Products and Resources Catalog

Download the presentation slides here Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  As Medicaid policies change, there may be greater opportunities for mental health providers to bill Medicaid for more services in schools.  In this two-part webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will describe key policies that govern Medicaid funding for school mental health services, and how they can be changed to increase school mental health funding.  He will provide examples of states that have pursued specific reforms, and he will also highlight important resources that can help school mental health leaders to identify what steps may be most appropriate to take in their home state.  This series is designed for school mental health leaders who are interested in learning 1) about the fundamentals of Medicaid financing of school mental health services and 2) about options for changing Medicaid policy to better support school mental health systems and services. Part 1 will focus on policies related to who is eligible for Medicaid coverage and what services Medicaid covers.   Learning Objectives: Specify when Medicaid can be billed for school mental health services. Discuss how Medicaid policies affect who may be eligible for coverage under Medicaid and what services may be covered by Medicaid. Describe and distinguish the two main pathways for reforming state Medicaid eligibility and service coverage policies in support of school mental health.  

Download the presentation slides here Session Overview: Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  Looking forward, LEAs and mental health providers may be able to bill Medicaid for more services if there is better alignment between Medicaid policies and the services provided.  In this webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will describe key processes through which Medicaid policies can be changed to increase Medicaid funding support for school mental health services.  He will provide examples of states that have pursued specific reforms, and he will also highlight important resources that can help school mental health leaders to identify what steps may be most appropriate to take in their home state.  This session is designed for those who are interested in learning more about options for changing Medicaid policy to better support school mental health systems and services.   Learning Objectives: Specify when Medicaid can be billed for school mental health services (including services that today are provided but not billed). Describe and distinguish the two main pathways for reforming state Medicaid programs in support of school mental health. Reference examples of other states that have pursued Medicaid reforms to advance school mental health systems.   Speaker:    Adam Wilk is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public health.  He is the Financial Policy Lead for the Southeast Region’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center: Administrative Supplement on School-based Mental Health.  Dr. Wilk is a health economist and health services researcher, conducting research on Medicaid and underserved populations, physician decision-making, and the management of complex, chronically ill patients.  He received his doctorate at The University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2015.  Before his time in Michigan, Dr. Wilk worked at The Brookings Institution and as a consultant at The Lewin Group.

Download the presentation slides here Session Overview:  The Biden Administration and Congress are showing renewed commitment to improving school-based mental health and substance use disorders services for young people. Through passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022), we expect to see new federal guidance (revising policies that have not been updated in almost 20 years), the launch of a school Medicaid technical assistance center, and $50 million in state grants. In this webinar event, Lena O’Rourke (on behalf of Healthy Schools Campaign), Orla Kennedy and Dusan Stojicic (Community Catalyst) will explain how school mental health leaders can leverage these opportunities to improve school-based health services, including meaningfully engaging young people in that process.   Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: 1. Identify key federal opportunities from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for financing school-based mental health and substance use programs for young people.  2. Identify strategies for engaging leaders at the school, district, and state levels to effectively leverage these financing opportunities 3. Identify ways to meaningfully engage youth when leveraging these federal financing channels to improve school-based health services   Speakers:      Lena O’Rourke (she, her), on behalf of Healthy Schools Campaign Lena O’Rourke is founder and Principal at O’Rourke Health Policy Strategies. She is an experienced health care policy analyst and strategist focused on expanding access to high quality, affordable health insurance and Medicaid. Her work focuses on national and state policy campaigns to influence legislative and regulatory policy. Lena has worked as a health care and social justice advocate for over 20 years. Most recently, she worked intensively on federal and state policy to expand and strengthen the ability of states and school districts to leverage school Medicaid to support student health and wellness. She leads the Healthy Students, Promising Futures Learning Collaborative (HSPF), a project of Healthy Schools Campaign. In this role, Lena provides support directly to state Medicaid agencies, state departments of education, and school districts on policy opportunities and choices to expand and enhance school-based Medicaid programs. In this role she also works with federal legislators and policymakers to offer support, technical assistance, and to share the experiences of states on school Medicaid.     Orla Kennedy (she, her), Senior Policy Analyst, Community Catalyst Orla Kennedy is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Substance Use Disorders team at Community Catalyst, where she advocates for policy changes to improve substance use disorders treatment and recovery support services and promote alternatives to incarceration. Orla has experience in policy research and analysis, community engagement, and technical assistance. She has worked at John Snow, Inc., Harvard School of Public Health and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Orla brings her public health perspective to Community Catalyst, and is passionate about health equity and improving health outcomes for underserved populations. Orla has a Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor’s from Providence College.     Dusan Stojicic (he, him), Associate Program Director, Community Catalyst Dusan Stojicic is Associate Director for the Substance Use Disorders and Justice-Involved Populations Program at Community Catalyst as well as an individual with lived experience of substance use disorders. As part of the program, he assists in managing initiatives to ensure that affordable and appropriate prevention, early intervention, and treatment services are available to all. This includes organizing communities, developing policy alternatives, and advocating for change in public policy and regulatory policy. Originally trained as a health economist, Dusan has gained most of his experience in working with communities directly. Dusan holds a Master's degree in Health Economics and Analysis from the Heller School at Brandeis University.    

