Online Planning Benefits Those With Multiple Needs

ALBANY, NY (03/07/2008)(readMedia)-- Three state agencies today unveiled a comprehensive planning approach to better identify and address local needs while improving services for those dealing with addiction, mental illness, and developmental disabilities.

Commissioners Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo (OASAS), Michael F. Hogan, PhD. (OMH), and Diana Jones Ritter (ORMDD) partnered to develop integrated Local Services Plan Guidelines for Mental Hygiene Services, which allows state budgeting to better reflect needs at the local level.

Originating from the OASAS Online County Planning System, the three state agencies collaborated with the support of the Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors to incorporate the planning requirements of OMH and OMRDD into a unified online system.

It is anticipated that the 2009 Local Services Plan Guidelines for Mental Hygiene Services will substantially decrease the unnecessary administrative burden for counties and mental hygiene agencies, while providing more cost-efficient reporting and budgeting at the state and local levels.

Consistent with the Governor’s priority for collaboration across systems, the online planning system also directly responds to the concerns raised by local governments at the Governor’s “People First” Coordinated Care Listening Forums, and builds on the work of the reinvigorated Inter-Office Coordinating Council (IOCC). The council is charged with advancing the integration of services among mental hygiene agencies to improve care for people with multiple needs.

OASAS Commissioner Carpenter-Palumbo said, “This initiative is just one of the key outcomes following Governor Spitzer’s vision to put People First in our systems of care. Our new collaborative approach will allow us to better direct our state funds where they are needed most, reduce burdensome paperwork and improve care to those who are receiving services across multiple systems.”

OMH Commissioner Hogan said, "This new integrated approach to local planning supports Governor Spitzer's emphasis on cross-agency collaboration toward more integrated services and supports for New Yorkers. The collaborative system will streamline the planning process for localities, encourage localities and state agencies to think and plan across systems, and eliminate duplicative paperwork."

OMRDD Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter said, “I am excited by the release of the 2009 Legal Services Plan Guidelines and accompanying Web-based planning tools. It is truly a first step toward an integrated, collaborative system that will help us provide more person-centered, individualized supports and service for the people we support. This is an exemplary example of OMRDD’s, and our sister human services agencies’, commitment to putting people first.”

Duane Spilde, executive director of the NYS Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors, said, “These guidelines and web-based planning tools will enhance local and state planning processes and result in better identification of local priorities. They have already had a very positive effect on interagency communication and we believe they will become increasingly useful in coordinating systems of care. Thanks to Governor Spitzer for his vision and leadership for a more integrated and effective system of care putting people first, and for his appointment of commissioners who are committed to working together to bring that vision to fruition.”

Historically, each State Mental Hygiene agency had conducted its own separate local services planning process, as required by state law, which included separate timetables, county planning requirements, and linkages to statewide planning and budgeting. By providing a degree of continuity in planning expectations from year to year, counties will now be better prepared for the activities involved in developing their annual plan and obtaining local approvals in a timely manner.

OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest addiction services systems, with 1,550 prevention and treatment programs which treat 110,000 New Yorkers on any given day. OMH oversees a mental health system that serves more than 500,000 individuals each year. OMRDD provides high-quality, people-centered services, supports and advocacy to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Our goal is to put people first, helping them enjoy meaningful relationships with friends and family; experience personal growth; and participate fully in their communities. OMRDD also provides leadership and excellence in developing public policy and in the field of research.

The 2009 Local Services Plan Guidelines for Mental Hygiene Services planning document can be viewed at http://www.oasas.state.ny.us/hps/state/documents/2009LSPGuidelines.pdf

For additional information, go to: www.omh.state.ny.us or www.oasas.state.ny.us or www.omr.state.ny.us

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