February 2004 |
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Behavioral Health Highlights
Staff: Mickey J.W. Smith, MSW
Senior Policy Associate, Behavioral Health
Social workers have been involved in the behavioral health field for nearly as long as the profession has been in existence. The profession is represented in this field in a number of ways, providing a variety of services to clients in many mental health settings.
According to a report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1998), the majority of direct mental health services in the U.S. are provided by social workers. Therefore, it is imperative that the profession be involved in advocating for clients at a variety of levels, be involved with key policy activities, and keep abreast of new and emerging best practices.
During the past quarter, NASW staff has been involved in a number of activities promoting behavioral health:
Social Workers Advocating for Clients
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NASW staff participated in the National Prevention Coalition (NPC), a quarterly meeting convened and coordinated by the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). The NPC is made up of a variety of stakeholders, including mental health provider groups, government officials, prevention programs, researchers, and other organizations or individuals. The focus of the NPC is on mental health prevention, particularly as it relates to adolescents. This group participates in various lobbying efforts on issues relevant to adolescent mental health, and works on developing strategies to improve services in related areas. During the fall meeting, participants were able to express concerns and issues relevant to mental health prevention to A. Kathryn Power, the new director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).
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NASW staff attended the first working group meeting of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP), convened by CMHS. The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report recommends that suicide prevention, and implementing a national strategy, is key to transforming the overall mental health system in the U.S. NASW was an active participant in the meeting, and has begun developing collaborations with other organizations to explore opportunities to help push forward elements of the NSSP.
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NASW staff and leaders attended the 19 th Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy on November 5 and 6, 2003. This meeting focused specifically on the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report, and how the participating stakeholders can play a role in implementing various recommendations within the report. NASW was active throughout the meeting, providing comments during various workgroups on behalf of the clients served by social workers, as well as presenting social work provider issues. NASW had initial conversations with other organizations about potential collaborations relevant to the New Freedom Commission report.
- NASW attended and participated in the Forum, a meeting convened and sponsored by the Johnson Institute. This recurring meeting is convened three times a year, and includes a wide array of stakeholders across the U.S. It focuses on recovery from the disease of addiction. Through this meeting NASW was able to provide input into the issues and concerns of clients served, and to gain invaluable information about various related activities. This group is involved with lobbying activities relevant to substance abuse treatment and recovery, as well as supporting various grassroots activities.
- NASW staff participated in the Exchange, a coalition convened by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). This group meets semi-annually, and focuses on substance abuse prevention activities. Participants share information about such activities, develop potential collaborations to help improve prevention efforts, and discuss relevant legislation and appropriations.
Partnerships
- NASW has been working with Screening for Mental Health, Inc., on the sixth annual National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD), which is scheduled for April 8, 2004 . NASD promotes alcohol awareness by providing individual sites with kits to conduct screening and educational activities. Screening kits are free to any site that wishes to participate, and can be requested at www.nationalalcoholscreening.org . Registration brochures will be provided to NASW Chapters and members of the ATOD Specialty Practice Section (SPS). This year NASD is offering continuing education credits/units (CEUs) to participating social workers.
- NASW has also been working with Freedom From Fear on the ninth a nnual National Anxiety Disorders Screening Project (NADSP) that will occur on May 5, 2004 . NADSP promotes awareness about anxiety disorders through screening and educational activities as part of this project. Registration information will be provided to NASW chapters and members of the mental health and private practice Specialty Practice Sections . There is a one-time registration fee of $100.00 for each participating site, which includes the cost of the screening kits and a listing on a Web-based resource list. NASW is in the process of obtaining approval for CEUs for participating social workers.
Workforce Development Activities
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The Practice Research Network (PRN) is a collaborative project funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CSAT provides resources to a variety of provider associations, including NASW, to obtain important information about the social work professions' role in providing substance abuse treatment services.
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The goal of the PRN project is to collect data from social work practitioners, and to use the data to potentially develop best practices, inform policy, and improve service delivery. Prior to the PRN project, little data existed about social workers' employment characteristics and the profession's involvement with substance abuse treatment.
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The second survey was administered September through November 2002. A summary of the results relevant to social workers providing mental health services was disseminated to members of the mental health Specialty Practice Section, and can be accessed on the NASW Web site at: http://www.socialworkers.org/sections/mental_health/newsletter/1003_update.pdf
- Information relevant to social workers working in the substance abuse arena from the PRN II survey has been summarized in a recent practice update, and is located at: http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/behavioral_health/bh1003.pdf
NASW will begin conducting the third survey in early 2004.
• NASW staff participated in a meeting convened by the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities to use standard codes on a variety of claims transactions. This meeting focused on alcohol and other drug (AOD) codes for the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS), which is one of the code sets identified by HIPAA.
This group discussed and reviewed the results of previously submitted HCPCS codes, as well as began working on defining additional codes needed by the AOD field. Information about the behavioral health, including AOD, HCPCS codes that have been approved for use can be found through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
References:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (1998). Mental health, United States : 1998. Washington , DC : Author.