We’ve come a long way since the days of institutionalization and separation from community, the stigma and bias associated with mental illness, but we're not where we need to be yet. Reducing the stigma and bias against those facing mental health challenges is a tall order, but it can be done. Efforts to increase public [...]
Our behavioral health team has completed work on the new behavioral health service package for our folks that are receiving services but don't qualify for AHCCCS benefits. We've posted a Guidelines Fact Sheet or you can view ADHS guidance to contractors regarding services to Non-Title XIX members with serious mental illness, services to individuals experiencing a [...]
Last week was very busy for our behavioral health team. Staff held several community meetings all across the state and met with the people in charge of the Regional Behavioral Health Authorities regarding on the upcoming service package reductions for folks that don’t qualify for AHCCCS benefits. You can see our ADHS Continues to Seek [...]
As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, the covered services will be changing for adults with serious mental illness who do not qualify for Medicaid in response to recent budget reductions. We’ve established a dedicated project team to research strategies to responsibly implement the benefit reductions. The project team, composed of peers, family members and agency [...]
Monday, April 19 is the registration deadline to vote on Proposition 100- which is the Special Election for the 3 year, 1% sales tax that would benefit education, public safety and health services (including behavioral health). The election will be held on May 18, but many people will be voting using early mail-in ballots. If [...]
We updated our home page this week and added an information hub for behavioral health. The information at this site will be regularly updated in the coming weeks as we begin to implement behavioral health service reductions for folks that don’t qualify for benefits under AHCCCS. Our commitment is to continually share updated information with [...]
Our Behavioral Health Office of Prevention http://www.azdhs.gov/bhs/ops.htm provides tools, resources and technical support to promote the resiliency and prevention of behavioral health/substance abuse disorders in our communities. Our goal is to empower communities and kids to make healthier choices by collaborating with Arizona’s prevention workforce, including our Tribal/Regional Behavioral Health Authorities and local communities; strategically [...]
Saturday is the third annual MyFest event out a Tempe town Lake. This is a huge Magellan-organized youth event aimed at combating stigma associated with mental illness and is a great opportunity to get positive messages out there to youth across the state. We expect several thousand youth to be there. It’s a youth involvement [...]
I don’t have to tell you that we’ve faced unprecedented challenges over the last couple of years. State revenues have declined for nearly 3 years now, and we’ve dramatically reduced our spending and staffing levels in an effort to bring spending in line with state revenues. Excluding the money that goes toward the matching funds [...]
Our Licensing & Operations Divisions went live with our new Online Complaint Form system. It took some old fashioned elbow grease and creativity to put together this new time saving application- that will allow our licensing folks to more efficiently take and track complaints- and to more efficiently get back with folks that file them. [...]
