Status of Mental Health Care Provided by MMCOs to Their I/DD Beneficiaries
We have been pleased that the department has increased its focus on the mental health needs of the I/DD population as evidenced by
- Increased resources in the FY’23 Budget to the Psychiatric Residency Program/Mental Health Professional Capacity Initiatives, which began last year, to train residents to work with underserved populations, including individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Behavioral health stabilization homes for individuals to access support before a possible acute episode.
Given the prevalence of individuals with developmental disabilities having mental health conditions, there continues to be a need for more resources for proactive and preventative care, to treat demand downstream (where there are more and cheaper options).
At numerous MAAC meetings, ABCD has requested a presentation of the status of the relatively new benefit of mental health care and services provided by the MMCOs to the I/DD population. We will continue to promote the need for this information.
To envision and enact meaningful solutions, we need a full understanding of the continuum of services, which includes those services provided by our partner, the MMCOs.
