2018 News Releases

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) is one of 18 states to receive a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant designed to support the mental health of women and children across the state. The $425,000 grant will fund and expand the Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Project (MO-CPAP) which is a program aimed at supporting and strengthening primary care providers’ ability to give mental health care to young patients with mild to moderate behavioral health issues.

Currently, the MO-CPAP is being piloted in the eastern region in St. Louis City, and the counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln and Warren. The funding for this initial project was provided in part by the Missouri Foundation for Health. The expansion will occur in the Central Region in April 2019 in Boone, Cole, Moniteau, Cooper, Howard, Randolph, Audrain and Callaway counties. The goal is to have statewide services available in October 2020.

Primary care physicians, family physicians, pediatricians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses can enroll in MO-CPAP and gain to access the following support services:

• Telephone consults with child and adolescent psychiatrists regarding screening, diagnosis and management of behavioral health issues
• Linkage and referral services to connect their patients to community-based mental health care and other resources
• Education and training in identification, assessment and treatment of mild to moderate behavioral health issues

Laine Young-Walker, MD, is the Chief Medical Director for DMH and the director and principal investigator for MO-CPAP. She is also the Division Chief of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of Missouri Health Care. Wendy Ell is the Executive Director of MO-CPAP.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U4CMC32326, Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program, total award amount $2,125,000, 17.35% financed with non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

The news release from HRSA on all grant awards can be found at the following link:

https://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/press-releases/hrsa-awards-12-million-maternal-child-mental-health-programs?utm_campaign=enews20181004&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

To learn more about how HRSA is addressing behavioral and mental health, visit www.hrsa.gov/behavioral-health. Examples of HRSA supported publications include, but are not limited to, manuals, toolkits, resource guides, case studies and issues briefs.

For more information contact Debra Walker at 573-751-1647, e-mail debra.walker@dmh.mo.gov or Jennifer Horton at hortonjl@health.missouri.edu.

The Department of Mental Health (DMH), Division of Developmental Disabilities received a $25,000 grant from the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation of Arlington, VA. The project called Increasing Awareness of the Importance of Oral Health among Missouri Caregivers, will potentially improve access to dental care for individuals who receive services through DMH as well as promote the importance of oral health to a person’s overall health.

“Every day dental care can be difficult for individuals with developmental disabilities, and this population often has a high prevalence of cavities, gum disease and tooth loss,” said Valerie Huhn, Director of the DMH Division of Developmental Disabilities. “We hope this grant will help caregivers understand the importance of providing that needed assistance.”

The 18-month project will consist of producing short messages through podcasts and webinars to share the various information about oral health. Short videos will demonstrate techniques for caregivers assisting someone else. These videos will show real life experiences and the results of poor or no oral hygiene, as well as results of regular oral hygiene. The goal is to share the messages with the general public, long-term care providers, member of the dental community, developmental disabilities advocacy groups, and caregivers and families supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

About Dental Trade Alliance Foundation (DTAF)

The DTA Foundation’s mission is to broaden awareness of oral health's impact on overall health and increase access to oral health care. Its vision is to be the premier foundation in oral healthcare uniting the dental industry to create and attract innovative solutions, leverage and expand resources to fund unique and promising initiatives that achieve measurable impact and facilitate real change. Find out more about the DTA Foundation at www.dtafoundation.org

The Missouri Department of Mental Health (Department) is in the process of notifying 8,848 individuals that their personal information was disclosed by a previous private contractor of the state. Upon discovery, the Department took immediate steps to secure the information. No medical or financial information was disclosed. The Department does not have any reason to believe the information was actually read or used by anyone intending harm.

The Department was notified on August 31, 2018, of a consumer list that was not password protected by a previous private contractor stored on March 17, 2018. The list contained first and last names, addresses, birthdates, department client numbers and Social Security numbers.

In compliance with federal and state privacy laws, the Department is mailing written notices to individuals whose information was affected. Individuals who receive a notification from the Department may address concerns by emailing privacyofficer@dmh.mo.gov or calling toll-free 1-855-270-4430. Individuals receiving notification may also choose to access the following resources to protect their credit:

Free Fraud Alerts

Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit. The credit bureau you contact will automatically contact the other two credit bureaus to inform them to place a fraud alert for you. You do not need to contact all three credit bureaus. Each of the credit bureaus will send you a credit report free of charge. Here is the contact information:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013.

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.

Free Credit Freeze

A credit freeze allows you to restrict access to your credit reports making it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. You can freeze your credit by contacting each of the major credit bureaus. Unlike the fraud alerts, you must contact each credit bureau separately. This service is free. Each credit bureau will provide you a personal identification number (PIN). You must have this PIN to unfreeze your credit so it is important to keep each PIN in a safe, but accessible, location.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013.

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; https://freeze.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.

Additionally, you should consider placing a freeze on these lesser-known credit bureaus:

Innovis Consumer Assistance: https://www.innovis.com/securityFreeze/index

ChexSystems: https://www.chexsystems.com/web/chexsystems/consumerdebit/page/security…

The Department of Mental Health and the MO Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare are pleased to announce that Detective Jason Klaus is the new Missouri CIT Coordinator. Klaus is with the Perry County Sheriff’s Office and recently agreed to take on this role as the primary contact for the CIT program.