Download the presentation slides here About the Session:  Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  In this webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will orient attendees to nearly 20 resources – reports, infographics, webinar recordings, and more – that help to explain the role of Medicaid in school mental health financing and how to use it to pay for mental health services in schools. View all of our Medicaid related products in our resource catalogue here.  Learning Objectives:  Contextualize Medicaid among leading sources of financing for school mental health services. Access key resources that specify when Medicaid can support school mental health services and programs. Identify additional resources that explore nuances of how Medicaid finances school mental health services and programs.   Speaker:    Adam Wilk is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public health.  He is the Financial Policy Lead for the Southeast Region’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center: Administrative Supplement on School-based Mental Health.  Dr. Wilk is a health economist and health services researcher, conducting research on Medicaid and underserved populations, physician decision-making, and the management of complex, chronically ill patients.  He received his doctorate at The University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2015.  Before his time in Michigan, Dr. Wilk worked at The Brookings Institution and as a consultant at The Lewin Group.

Medicaid is an important source of financing for school mental health services. In this report, we discuss how schools can finance school mental health services through Medicaid by answering some frequently asked questions. Among our answers, we describe the requirements for seeking Medicaid reimbursement for school metal health services, we discuss additional complexity in the context of Medicaid Managed Care, and we highlight examples of how states have leveraged Medicaid State Plan Amendments and Medicaid Waivers to expand coverage of school mental health services under Medicaid.

This report summarizes federal and state guidance on using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, approved as part of multiple federal COVID-19 relief bills (2020-2021), to provide school mental health services and supports.  Information about state-level guidance is focused on the eight states in the Southeast region (HHS Region 4).

Every state’s Medicaid program has different requirements for reimbursing school mental health (SMH) services. In many cases, expanding coverage of SMH services in Medicaid requires seeking approval from the federal government for a State Plan Amendment (SPA) and/or a Medicaid waiver to make changes to these requirements. In this short report, we introduce SPAs and Medicaid waivers, and we give examples of how states have leveraged SPAs and Medicaid waivers to expand coverage of SMH services in their Medicaid programs.

Medicaid can cover many school mental health services. In this infographic, we provide examples of screening services, treatment services, and supportive services for which schools can often seek Medicaid reimbursement.

