0001| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 12 | 0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| DEDE FELDMAN | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE | 0009| | 0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL | 0011| REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO LEAD A STUDY OF THE | 0012| NEEDS FOR AND BEST METHODS OF PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE STATEWIDE | 0013| MENTAL HEALTH IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM. | 0014| | 0015| WHEREAS, New Mexico wants to support the academic needs | 0016| and educational success of our children; and | 0017| WHEREAS, school children face multiple barriers to | 0018| successful learning, including biological learning problems, | 0019| personal and family issues, a lack of coordinated and | 0020| accessible school and community assessment resources and | 0021| service programs and a lack of teacher training and resources; | 0022| and | 0023| WHEREAS, New Mexico ranks in the top fifteen states in | 0024| the rates of alcoholism, public school dropouts, domestic | 0025| violence, poverty and violent teen death; and | - 1 - 0001| WHEREAS, children in our schools have need of multiple | 0002| mental health resources, as documented by both state and | 0003| national data showing that more than one-third of all children | 0004| seen in school-based health centers have primary mental health | 0005| needs; and | 0006| WHEREAS, students require an integrated continuum of | 0007| services, but children's outpatient mental health services in | 0008| New Mexico are scarce, lacking in coordination and difficult | 0009| to access; and | 0010| WHEREAS, over fifty percent of all children detained in | 0011| the juvenile justice system meet criteria for at least one | 0012| mental health diagnosis; and | 0013| WHEREAS, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities | 0014| Education Act, schools have clear responsibility to evaluate | 0015| students with behavioral health needs for disabilities and to | 0016| provide appropriate services; and | 0017| WHEREAS, the implementation of medicaid managed care | 0018| requires that schools take a more pivotal role, collaborating | 0019| with community providers to ensure quality behavioral health | 0020| services; and | 0021| WHEREAS, students face daily multiple life stresses, have | 0022| multiple mental health needs and require coordinated services | 0023| to break down barriers to learning in order to achieve success | 0024| in education; | 0025| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE | - 2 - 0001| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a task force be formed to study | 0002| programs and needs relevant to school mental health throughout | 0003| New Mexico and to propose solutions to these needs and options | 0004| to improve existing programs; and | 0005| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of school health | 0006| in the public health division of the department of health be | 0007| designated as the lead agency to organize the task force and | 0008| conduct the study; and | 0009| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include | 0010| representatives from the department of health, the state | 0011| department of public education, the children, youth and | 0012| families department, the human services department, the | 0013| corrections department, the administrative office of the | 0014| courts, the children's subcommittee of the governor's mental | 0015| health planning council, the developmental disabilities | 0016| planning council, the Individuals with Disabilities Education | 0017| Act council and a wide range of consumers, advocates and | 0018| providers working in the mental health field and other | 0019| appropriate individuals and groups concerned about children's | 0020| mental health, including school personnel; and | 0021| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force's | 0022| recommendations include clarification of the responsibilities | 0023| and authority of each agency for providing programs and | 0024| assessment of and recommendations on information collected by | 0025| the agencies that may be helpful in improving school mental | - 3 - 0001| health programs; and | 0002| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force study | 0003| financial resources from all governmental sources that | 0004| contribute to school mental health programs and whether these | 0005| resources can be used more efficiently in delivering the | 0006| needed programs; and | 0007| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include examination | 0008| and specific recommendations for both intra-agency and | 0009| interagency cooperation to ensure maximum cooperation in | 0010| providing school mental health programs; and | 0011| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include an | 0012| examination of and recommendations on increased training for | 0013| all school personnel, including teachers, counselors, nurses, | 0014| social workers, psychologists and others, as their work | 0015| relates to improving school mental health; and | 0016| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its | 0017| findings and recommendations by October 30, 1998 to the | 0018| interim legislative health and human services committee and | 0019| the legislative education study committee; and | 0020| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be | 0021| sent to the director of the office of school health of the | 0022| public health division of the department of health for | 0023| distribution to all appropriate parties. | 0024|  |