A newsletter of the MassHealth Primary Care Clinician (PCC) Plan

Winter 2023

Included in this newsletter:

1. Improving Maternal Health Services and Outcomes for At-Risk Populations
2. Community Support Program for Justice-Involved Individuals (CSP-JI)
3. Promoting Health Equity in Your Practice
4. MBHP Continues as MassHealth Behavioral Health Vendor
5. Self Care During the New Normal

Community Support Program for Justice-Involved Individuals (CSP-JI)

The Community Support Program for Justice-Involved Individuals (CSP-JI), launched on September 1, 2022, was developed through a partnership between the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of the Trial Court (Trial Court).  The primary focus is helping justice-involved people with their mental health and substance use disorder needs, with the goal of improving health outcomes, decreasing fatal overdoses, and providing effective, efficient healthcare utilization.  This voluntary program pairs enrolled Members with a trained navigator to help them find behavioral health services and social supports in the community, including housing assistance, financial resources, and independent living skills.

Eligibility for CSP-JI includes the following criteria:

• The MassHealth Member must be enrolled in an ACO, MCO, or the PCC Plan for dates of service between September 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.  Starting January 1, 2023, CSP-JI is available for Members enrolled in One Care and Senior Care Options (SCO).
• The Member must have a clinical mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorder diagnosis.
• The Member is at risk for admission or commitment to a 24-hour facility.
• The Member’s risk profile constitutes a barrier to accessing or consistently utilizing essential medical and behavioral health services.
• The Member has justice involvement:
• Must be a former inmate or detainee in a correctional institution within the past year; or
• Is currently under the supervision of probation or parole.

To learn more about the program or make a referral, visit MassHealth Behavioral Health Supports for Justice Involved Individuals (BH-JI) | Mass.gov.

Promoting Health Equity in Your Practice

• It is crucial to understand the systemic inequalities often blocking an individual’s healthcare path. To best accomplish this, we must embrace health equity and interrogate the inequities within our own practice and systems. Health Equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health regardless of race, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.  Advancing health equity is a process of addressing limited access to economic resources, education, housing, etc. When focusing specifically on racial equity in health, advancing health equity means dismantling the systemic racism that underlies differences in the opportunity to be healthy.

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Behavioral health equity starts with engaging with the community and increasing community-specific and community-based services.  We need to recognize that not everyone feels safe in the same type of environment and services and tailor our care to the needs of those people.  This can be achieved by supporting providers and clinicians who speak the same languages and come from the same backgrounds as the populations they serve.

Recent MBHP events discussing health equity may be of interest:

• On September 28, 2022, the 2022 Recovery Forum focused on the vital role that health equity plays in successful recovery.  The keynote address was given by Dr. David Satcher, 16th U.S. Surgeon General, the first Surgeon General to release a report on mental health, followed with a supplement on how race, culture, and ethnicity can affect mental health.  His address focused both on the continuing issues of behavioral inequities in the United States and how far we have come.  This was followed by a panel discussion spotlighting personal and professional experiences with health inequities and suggestions for making behavioral health care more inclusive for all.  Panelists answered questions about how race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, and disability can be better addressed by providers and offered their vision for a more-inclusive future.
• The 2022 Integration Forum/Racial Justice Symposium - Moving Forward in Massachusetts: Paving the Road to Integrated Behavioral Health Care for All, was held on November 29, 2022 and presented by MBHP together with Community Care Cooperative (C3).  MBHP partnered this year with C3's Diversity, Equity, and Racial Justice Team for this joint interactive forum focused on how participants can take action toward improving access to behavioral health services and improving behavioral health outcomes, especially for members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community.

MBHP Continues as MassHealth Behavioral Health Vendor

The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP) has been chosen to continue providing behavioral health services to Members in the MassHealth Primary Care Clinician (PCC) Plan, Primary Care ACOs, children in state custody, and certain children enrolled in MassHealth who have commercial insurance as their primary insurance. 

