River Edge Behavioral Health Center
175 Emery Highway
Macon, GA 31217
July 8, 2014
Meeting Minutes
Members Present: Marcey Alter; Mark Baker; Allan Goldman; Jim DeGroot by Stephanie McClain;
Ellyn Jeager by Al Brooks II; Erika Johnson; Ron Koon; Amy Kuhns; Katherine
Markham; Robert McCauley; Sandra Mullins; Bob Poston; Ron Pounds; Paige
Tidwell; Jean Toole; Joe Vignati; Cynthia Wainscott
Members Absent:
Pam Buckmaster; Lynn Copeland; Alan Huth; Neil Kaltenecker; Carol McEntee;
Michael Link; Marva Reed; James Risher; Yvette Sangster; Sue Smith; Sherry
Jenkins Tucker; Marilyn Watson
Department Staff: Robert Dorr; Judy Fitzgerald; Andrew Johnson; Dawne Morgan; Monica Parker
Cassandra Price; Terri Timberlake
Guests:
Nick Calhoun; Brent Hoskinson; Jay Nash
Introductions, Moment of Silence
The Chair Elect, Sandye “Sandra” Mullins, welcomed everyone present, and requested that all in
attendance introduce themselves. Following introductions, she asked for a moment of silence so that all
could “take a second and center.”
RESPECT Institute Graduate, Tyrone Nash
“My name is Tyrone Nash and I am in recovery.” With those simple yet powerful words, Tyrone opened
his recovery journey and story. Tyrone is originally from Chicago and shared with the Council how he
drifted into addiction, his revealed mental health diagnosis, and his eventual discovery of recovery.
Tyrone’s spiritual awakening came through a faith-based program where he spent 15 months—five
more than was required of his commitment to himself. He now works and lives in Columbus, Georgia
and he is in his own apartment. Tyrone maintains his well-being through medication to help with his
anxiety and depression. He remains abstinent from illicit drugs, and surrounds himself with a positive
network of people in recovery.
Commissioner’s Report
Deputy Commissioner Fitzgerald presented an overview of the Department’s Strategic Plan in the year
ahead. The Department is restructuring internally, according to Deputy Commissioner Fitzgerald. Major
initiatives of the Department include a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an Administrative Service
Organization (ASO). An ASO will allow the Department to gather, track and analyze information in an
advanced and systematic real time process, which will help the Department to manage services more
effectively. The contracts of G-Cal, the state behavioral health hot line; APS, the external review of
behavioral health services; and Delmarva, the quality management oversight for Developmental
Disabilities, have all ended. The RFP will include all of the functions of the three ending contracts and
will be announced in September of 2014, with a goal of implementation by April, 2015. The ASO will
‘make all involved more accountable and it will make the delivery of services more accountable.’ Deputy
Commissioner listed the Core Provider Redesign as another major initiative by the Department, while
mentioning that Monica Parker would present on this topic later in the meeting.
The Deputy Commissioner reported that the Department is in full compliance on the Behavioral Health
side of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Settlement Agreement, which ends in July of 2015. But the
transition of persons with developmental disabilities (DD) is still not where the Department nor where
the DOJ would like it to be. Hospitals are still part of the delivery service because providers are not
prepared to accept persons with DD into the community. Three hundred and forty-eight persons remain
in the hospital. The Department was part of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA)
lawsuit. The Department was released from this lawsuit in January. The Department submitted a fiveyear ‘Reengineering Plan’ to transition persons with DD to the community to the DOJ. The plan will be
posted on the Department’s website by July 21. The rest of The Deputy Commissioner’s presentation in
the form of Power Point slides are embedded in the minutes below.