His responsibilities will be to expand CIT trainings and councils to the rest of the state, particularly in the rural areas where resources are limited and programs like this are more challenging to implement. He will continue to develop and maintain relationships with community mental health and advocacy partners.

“I am confident Detective Jason Klaus will continue and expand the outstanding contributions CIT officers are making to improve how we respond to individuals and families in crisis,” said Brent McGinty, President and CEO of the MO Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare. “I want to thank the Perry County Sheriff’s Department and Detective Jason Klaus for their commitment to CIT in Missouri.”

The Missouri CIT Council is an organization whose primary purpose is to facilitate understanding, development, and implementation of CIT programs throughout the state. It promotes and supports collaborative efforts to create and sustain more effective interactions among law enforcement, mental health care professionals, individuals with behavioral health issues, their families and communities, and also reduces the stigma of behavioral health conditions.

“Missouri officers trained in CIT have done an outstanding job of responding to situations and connecting individuals to the mental health assistance they need,” said Mark Stringer, Director of the Department of Mental Health. “The partnership between the mental health community and law enforcement has made a tremendous difference for many Missourians with mental illness who need treatment not jail time.”

For more information about the CIT program visit www.missouricit.org or contact Det. Klaus at JKlaus@mocoalition.org.

The Department of Mental Health (DMH) is pleased to announce Laine Young-Walker, MD, Chief Medical Director for Children’s Services, will receive the Distinguished Fellow honor during the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting in New York City, NY, May 5-9, 2018. She was nominated for her excellent work in the field of psychiatry by fellow members and the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Psychiatric Physicians Association, a District Branch of the APA.

The Distinguished Fellowship is awarded to outstanding psychiatrists who have made significant contributions to the psychiatric profession in at least five of the following areas: administration, teaching, scientific and scholarly publications, volunteering in mental health and medical activities of social significance, community involvement, as well as clinical excellence.

Distinguished Fellow is the highest membership honor the APA bestows upon members.

• Fellow status is an honor that reflects dedication to the work of the APA and signifies allegiance to the psychiatric profession.
• The individual must be a current APA General Member or Life Member in good standing.
• Have Certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the American Osteopathic Association.

In addition to her position at DMH, Young-Walker serves as Associate Dean for Student Programs at School of Medicine and is the Division Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her career in psychiatry including most recently the Lifetime Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the UMC Child Psychiatry Alumni and its partners. She was also awarded a $3 million grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health for a three-year pilot program that connects primary care physicians with on-call child psychiatrists for consultation regarding the use of medications for mild to moderate mental illness in children and adolescents they see in their practices. The first year of the pilot program will focus on the St. Louis area and then expand to Mid-Missouri in years two and three.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health is in the process of notifying 1,000 individuals that their personal information may have been mailed to an incorrect address by the Department. The disclosure was caused by a clerical error in printing mailing labels.

The type of information released only included participant name. No medical or financial information was released as a result of the inadvertent mailing.

The clerical error impacted the mailing labels on survey questionnaires mailed on January 16, 2018. The Department has since identified and corrected the error.

In compliance with federal and state privacy laws, the Department has sent written notices to individuals affected by the mailing. Individuals who receive a notification from the Department may email privacyofficer@dmh.mo.gov or call toll-free 1-800-207-9329 to address any concerns.

Missouri was recently selected as one of 18 states to participate in the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP) for FY 2018. The national Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) selected Core and Vision Quest states to receive intensive onsite and virtual technical assistance to further their efforts to increase competitive, integrated employment outcomes for all individuals with disabilities.

Selected as a Vision Quest state, representatives from DMH, other state departments and veterans’ facilities will engage in a series of small working groups, consisting of three to four states per team, to focus on analyzing, developing and implementing policy recommendations related to Employment First systems-change efforts for veterans with disabilities. As a CORE state, department representatives will work with national experts to develop techniques for staff to improve employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities. The workgroups began their efforts in December 2017.

Missouri’s teams consist of staff members from DMH Divisions of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Department of Social Services – MoHealthNet Division and Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education – Vocational Rehabilitation, and Department of Economic Development – Workforce Development. The Harry S. Truman VA Hospital and the VA St. Louis Health Care System are also represented on the Vision Quest group.

The ODEP chose the following 18 states:

Vision Quest States: Missouri (Mental Health and Employment); Georgia (Mental Health and Employment); Illinois (Mental Health and Employment); Louisiana(Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [WIOA] Implementation); Michigan (WIOA Implementation); Ohio (WIOA Implementation); Tennessee (Mental Health and Employment); and Utah (WIOA Implementation).

Core States: Missouri (Capacity Building); Arkansas (Employer Engagement); District of Columbia (Capacity Building); Iowa (Capacity Building); Maryland (Capacity Building and Provider Transformation); Michigan (Capacity Building); Ohio (Capacity Building and Provider Transformation); Pennsylvania (Employer Engagement and Provider Transformation); Tennessee (Employer Engagement and Provider Transformation); and Utah (Capacity Building and Provider Transformation).