Download the presentation slides here.   Session Overview In this foundational webinar, Dr. Adam Wilk will provide an overview of Medicaid and an introduction to how Medicaid finances school mental health services. He will discuss the Medicaid benefits that can cover school mental health services, what child populations can be eligible for Medicaid, what providers can bill Medicaid for school mental health services, and related considerations for schools and community mental health providers. Dr. Wilk and Allison Hu, the lead author of a new report that answers frequently asked questions about Medicaid and school mental health, will conclude the webinar by answering attendees' questions.   Learning Objectives  Identify the four requirements for receiving Medicaid reimbursement for school mental health services.  Identify Medicaid benefits that can cover school mental health services.  Identify services covered by the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit.    Speakers: Adam Wilk is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public health.  He is the Financial Policy Lead for the Southeast Region’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center: Administrative Supplement on School-based Mental Health.  Dr. Wilk is a health economist and health services researcher, conducting research on Medicaid and underserved populations, physician decision-making, and the management of complex, chronically ill patients.  He received his doctorate at The University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2015.  Before his time in Michigan, Dr. Wilk worked at The Brookings Institution and as a consultant at The Lewin Group.     Allison Ju-Chen Hu is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She is a research assistant for the Southeast Mental Health Technology Transfer Center: Administrative Supplement on School-based Mental Health. Her research interests include Medicaid, access to care among underserved populations, health disparities, and mental health. She received her Master of Health Services Administration degree at The University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2018.

February 17, 2022 Join us for a brief presentation from Frank Rider, MS, Senior Human Services Financing Specialist at the American Institutes for Research, about the research he has done on school mental health financing. After Mr. Rider’s presentation, participants will be invited to ask him questions about school mental health financing. Participants can also share their challenges or successes about financing and logistics with the group, and ask for advice on how to create and sustain a comprehensive school mental health system forward.   To watch the recording, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKPWGcAGZdw

To watch the recording, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLkYsF5KOEM     The New England MHTTC's School Mental Health Initiative is excited to announce our Healthcare workers and Educators Addressing and Reducing Trauma (HEART) Webinar Series and Community of Practice!   Educators, healthcare workers, mental and behavioral health providers, and staff of community-based organizations are invited to monthly webinars and peer support hours about: Building and Maintaining a Comprehensive School Mental Health System Effective Collaborations Funding and Logistics Stakeholder Voice, Engagement, and Advocacy Equity Considerations   Earn up to 5 hours of CEUs for this 5-month series!   1st Thursday: Evidence-based Practices to Enhance Efficacy In these 60-minute sessions, experts in education, mental health, and healthcare from New England will share the evidence-based practices they have used to forge and maintain successful collaborations around comprehensive school mental health systems.   3rd Thursday: Peer Support Hours to Learn from One Another and Receive Technical Assistance For these 60-minute sessions, members of the community of practice are invited to share their own experiences around the month's topic and ask questions about specific challenges.

3rd Thursday: Peer Support Hours to Learn from One Another and Receive Technical Assistance For these 60-minute sessions, members of the community of practice are invited to share their own experiences around the month's topic and ask questions about specific challenges.   Recording available here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeY03kKcxho&t=3s

1st Thursday: Evidence-based Practices to Enhance Efficacy In these 60-minute sessions, experts in education, mental health, and healthcare from New England will share the evidence-based practices they have used to forge and maintain successful collaborations around comprehensive school mental health systems.   To watch the recording, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oihhu8Zq95U

Schools can receive Medicaid reimbursement for certain qualifying administrative activities (e.g., outreach and enrollment, supports of Medicaid-eligible direct services). This infographic highlights two broad classes of administrative activities that are often reimbursable under Medicaid.

In this 90-minute webinar recording, representatives from the LA County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), the San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health (SBC DBH), the California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), and Third Sector share insights, tips, and lessons learned from California’s journey to build more outcomes-focused outpatient mental health services. Over the last four years, seven California counties and the MHSOAC have worked with Third Sector, a nonprofit advisory firm, to develop a more client-centered approach to serving California’s most vulnerable residents living with serious mental illness through Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs. In California, these FSP programs partner with individuals of all ages through a “whatever it takes” model of care to provide support on the path to wellness and recovery. Currently, over 60,000 individuals are enrolled in FSP programs across the state. The presentation includes insights from LACDMH’s outcomes-focused contracting transformation, SBC DBH’s data-driven approach to local service improvement, and the MHSOAC’s role in building more consistent and human-centered programs statewide. Participants who view the webinar recording can learn: • Foundations of an outcomes-focused approach to mental health • Strategies to navigate outcomes-focused contracting and build stakeholder buy-in across the county political and provider community • Actionable recommendations to build more outcomes-focused outpatient mental health services locally • Opportunities for state leaders to support and scale local innovations and outcomes-focused strategies