2014 Dept. Strategic
Plan.pdf
DCH Care Coordination RFP Cancellation
Marcey Alter, who represents the Department of Community Health as a GBHPAC Council member,
explained what she legally could about the cancellation of DCH’s Medical Care Coordination RFP. The
RFP is for a single vendor to provide coordination of care to virtually everyone in Medicaid who is not
covered by one of the Care Management Organizations (CMO) including those receiving behavioral
health services. This RFP included a model of intensive care coordination. The first RFP was rescinded
because the proposals were beyond the established budget. A revised RFP will be released soon that
incorporates guaranteed savings so that it can be considered in the cost of the program.
Core Provider Redesign Project
Monica Parker, the Community Mental Health Director and Project Director of the Core Redesign Project,
presented a Power Point presentation of the Department’s major initiative. Ms. Parker said the one of the
drivers of the redesign is the DOJ Settlement. Due to the settle agreement to serve persons in the
community there has been:
 Higher Acuity Treated in Community Outpatient Settings
 Briefer Hospital Stays
 Best Practices & Fidelity to Treatment Models
 Accountability for Outcomes
The Affordable Care Act has also impacted the Core Provider Redesign. While Georgia is not a Medicaid
expansion state, there are healthcare exchanges the people can purchase insurance from. A provider
network will need to be:
 Safe
 Accessible
 Efficient
 Effective (positive clinical outcomes)
 Financially and Administratively Stable
 Accountable
 Competent (workforce)
 C&A Managed Care
We (the Department) have significant improvements to make:
 ASO (G-CAL, Delmarva, APS)
 Re-Design of the Core Network
 Re-Engineering DD
 Successful transitions to fulfill DOJ obligations
 Effectively manage a network of providers anchored in the public safety net (TA
from E & Y)
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Robert Dorr, Director, Office of Internal Audits, DBHDD, explained some of the financials of the Core
Provider Redesign Project:
 Historically, the Department was aware there has been a shortage of fiscally sound
safety nets of behavioral health and DD providers
 Once Commissioner Berry and his team provided the focus and direction of his
administration, the Department financially desired to make funding more equitable to
where services were actually being delivered
 Funding changed from Grant and Aid payments (funding levels back when CSBs were
known as Community Mental Health Centers) to performance based incentive or a fee
for service (FFS) operating environment
 Beginning July 1, 2015 all services that used to be called Core Services, which were once
funded by the Grant and Aid mechanism, will move to FFS
 Department also contracting with non-profit providers and for profit providers due to
the shortage of public providers
The entire Power Point presentation of the Core Provider Redesign Project―the Core Provider is now
called the Comprehensive Community Provider—is embedded in the minutes below.
Core Provider
Redesign.pptx
Committee Reports
 Children, Youth and Families Committee (CYF). The Chair of this committee, Cynthia Wainscott
reported that her committee made a suggestion in line with the Core Provider Redesign Project,
that all Core Providers be monitored to ensure the provision of the full array of quality core
services; and that a FFS be initiated and supported by an ASO, which will provide real time data
to monitor quality. More than a decade ago DCH and DHS initiated managed care and FFS
services for children. The capacity to provide services for children in CSBs and private providers
collapsed. The CYF Committee suggests that this previous collapse will make providers leery of
the new FFS system. The CYF committee proposes to work with the Monitoring and Evaluation
Committee to develop and distribute surveys to local school personnel; quantify the capacity of
DBHDD-funded agencies to serve children, youth and families; collaborate with the Department
of Education and DBHDD and others at the community level; identify opportunities for the
Council to advocate and educate. A workgroup of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee
and the CYF committee was tentatively formed to look into this matter further
 The AA reported for the Adult Behavioral Health Committee. The Chair of this committee, Ellyn
Jeager, was out of town on business. A collaborative letter of support addressed to State
Senator Hill, was drafted by Ellyn, Neil Kaltenecker and Sherry Jenkins Tucker for the continued
financial support of the Department in the face of the coning end of the DOJ Settlement
Agreement. The Council was also directed to review the response to the Chair’s letter sent to
the Grady Hospital Board regarding the closing of Grady’s Behavioral Health Services by the
President and CEO of Grady Hospital, John Haupert.
