45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2001

REQUESTING THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT LEAD A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE CREATION OF A SPECIAL MEDICAID WAIVER PROGRAM FOR THE MENTALLY ILL.

WHEREAS, adults with serious mental health needs lack necessary support and services to live in their communities; and

WHEREAS, adults with serious mental illness needs are at risk of institutionalization in hospitals or jails; and

WHEREAS, adults with serious mental health needs are at risk of homelessness, grave neglect and death; and

WHEREAS, children and youth with serious mental illness are at risk of removal from their biological families to residential treatment, acute hospitalization, therapeutic foster care, incarceration or sometimes homelessness through abandonment by their families; and

WHEREAS, children and youth with serious mental health needs are at risk of suspension and expulsion or becoming school dropouts; and

WHEREAS, some children and youth with severe disabilities other than mental illness have access to medicaid waiver services providing them with twenty-four-hour support in homes in their communities as an alternative to long-term institutional care provided under the developmental disabilities medicaid waiver, the disabled and elderly medicaid waiver, the medically fragile medicaid waiver and the AIDS medicaid waiver; and

WHEREAS, several states have implemented medicaid waiver services for persons with mental illnesses;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the human services department lead a task force to study and make recommendations on the development of a mental health services medicaid waiver for New Mexico; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include representation from the department of health, the children, youth and families department, a statewide alliance for the mentally ill, an organization of parents with behaviorally different children and an organization for protection and advocacy of persons with various disabilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department report its findings and recommendations to the legislative finance committee and to the interim legislative health and human services committee at their October 2002 meetings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be sent to the secretaries of the respective departments and various organizations mentioned.