New Services in 2023

• Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL): Starting on January 3, 2023, the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line, a service of DMH operated by MBHP, became available for any individuals and families in the state to access behavioral health treatment in their time of need. The Help Line ensures equitable behavioral health access for all people, no matter insurance status, including LGBTQIA+ and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, individuals with disabilities, and individuals whose first language is not English, and has access to real-time interpretation for over 200 languages. This central, around-the-clock phone, text, and chat service offers live response and connection to available community-based behavioral health urgent care, immediate crisis intervention when needed, and ongoing treatment. Individuals can call or text the Help Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, at 1-833-773-2445 (BHHL). Deaf or hard of hearing can contact MassRelay at 711. Individuals can also chat with Help Line staff at masshelpline.com.
• Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs): Starting January 3, 2023, Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) provide access for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) crisis and treatment. If a Member is having a mental health and/or SUD crisis and feels like they need help within one hour, they can call 877-382-1609. They will listen to the message and enter their zip code. The call will automatically be transferred to the CBHC closest to them. More information for Members and a link to CBHC providers can be found on the MBHP website in the “Community Behavioral Health Center” section located on the gray bar at the top of the web page. CBHC staff and licensed behavioral health clinicians are available 24/7/365 to help them determine what services they need and assist in accessing them. The Member does not need to get a referral for this service. They may choose CBHC services for their behavioral health services instead of going to a hospital emergency department. CBHC information can also be found in the For BH Providers and For PCC Plan Providers sections of the website.
• Adult Mobile Crisis Intervention (AMCI) and Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention (YMCI): AMCI and YMCI provide crisis assessment, intervention, and stabilization services by phone. If a Member or their loved one are experiencing a mental health or SUD crisis and feel like they need help within one hour, they can call 877-382-1609, listen to the message, and enter their zip code. Their call will be automatically transferred to the closest CBHC. AMCI and YMCI can meet with Members at your office, the Member's home, or at the CBHC office location and provide a crisis assessment and intervention within 60 minutes of being contacted.
• Behavioral Health (BH) Urgent Care: Behavioral Health (BH) Urgent Care provides access to more treatment services when and where a Member needs them for urgent, non-emergency needs. BH Urgent Care sites are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and offer extended appointment availability on Monday – Friday outside of the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as some weekend hours. New and existing patients can get same or next-day appointments based on initial triage. Openings for providers can be found on the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Access (MABHA) website under Mental Health Services.

Self-Care During the New Normal

We now live in what we think of as the ‘new normal’ during COVID-19. This time has felt different for everyone; bringing stress, affecting our health, and at times isolating us. Still, there are things we can all do to make our lives safer and less stressful.

Keep immune systems strong

Everyone age six months and older should receive a flu vaccine as soon as they are able, especially those in the high-risk groups, including:

• pregnant women
• those with medical problems that increase their risk for complications from flu, including children and adults with neurological and neuromuscular conditions
• those 65 years of age and older
• those living in long-term care facilities
• healthcare workers and those caring for others at high-risk

Vaccination should occur as soon as the vaccine becomes available and should be offered as long as influenza viruses are circulating. In New England, influenza activity usually peaks in January, February, or later, and lasts through April and May. Flu resources for providers and the general public can be found at www.cdc.gov/flu and www.mass.gov/flu.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccines also decreases both personal risk and the risk of infecting others. To avoid missed opportunities for vaccination, providers should offer vaccination during routine healthcare visits and hospitalizations. 

How can we create a less-stressful life for ourselves?

• Relaxation techniques, involving concentrating on something calming and paying attention to your body, include deep breathing, guided imagery, and meditation and can be practiced anywhere. 
• Practice mindfulness, which helps train your mind/body to be present in the moment and take on life’s challenges in a more calm way. The UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center website offers meditation techniques to practice on your own.
• Eat right and get enough sleep and exercise.
• Connecting socially with others can prevent or reduce depression. Phone calls, text messages, video chats, and social media help you stay in touch with people you love. Outdoor visits or meeting indoors with a small group of vaccinated people can also help.