from this Committee, in the way of funding, to help them hire more staff to assist with the problem. Member Westerman noted that a part of the issue is the inability to find therapists to do the work. Staff Mc Enery said that DBH just received $184,000 in 1/10th of 1% funding for a new two-year contract for Wrap-around Case Management Services. This service is for individuals who have Medicare or no insurance. 5 VIII. STAFF UPDATES/ a) Staff, Mc Enery reported that there is an RFP going out from the 1/10th of 1% funding for School-based Mental Health Services very soon. There are presently three contracts: • Jumping Mouse Children’s Center for the Brinnon School District- Mental Health Project has a two-year contract for $64,848, (or $32,424 for each year). • MCS Counseling for School-based Mental Health Services in all School Districts has a two-year a contract for $144,962, (or $72,481 for each year). • There was a short-term contract with MCS Counseling to provide a mental health therapist in Chimacum Elementary for $37,320 – although they have only spent $10,396. The total budget for school based mental health counseling services for two years has been $247,130 and that includes the one time funding of $37,320. Staff Mc Enery is hoping the RFP Panel can meet in the middle of June, so that contracts can be in place for those chosen to provide services, from July 1, 2021 through June 30. 2023. IX. Public Comments - None X. Chair Eisenhour adjourned the meeting.