2008 Legislative and Policy Conference
NACHBDD's annual Legislative and Policy Conference was a great success! Participants were able to hear from key policy makers from CMS, SAMHSA, and Congress. We also heard briefings from our colleagial agencies including the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS), the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Association of State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the ARC/United Cerebral Palsey (UCP), and the Campaign for Mental Health Reform. Topics ranged from Medicaid regulations to SAMHSA legislation, from supportive housing to jail diversion programs and much more.
Our Congressional Reception featuring Congressman Patrick Kennedy was fun and informative and gave everyone time to meet and greet their colleagues from across the country and enjoy good food and wine.
To see some of the PowerPoint presentations and materials that were distributed at the conference click here.
To see photos taken at the Capitol Hill reception with Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) click here.
NACBHDD 2008 Legislative and Policy Conference Program
NACBHDD and NACo Offered Joint Presentation on Jail Diversion at NACo 2007 Summer Conference
At the recent NACo summer meetings in Richmond, Virginia several programs focused on criminal justice issues. A highlight was the session moderated by NACBHDD Vice Chair Leon Evans, Executive Director of The Center for Health Care Services in San Antonio, Texas. Another NACBHDD member, Amy Kroll, Mental Health Forensic Program Director for the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Department of Human Services-Office of Behavioral Health, was a panelist and presented an overview of the continuum of jail diversion services developed in Allegheny County based on the "Sequential Intercept Model" including, police-based CIT, pre- and post-booking diversion, mental health and drug courts, and re-entry programs. The well attended session offered a snapshot of the many components needed to deal with individuals with mental health needs who come in contact with the criminal justice system.
