NAMI MD: Maryland News

If your doctor has determined that certain medical treatment is needed, but your HMO or health insurer does not agree that the recommended treatment is medically necessary, this law may be able to help you.

Maryland’s Appeals & Grievances Law allows you to appeal the decision of you HMO or health insurer. First, you file an appeal with you HMO or health insurer requesting that they reconsider their decision. Next, after your request or claim has been denied, you can file a complaint, or grievance wit the Maryland Insurance Administration.

There are a few conditions that must be met. Use the checklist in the next column to see if your situation qualifies.

You must meet these conditions to file an appeal with your HMO or health insurer subject to Maryland law:

o Your HMO or health insurer issued a written denial of your request or claim. This notification should have information about how and when to file an appeal. If you have not filed your appeal, you may want to contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Health Advocacy Unit for free assistance.

Health Education Unit
Office of the Attorney General:
1-877-261-8807 (toll free)

o You filed an appeal with your HMO or health insurer. You were notified that the decision to deny your request or claim still stands.

o The denied medical procedure is provided in your policy. This refers to conditions of your insurance contract. The service or procedure must be included in your policy or contract.

o Your doctor determines that the procedure or service is medically necessary. This means that the doctor will provide an acceptable medical reason requiring the service.

o There are special rules that apply to emergencies. Please call to see if your case qualifies as an emergency.

If you checked all of the boxes above and are still not satisfied of the outcome, you can seek help from the Maryland Insurance Administration.

Appeals & Grievance Unit
Maryland Insurance Administration:
1-800-492-6116 (toll free)

It is possible that your health benefits may be provided through an entity not subject to Maryland laws. If this is the case, we will provide you referral information to the appropriate agency.

The Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland (CBH- formerly The Maryland Association of Psychiatric Support Services) is asking members of NAMI MD, On Our Own and Mental Health Association to help in their advocacy with MHA and MHP to stop balancing the budget on our backs.

o Affiliates need to stay updated on the impact of denials and cuts on our members.

o Advocate for ourselves by send letters of outrage to MHA and state legislators.

To find out updated information about bills and to contact your local legislators call or email:

Department of Legislative Services
Legislative Library and Information Desks
Toll Free Phone Lines:
Baltimore Area 410-946-5400/5410
Washington Area 301-970-5400/5410
Other Maryland Areas 1-800-492-7122 ext.5400/5410
Maryland Relay Service 1-800-735-2258
TTY 410-946/301-970-5401
Home Page: http://mlis.state.md.us/
Library and Information Services E-Mail: libr@mlis.state.md.us

Phone calls and applications have been steadily coming into the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities since the announcement of the Maryland Disability Access Card Program. The 2000 Session of the Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50, establishing the Disability Access Card Program in the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities. Similar to senior citizen discount programs, the program provides discounts on services, entertainment and merchandise at various participating businesses throughout the State of Maryland to eligible individuals with disabilities. Maryland citizens with permanent disabilities who provide proof that they are receiving disability from a State or U.S. agency are eligible.

Participation in the program by businesses is voluntary and each business determines the type and amount of the discount or special offer to be given to customers with disabilities. The list of participating businesses will be distributed to eligible participants with disabilities who join the program and posted and updated on the websites of the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities and the Maryland Technology Assistance Program. A special Disability Access Card will identify eligible participants in the program. Businesses or individuals with disabilities wishing to participate and/or get additional information about the program should contact Bobette T. Watts in the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities at (410) 333-3098 v/tty or 1-800-637-4113 or oid@gov.state.md.us.

The Office of Consumer Affairs at the Mental Hygiene Administration offers consumers a six-month training program entitled the Leadership Empowerment Advocacy Project or LEAP. This has been an ongoing project run by Susan Kadis for the last ten years. LEAP was first developed at MAPSS and has been co-sponsored by the Center for Mental Health Services or MHA since 1991.

LEAP offers training to consumers in the following areas: Assertiveness Training, Resume Writing, Public Speaking, Leadership Skills, Advocacy Communication, Advance Directives, Mental Hygiene Administration, Public Mental Health System, Entitlements and Board Membership. The training currently takes place twice a month over a six-month period.

When LEAP was advertised last year a number of secondary consumers called and showed interest in the training. This year we are considering doing training for them as well as a separate training for consumers. In order to better discern whether secondary consumers are interested in this type of training, the subjects they are interested in and what days and times are best to hold the training, we are asking that you answer the following questions and either call Susan Kadis at (410) 767-1381 with your answers or circle the correct answer and mail your response in to:

Thank you for taking the time, thought and consideration to respond to this article.