 Membership and Nominating Committee did not have anything to report at this time.
 The Planning Committee will meet in early August to plan the September meeting. Ron Koon,
member of the Planning Committee explained the streamline in the Division updates, making it
easier for the Regional reps to take back written reports and making the updates more of a
discussion rather than a recitation of statistics.
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Division Updates
Addictive Diseases
Cassandra Price, Director, Addictive Diseases, DBHDD presented this update:
Site Visit
 Site visit from Project Officer of Center for Substance Abuse and Treatment
(CSAT) this week
 The Department will provide updates to the Project Officer
 There will be a visit to the Highland Rivers’ Women’s Program
 TA will be provided by the Project Officer
Revision of Background Checks
 The Department has devised a new criminal background policy to be more in
line with EEOC policy
 The background check will be more in line with ‘recovery’ and lived experience
 Implementation of the new policy will roll out on August 15
Office of Recovery Transformation
Mark Baker, Director, Office of Recovery Transformation was present for his w
update and made brief comments; his written report is included below:
2014 ORT report to
BHPAC July 8.docx
Adult Behavioral Health
Dr. Terri Timberlake provided an overview of her written report of Adult Behavioral
Health Services:
BHPAC Report AMH
7.8.14.docxTimberlake.pdf
New services for Adult Mental Health Services to be rolled out in 2015
 Each region will receive an Intensive Case Management (ICM) Team
 Two new Crisis Respite Apartments; one in Region 2 and one in Region 5
 20 new Case Management (CM) positions to be filled all throughout the state
 50 Supported Employment slots will be filled in all regions
 One Behavioral Health Crisis Center (BHCC) will be placed in Region 1
 No more additional DOJ Settlement resources for ACT, CST teams
Tracking of Data Indicators
 Adult Behavioral Health continues to track enrollment numbers of ACT and CST
consumers
 Tracking of indicators Department feels important, e.g., psychiatric hospital
readmission rates; days per readmission; etc.
 Tracking of BHCC data to ensure there are increasing numbers of persons
being served
 All fidelity reviews for ACT teams conducted for FY’ 14; reports on DBHDD
website
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
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), ICM and CM
indicator numbers continue to move in a positive direction
Supported Employment fidelity reviews and scores on DBHDD website
Task Oriented Rehabilitation (TORS) Implementation and DBHDD – GVRA/VR MOU
Update

Currently there are 6 providers who have successfully submitted applications
and have been approved by DCH for this Medicaid reimbursable service

The formal DBHDD/GVRA Pilot ended June 30th; the joint GA VRA and DBHDD
pilot committee continues to provide support to the 2 pilot sites Viewpoint
Health (VPH) and American Work in region 2. Both sites will continue to utilize
the pilot structure. Data collection and analysis is in process

TA on GA VRA collaboration for SE is being expanded across all 6 DBHDD
Regions.

Statewide training begs in August 2014 to include AMH SE Providers and
assigned GVRA staff by regions

Details of the interagency transfer of funds agreement to support the MOU are
being finalized.
Dr. Timberlake concluded her report with, Disaster Response Training, Mobile Crisis response numbers
and the DBHDD Community Mental Health Symposium on August 5 and 6 to be held at the Macon
Centreplex for providers, which is free of charge. Dr. Timberlake is co-chair of the Behavioral Health
Coordinating Council (BHCC) workgroup which is looking to moving forward peer mentor works and
looking at pilot sites in collaboration of the Governor’s Office of Transition, Support and Reentry.
C&A
Dr. Linda Henderson-Smith, Director of the Office of Children, Young Adults and Families,
though in Washington, DC during this meeting, provided a written report that Dawne
Morgan presented. The brief update included the Georgia Families 360⁰ program; a
Community Based Alternatives for Youth (CBAY) update; a System of Care Academy
announcement; Mental Health Clubhouses update; and a System of Care Supplemental
Support Funds announcement.
