March 22 Update:

Good news for Maine's Crisis Services! Because Maine will receive substantially more Federal Medicaid funds than previously expected, proposed cuts to several key services have been partially or entirely restored in the latest budget "change package" from DHHS.  Crisis Services were fully restored to the tune of $2.2 Million (adults and children). These general fund dollars are "flexible" in that they can be used for non-Maine reimbursable services, most importantly peer support services, key to a recovery-oriented crisis system. More on this soon.

February 19

In the midst of budget cuts facing Maine's Mental Health Crisis System and providers scrambling to propose cost savings and streamlining efforts, the CCSM brought forward a system redesign plan that would revolutionize (recovery-ize?) crisis services here in Maine. This redesign, a vision developed by Scott Metzger, fellow-peer and Director of Peer Services at Sweetser, proposes a recovery-based merging of clinical and peer-recovery models. It expands the crisis system to include the Maine Warm Line, mobile support teams with peer support specialists, peer respites, and other recovery opportunities. This vision more holistically meets the needs of people who access the crisis system, many of whom are experiencing emotional distress that does not rise to the level of a crisis intervention, whose real and longer-term needs currently go unmet. (To see presentation slides, click here.)

The response to the initial presentation to the Office of Adult Mental Health Services on February 3rd was enthusiastic and encouraging. The following week, the design went to DHHS Commissioner Brenda Harvey, along with various other proposals for savings or changes DHHS received from crisis providers around the state. She expressed support of the vision and personally thanked the CCSM's Executive Director for the "great work" that was done. The proposal then went to Rep. Mark Eves, the legislative liaison from the Health & Human Services Committee assigned to work with providers and DHHS to find possible solutions to the proposed cuts to crisis services. He, too, was impressed with the plan and reported out to the entire HHS Committee that while it does not provide immediate cost savings for the budget crisis, the proposal describes what should be the future direction of crisis services in Maine.

On Feb. 18th, Scott and the CCSM presented the proposal to a meeting of nearly all crisis providers in the state, several officials from DHHS (including Comm. Harvey and Dep. Comm. Muriel Littlefield), as well as Court Master Dan Wathen. The overall response of providers was very positive and some changes are already being made or considered, most notably in the southern and coastal catchment area. The most significant barrier, providers said, is how to fund the peer support initiatives. (To be continued...stay tuned!)