FY22 Remedial Order Data Report Now Available
In September 2021, the Honorable Judge Carlton Reeves issued a Final Judgement and Remedial Order in the case of United States of America v. State of Mississippi (Cause No. 3:16-CV-622-CWR-FKB). Paragraph 24 of the Remedial Order states that beginning with the end of Fiscal Year 2022, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) will post on its agency website the data components described in paragraphs 19-21 of the Remedial Order. The purpose of this report is to provide the data elements and corresponding narratives pertaining to these sections of the Remedial Order for Fiscal Year 2022.
DMH is committed to providing an array of services and supports to Mississippians by offering a continuum of care for adults with serious mental illness. Over the past several years, many services and supports have been expanded and new ones implemented, including Mobile Crisis Response Teams, Crisis Residential Services (also referred to as Crisis Stabilization Units or CSUs), Programs of Assertive Community Treatment Teams, Intensive Community Outreach and Recovery Teams, Intensive Community Support Services, Supported Housing, Supported Employment, Peer Support Services, and Community Support Services. These adult mental health services are collectively referred to in the Remedial Order as “Core Services.” The key aims of the identified Core Services for adults with serious mental illness are to provide people with access to local crisis service options; to enable people to be served in their communities; and, to help people avoid unnecessary hospitalization.
DMH is also working to enhance transition planning as people leave the state hospitals and return to their communities. DMH is committed to people receiving services in the least restrictive environment and in their own communities to meet their specific needs. DMH is continuing efforts in Fiscal Year 2023 and beyond to help with the provision and monitoring of community-based mental health services for adults in our state. Service provision data outcomes, such the ones included in this report, are crucial in supporting the agency’s mission. Data informatics allow DMH to make decisions about the services available to Mississippians and to strategize, plan and allocate resources, accordingly.
A strong mental health workforce equipped to address the unique needs of our state is also a fundamental aspect of quality service provision. Throughout Fiscal Year 2022, amidst the backdrop of unprecedented staffing shortages faced not only by Mississippi but by the entire nation, DMH has engaged in many endeavors to obtain, maintain, retain, and perhaps most importantly, sustain, an oftentimes beleaguered labor force. Over the past year, to address the training needs of our workforce and to support them in developing the tools needed to craft a service delivery system predicated on community and choice, DMH has offered provider technical assistance, education, and consultation activities in the Core Services areas. This information is also featured in this report. DMH is inspired by the future and encouraged by ways we can continue to partner with people, families, organizations, and communities for the benefit of the people we serve.