1. Would you be interested in receiving Leadership Empowerment Advocacy Training?

__________________________ __________________________ __________________________

By Susan Kadis
Coordinator of Consumer Advocacy
Office of Consumer Affairs
Mental Hygiene Administration

On July 17, 2001, the Montgomery County Council adopted a resolution proposed by Council President Blair Ewing to establish a 12 member Blue Ribbon Panel of distinguished mental health professionals and advocates to advise on the development of a model mental health system. The Panel is charged with making recommendations for improvements to the State's public health system and advising the County Council on local funding and delivery of public mental health services.

The Panel will make recommendations to the County Council by February 1, 2002, and also submit a written report to Governor Glendening. The Panel Chair is psychologist Kevin Dwyer, Senior Advisor at the National Mental Health Association; the Co-Chair is Dr. Wayne Fenton, Deputy Director of Clinical Affairs at NIMH and a NAMI MD member. NAMI Montgomery County is represented by Affiliate Board President, Diane Sterenbuch.

It appears our vigorous advocacy efforts are beginning to pay off. Let's keep up the momentum.

Please Note:

New Address for Lower Shore Friends:

207 Maryland Avenue, Suite 5

Salisbury, MD 21801

410-334-2173 or

443-235-0767

The first ever Mental Health and Well Being Festival was held in Westminster, MD on Saturday, May 19, 2001. The Festival Theme, “Peace of Mind – Spread the Seeds of Awareness,” was designed to provide information and enlightenment to the community as an activity to celebrate May as Mental Health Month. Several NAMI members were instrumental in developing the theme and logo and making the festival a very successful event. Twenty-four consumers participated in numerous ways throughout the day and ran the children’s arts and crafts activities. Over 400 parents, family members and children took part in the festival activities, picked up materials and interacted with participants. We are looking forward to building on this year’s efforts by making the festival an annual event in Carroll County.

Effective May 2001, B-Cars will be operating Monday through Friday from 12-8 for crises response and new admissions.

And Housing For All

Should everyone have a roof over their head? It seems like an absurd question, but even today many persons with mental illness are homeless, seek homeless shelters, or live in sub-standard housing. If we are to look at this issue today, we must first examine what has historically happened with regard to housing for persons with mental illness.

Up to and including the late 1800’s, a person who could not make it on his/her own was relegated to “Poor Houses” and “Work Houses” to live and subsist. These places were nothing more that open door prisons. The key element to this “charity” was that a person had to be very desperate to live in one. the conditions were purposefully so bad that people on the fringe of taking care of themselves would, through fear, do their utmost best to continue working. What about the person with a mental illness who wound up in the “Poor House?” At the “Poor House,” the reason you came there did not matter; everyone was treated with the same contempt. Was this decent housing?

The early 1900’s marked the rise of large institutions for persons with mental illness. Some of these facilities held more than 5,000 patients. In essence, the warehousing of persons with mental illness was taking place. If a person had a mental illness, the standard practice of the day dictated that the person did not belong in the community but rather locked up in a mental institution. Although a person with mental illness was “housed,” that individual was usually committed to the institution and had little hope of living in or returning to the community. The outcry from advocates about the deplorable conditions of institutional psychiatric hospitals led to the liberation of many to the community. Was this a positive step toward helping persons with mental illness to acquire affordable, decent housing?

The deinstitutionalization of the 1960’s happened as a result of the dismantling and downsizing of mental institutions. Such a positive move toward community integration led to enormous numbers of people with mental illness being dis- charged to the community, unfortunately without adequate supports, specifically housing arrangements. Across the country, homelessness and “flophouse/ boarding house” living became the norm for someone with mental illness. The government, both at the state and federal levels, did not finance community- based services until years after deinstitutionalization began. The mass exodus of persons with mental illness from psychiatric hospitals happened without the necessary planning. How were persons with mental illness to acquire affordable, decent housing?

The question remains today. Although there are many new and innovative programs available, persons with mental illness are still faced with inadequate housing options. In general, there remains a significant gap between residential long-term, service-linked housing and independent living. With the right supports, many persons with mental illness could live more independently and could obtain affordable, decent housing.

On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. (OOO MD) held a housing forum in June 2000 with consumers from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, and Cecil County participating. It became overwhelmingly apparent that there is a pattern regarding participants’ housing needs. It appears that persons with mental illness want what anyone else would want in choosing a place to live: safe, affordable, convenient housing. OOO MD will be conducting more forums in Maryland throughout the year to look closer at housing issues for consumers.

There are still homeless people on the street. The need for shelters is not going away. Persons with mental illness contribute to this need. Housing for persons with mental illness is a major issue that needs to be addressed.

For more information about the time and location of a Housing forum in you area, please call Ken at (410) 646-0262 or e-mail him at onourown@frontiernet.net

New Specialized Mental Health Center Dedicated

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Capitol Health Care Network formally dedicated its new quarters that houses the $1.7 million a year program to conduct a Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) on Wednesday, November 29, 2000 at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The MIRECC, which is based at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, will improve the provision of health care to veterans suffering from severe mental illness.

