October 12, 2005

Michigan Department of Community Health Director Janet Olszewski today announced two $6 million federal grants that will benefit hundreds of children with serious emotional disorders living in four Michigan counties.

“These grants will create a significant presence throughout central Michigan for services that benefit children with serious mental health needs,” Olszewski said. “Our children deserve access to comprehensive mental health services that will ultimately lead to better mental health.”

A $6.4 million Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant will fund a program through the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Counties for youth with serious emotional disturbances (SED), Olszewski said. The award is spread over a six year period and began on October 1.

Integrating Multiple Paths Achieves Comprehensive Childrens Treatment – or IMPACCT – is a collaborative of child-serving agencies in Ingham County that will create a family centered, integrated, effective, efficient, and transformed system of care for youth with SED.

IMPACCT also will build on current strengths in the county’s mental health system by providing a unified structure for community-wide collaboration and system reform. The grant also establishes common assessment and outcome measures for children and families entering mental health, juvenile justice, and the child welfare system.

Sheri Falvay, Director of the MDCH Division of Mental Health Services to Children and Families, said the inclusion of youth and their family members – the primary participants in a system of care – will be vital to the program.

Other IMPACCT partners in the region include the 30th Judicial Circuit Court, Family Court, Juvenile Division; the Ingham Department of Human Services; the Association for Children’s Mental Health; the Ingham Intermediate School District; Lansing School District; Head Start; Ingham County Health Department; Child & Family Services, Capitol Area; St. Vincent Catholic Charities; and the Ingham Human Services Advisory Committee.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our community to build on our existing strengths and partnerships, to develop needed services, and create a responsive system of care for children with serious emotional disorders and their families,” said Robert Sheehan, Executive Director of the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Counties.

In Kalamazoo County, the Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will use $6.3 million in SAMSHA funding for a program entitled Kalamazoo Wraps, which seeks to strengthen the local system of care for youth with serious emotional disturbances by accelerating the implementation of the Center for Excellence for Children with SED.

The project will implement many of the objectives contained in the July 2003 President’s New Freedom Commission Report, the December 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, the 2000 Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health (A National Action Agenda), and the October 15, 2004 Michigan Mental Health Commission Report.

Falvay said the Kalamazoo Wraps project will target children and adolescents 0-18 with a SED that results in functional impairments. Kalamazoo Wraps will find children meeting this definition by strengthening the current wraparound processes and initially expanding processes to high risk student populations within the Kalamazoo Public Schools and throughout the county.

Kalamazoo Wraps’ goals are to:

· Expand community capacity to provide an array of effective, research-based mental health services, treatment and supports

· Establish full participation of parents in service planning for their own families and in the development and evaluation of the system of care

· Assure that family driven and youth guided concepts are adopted for all aspects of the system of care (planning, implementation, and evaluations).

· Increase in the provision of culturally and linguistically competent mental health services

· Increase in the knowledge and skills of practitioners across health and human services organizations regarding mental health services

· Establish a sustainable financing model for mental health services

"We are pleased to announce this grant for Kalamazoo's children with serious emotional disturbance and their families. Achieving the grant has been a monumental accomplishment in capping many years of reform efforts,” said Jeff Patton, Executive Director of Kalamazoo Community Mental Health Services. “The grant will provide the opportunity for families and children in need to work with many community agencies together in a seamless manner. A more seamless approach to accessing services will assist each individual and their families to better reach their potential."