Medicaid reimburses most eligible school-based services through one of two systems: fee-for-service and cost-based reimbursement. This infographic compares the differences in the actions of schools and state Medicaid offices between the two reimbursement systems.    Financing School Based Services Through Medicaid What is Cost-Based Reimbursement? How Are Local Education Agencies (LEAs) Paid Under Cost-Based Reimbursement?

Many state Medicaid offices use a cost-based system to reimburse service costs and administrative costs associated with school-based service provision. Under cost-based reimbursement, LEAs and state Medicaid offices take routine actions when a Medicaid-eligible school-based service is provided throughout a quarter (or year). At the end of a quarter (or year), additional actions are required to determine settlement payments. This two-page infographic illustrates the LEA's and state Medicaid office's actions under a cost-based reimbursement system.   Financing School Based Services Through Medicaid What is Cost-Based Reimbursement? Comparing reimbursement systems: Fee for Service (FFS) VS. Cost-Based 

Many Medicaid-eligible school-based services are reimbursed under a cost-based system. This infographic provides an introduction to cost-based reimbursement systems.   Financing School Based Services Through Medicaid Comparing reimbursement systems: Fee for Service (FFS) VS. Cost-Based  How Are Local Education Agencies (LEAs) Paid Under Cost-Based Reimbursement?

Local Education Agencies generally have two staffing approaches to provide school-based mental health services: (1) hire their own personnel, and (2) partner with community-based providers. This infographic outlines the advantages of each staffing approach in regard to administrative burden, access to services, and revenue.

Download the Full Report Download an Executive Summary of the Report   ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This report describes organizational and policy strategies to improve recruitment and retention of school mental health providers. Additionally, it identifies resources developed by reputable organizations to facilitate implementation of these strategies. The report aims to provide useful guidance on developing and maintaining the school mental health workforce for organizations (e.g. schools, school districts, and community mental health agencies) and policy makers involved in school mental health efforts.

Use this catalogue to easily view and access resources developed by the Southeast MHTTC.   Topics include:   Key Resources Classroom WISE and Implementation Guidance Modules Resources to Support the Mental Health of Autistic Students at School Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems: Foundations School mental health basics and youth mental health Trauma-informed school mental health Mental Health Services and Supports in Schools Mental health promotion for all (i.e., Tier 1) Early intervention and treatment (i.e., Tiers 2 and 3) Funding, Sustainability, and Impact School mental health policy School mental health financing School mental health workforce  Data and measurement Diverse Populations, Equity, and Inclusion LGBTQ+ student mental health Supporting neurodiverse students in the classroom  

This document presents a general landscape of state telemental health policies in responses to the COVID-19 emergency. This document was updated on September 3, 2021 to include the up-to-date telemental health policies in the Southeast. Many of the policies included in the document are time-sensitive and, therefore, may not remain in effect beyond the listed dates.

This module includes the definition of school mental health funding and sustainability and opportunities to secure and leverage diverse funding sources and to sustain successful school mental health systems. Quality indicators, best practices and resources for funding and sustainability are reviewed in detail.   PLEASE NOTE: As of April 2021, the MHTTC Network and National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) changed the title of the National School Mental Health Curriculum: Guidance and Best Practices for States, Districts, and Schools to the new title National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules for States, Districts, and Schools.

On August 5th, we held an online discussion session led by Dr. Ken Duckworth, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  To access a copy of this presentation, click here.