Mental Health on Governor's Fall Priorities

GOV. WHITMER COMMITS TO SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH CARE

In a speech on Wednesday, Governor Whitmer delivered her “What’s Next Address” for her fall priorities. These included investments in public safety, healthcare costs, and environmental health.

Within the healthcare portion, she aims to “codify common sense, cost-saving measures of the ACA including: protections for pre-existing conditions so you can’t be charged more for having cancer, diabetes, or being pregnant; permitting children to remain on their parent’s insurance until they’re 26; banning annual or lifetime caps, so you can’t hit a limit on the care you receive; and requiring insurance plans to cover essential services like ambulance services, maternity care, mental health treatment, and birth control.” The Governor also aims to pass paid parental leave.

Read more about her address here.

UPDATE ON FOSTER PARENTS SUPPORT

Last month, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the new state budget will help the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) improve and increase support for foster parents through Respite care. Respite care services are used to provide short-term relief to primary caregivers of children while they are cared for by respite care families. Instead of foster parents needing to use their daily board and care rate per diem to go toward the cost of respite care, this new funding will go directly to respite care providers and gives foster families additional support.

TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SAFETY

Across Michigan, individuals and organizations have been actively working towards community violence intervention, advocating for police accountability, establishing restorative justice alternatives, and much more. In alignment with these critical efforts, NASW-Michigan along with our partners the Detroit Justice Center, Friends of Restorative Justice, the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, and Emergent Justice, are excited to present the MI Learning Community: Building Connections to Transform Public Safety and Prevent Incarceration.

Our collective aim is to provide innovative 'off ramps' from the traditional legal system, fostering improved public safety and helping to prevent the undue escalation of policing and incarceration.

The MI Learning Community serves as a platform for mutual resource sharing among peers, providing insights and strategies from local Michigan practitioners, while also facilitating the connection of your local-level expertise with broader state policy discussions.

The first session, which marks the beginning of a series of six sessions, is scheduled for September 27th at 3:00 pm  - 4:30 pm EST via Zoom.

Please let me know if you'd be joining us by registering here. 

NATIONAL ACTION

#NASW Action Alert: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rules on the Physician Fee Schedule for CY 2024, including key reimbursement, HBAI services, social determinants of health, telehealth, and caregiver training services, impacting clinical social workers in Medicare. #NASW calls on #socialworkers to provide comments to CMS by the September 11 deadline https://tinyurl.com/ycxpa8f3