2014 GBHPAC OCYF
MHPAC Updates 7 7 14.docx
Federal Grants
Dawne Morgan, Federal Grants Director, continued with her own update:
Jail Diversion, Trauma and Recovery Grant
 The JDTR grant is in its No Cost Extension period.
 Adult Mental Health has retained the JDTR Project Director, Jill Mays, who is
taking the work of JDTR with her
 Part of the sustainability plan was to make sure the Department is focused on
sustaining JDTR on the local and state level
 Potential Specialty Courts sites are being developed
 DBHDD’s JDTR Project has partnered with the Administrative Office of the
Courts to plan the 2014 Accountability Court Conference to be held in
September 2014
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Healthy Transitions Initiative Grant
 The HTI grant is in the last year of a five year implementation; DBHDD
will be requesting a No Cost Extension period to complete activities past
September 2014
 A Transition Age Youth and Young Adult (TAYYA) Toolkit is being developed
 The toolkit will include research and promising program and services for this
population from Georgia and the six other states who received the HIT Grant.
 The toolkit is for providers and stakeholders who work with this population
System of Care Expansion and Implementation Grant
 Five-year SAMHSA grant is at the end of first year
 Focus on new service model and development of training in trauma, system of
care competence, cultural linguistic competence and system of care leadership
 GSU assisted in developing a strategic plan of financial mapping to be submitted
to SAMHSA by June 30
 The development of a Co-occurring Clubhouse was one of the first deliverables,
and another Co-occurring clubhouse is being developed
 In addition, the first year included development of a training plan and a plan to
increase family and youth support/advocacy organizations
 The project entered into a contract with Georgia Parent Support Network
(GPSN). GPSN is planning the State Federation of Families conference/family
reunion for August 2014
 This will support efforts to increase the number of Federation chapters
(specifically targeted outside of metro Atlanta) and Youth Move chapters.
Garret Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant (GLSYSP)
 This grant project completes its second year at the end of July 2014
 On May 16, 2014 GLSYSP/CLASP (Coalitions Linking Action and Science for
Prevention) hosted the 5th college conference “Suicide Safer Campus and
University Communities: Strategies and Interventions” with 198 attendees and
40 universities participating in the event. In addition to the College conference,
the GLSYSP is planning the Statewide Suicide Prevention Coalition Conference
that will take place September 26, 2014 in Camden County
Mental Health Block Grant
 DBHDD received a revised award for FFY2014 which includes a required 5% set
aside for addressing the needs of those with early serious mental illness,
including first episode of psychosis
 Amount of set aside is approximately 700K
 Stakeholder group will meet four times to assist the Department with a
development of a plan to address the needs of young people with early SMI and
first episode psychosis
 The next submission of the MHBG is due September 1 and reflects the second
year of a previously approved two-year plan.
Impact of Gun Violence and Policy Affecting Those with Behavioral Health Issues, Council Discussion
Led by Mark Baker
Mark initiated the discussion with the question: “Why does public gun violence always seem to equate
with mental illness?” Mark used the Columbine shooting for his rationale of persons who planned their
violent acts for over a year and carried it out. What is the culture doing to support (what may be) a
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reprehensible moral choice? What does the Recovery Movement have to say to public gun violence?
Who is it the GBHPAC wants to speak to, if it drafts a letter? These questions preceded a spirited
discussion about the underlying causes of violence and violence prevention. It was noted that the
federal government, particularly the Republicans, had language inserted in legislature preventing
funding of the CDC from doing any research on gun control or any activities involving guns. Language in
the media and in the public forum, lack of education were also mentioned as reasons that mental illness
or “crazy” persons are associated with gun violence. The Council agreed to continue this discussion at
the next meeting.
Council Business
One of the points of Council Business was the Council once again voting on the logo choices for the
newly-renamed Council, the Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council. The Council
chose the logo below:
The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
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