Fw: ACTION ALERT: Contact Your Legislators in Opposition to DHHS Proposed Lakeshore PIHP Termination

[Tom Bird]

You can decide for yourself if you would prefer "the devil that you know vs the devil that you don't know". Please express your concerns and preferences to our legislators and Governor. This is a problem created by MDHHS through inflicting the regional PIHP on us and creating an additional layer of administrative overhead that has siphoned critical funds from the CMH's, resulting in reduced services and budget deficits. It all started when staff ( MDCH at the time) decided that they couldn't effectively handle the 40 or so PIHP contracts and needed to create the 10 regions. What a tacit admission of incompetence. How many additional oversight staff could they have added for the $50 million a year that the regional PIHP's cost? Probably 100 additional employees would have cost less that $10 million, saving the rest of the money for services. Doesn't anyone in Lansing understand basic economics?

Don't allow these same folks to further destroy services by turning them over the "for profit" entities. The predictable outcome will be increased administrative costs and further reductions to local CMH budgets for vital consumer services.


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Begin forwarded message:

On Thursday, June 27, 2019, 4:46 PM, CMH Customer Services <cmhcustom...@miottawa.org> wrote:

Please see the important Call to Action below from the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.  Any advocacy is appreciated.

 

 

 

Over the last several weeks, our association, others within the Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE)and its regional CMH and managed care partnerships, and others within our system have heard rumors that some within MDHHS were considering the termination of the MDHHS contract with the Lakeshore Regional Entity and turning the region over to a private entity.
 

Those rumors caused our association to take pre-emptive action and reach out to MDHHS to confirm or disconfirm this rumor. After several days of seeking such clarification, we learned that MDHHS is seriously considering such a contract termination.” On June 19, 2019 a draft letter was circulated from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recommending the termination of the contract with and dissolution of the Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE) and an email communication was sent to key legislators.
 

In response, the leaders of LRE, its CMH members, Beacon Health Options, and this association, wrote a joint letter to the legislative leaders whom had received the MDHHS letter.  At the same time, we shared our concern with the advocacy community, asking them to voice their concern regarding this issue.
 

It appears that these pre-emptive and responsive actions, by many parties, have caused MDHHS to pause their actions on this front; MDHHS has not, as yet, sent a letter of contract termination to LRE.  However, we believe a decision will be made in the near future.
 

REQUEST FOR URGENT ACTION:  We are asking that everyone contact the Governor and if you live in West Michigan contact your Senate & House member(s) expressing your concerns with this proposed direction of eliminating the public governance and oversight of the Lakeshore area. Timing is critical – we believe it is important for the Governor and those key legislators hear from us before final decisions are made. Please make contact between now and July 3.
 

We also need you to ask that the members of your Board of Directors, your staff, and your community partners make those same contacts - SIMPLY FORWARD THEM THE ACTION ALERT.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/VO6TkNOvHeadFwtHPusVuw

 

 

Anna Bednarek, MPA

Program & Community Development Coordinator

Community Mental Health of Ottawa County

12265 James Street | Holland, Michigan 49424

P 616-393-5648 | M 231-740-6105 | F  616-393-5687

abednarek@miOttawa.org | www.miOttawa.org

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