Institute News
MRSS Peer Learning Launching in January 2022!
December 2022
The Institute has partnered with The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA) and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) to launch the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) Quality Learning Collaborative (QLC). This learning opportunity builds upon the success of the five 2-day MRSS Peer Meetings previously hosted by The Institute with team participation from 24 states and territories. The MRSS QLC focuses on the structural changes necessary to fully implement MRSS including engaging leadership, finance, policy, and workforce, and includes: best-practice presentations featuring examples from the field and lessons learned; facilitated peer-to-peer learning; monthly coaching; data collection and analysis; affinity group opportunities; and access to resources and tools to support design and implementation.
MRSS plays a critical role in preventing future crises; reducing involvement with law enforcement, particularly for children and youth who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; providing care in the least restrictive environment appropriate to clinical needs; and, maintaining children safely at home and in the community. The time is NOW for communities, states, and territories to start planning efforts to ensure that 988 implementation (required in July 2022) meet the caregiver/parent sense of urgency by establishing MRSS as the first connection within a state crisis continuum; and leveraging new MRSS funding mechanisms including SAMHSA System of Care Grants (awards pending), American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) and COVID-19 Supplemental Substance Abuse and Mental Health Block Grant Awards, as well as new Section 1947 added to the Social Security Act by ARP permitting states to use Medicaid to cover community-based mobile crisis intervention services for beneficiaries experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis and planning grants to be announced by CMS in the coming months.
Additional information, including the MRSS QLC application, coming soon! To sign up to receive additional information, click here and select "MRSS Quality Learning Collaborative."
For guidance on steps you can take now to design MRSS to meet the needs of children, youth and young adults, and their families in your communities, contact The Institute.
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