The ultimate goal of the new MIRECC is to improve the care and treatment of persons with schizophrenia. Approximately 1 percent of the U.S. population has schizophrenia, including an estimated 270,000 veterans suffering from this mental illness.

As one of eight MIRECC’s nationwide, this center will conduct research activities in Baltimore, Perry Point, Washington, DC, and Martinsburg, WV. The center’s work will focus on six key areas in the treatment of schizophrenia, including substance abuse, psychopharmacology, neuropsychological factors in rehabilitation, health behaviors, women with schizophrenia, and how important aspects of care are delivered.

For more information about the MIRECC, their services, and programs, contact Alan Bellack, Ph.D., MIRECC director at (410) 605-7451.


“Although there are many new and innovative programs available, persons with mental illness are still faced with inadequate housing options.” Ken Wireman		Home \| Latest News \| Site Map \| NAMI MD \| Mental Illness \| Policy \| News \| Affiliates \| Help for You \| Help Us \| Join \| Web Sites \| Other Organizations \| Glossary \| Search Maryland News From the NAMI Maryland Newsletter Are Budget Cuts Affecting Your Family? Here is what you need to do! (Winter '02) Disability Access Card Program Draws Enthusiastic Business and Consumers (Fall, '01) Training for Secondary Consumers (Fall '01) Hope for a Model State and County Mental Health System (Fall '01) New Address for Lower Shore Friends (Fall '01) Carroll County Festival: A Success, by Charles Crew (Summer, '01) Baltimore Child and Adolescent Response System (B-Cars) is Changing! (Summer, '01) And Housing for All by Ken Wireman, On Our Own of Maryland (Winter '00) New Specialized Mental Health Center Dedicated (Winter '00) Are Budget Cuts Affecting Your Family? Here is what you need to do! Understanding Maryland’s Health Insurance Appeal Law If your doctor has determined that certain medical treatment is needed, but your HMO or health insurer does not agree that the recommended treatment is medically necessary, this law may be able to help you. Maryland’s Appeals & Grievances Law allows you to appeal the decision of you HMO or health insurer. First, you file an appeal with you HMO or health insurer requesting that they reconsider their decision. Next, after your request or claim has been denied, you can file a complaint, or grievance wit the Maryland Insurance Administration. There are a few conditions that must be met. Use the checklist in the next column to see if your situation qualifies. How Do I Appeal? You must meet these conditions to file an appeal with your HMO or health insurer subject to Maryland law: o Your HMO or health insurer issued a written denial of your request or claim. This notification should have information about how and when to file an appeal. If you have not filed your appeal, you may want to contact the Maryland Attorney General’s Health Advocacy Unit for free assistance. Health Education Unit Office of the Attorney General: 1-877-261-8807 (toll free) o You filed an appeal with your HMO or health insurer. You were notified that the decision to deny your request or claim still stands. o The denied medical procedure is provided in your policy. This refers to conditions of your insurance contract. The service or procedure must be included in your policy or contract. o Your doctor determines that the procedure or service is medically necessary. This means that the doctor will provide an acceptable medical reason requiring the service. o There are special rules that apply to emergencies. Please call to see if your case qualifies as an emergency. If you checked all of the boxes above and are still not satisfied of the outcome, you can seek help from the Maryland Insurance Administration. Appeals & Grievance Unit Maryland Insurance Administration: 1-800-492-6116 (toll free) It is possible that your health benefits may be provided through an entity not subject to Maryland laws. If this is the case, we will provide you referral information to the appropriate agency. The Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland (CBH- formerly The Maryland Association of Psychiatric Support Services) is asking members of NAMI MD, On Our Own and Mental Health Association to help in their advocacy with MHA and MHP to stop balancing the budget on our backs. o Affiliates need to stay updated on the impact of denials and cuts on our members. o Advocate for ourselves by send letters of outrage to MHA and state legislators. o Share impact statements and person stories with MHA and state legislators. To find out updated information about bills and to contact your local legislators call or email: Department of Legislative Services Legislative Library and Information Desks Toll Free Phone Lines: Baltimore Area 410-946-5400/5410 Washington Area 301-970-5400/5410 Other Maryland Areas 1-800-492-7122 ext.5400/5410 Maryland Relay Service 1-800-735-2258 TTY 410-946/301-970-5401 Home Page: http://mlis.state.md.us/ Library and Information Services E-Mail: libr@mlis.state.md.us [top] Disability Access Card Program Draws Enthusiastic Business and Consumers Phone calls and applications have been steadily coming into the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities since the announcement of the Maryland Disability Access Card Program. The 2000 Session of the Maryland General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50, establishing the Disability Access Card Program in the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities. Similar to senior citizen discount programs, the program provides discounts on services, entertainment and merchandise at various participating businesses throughout the State of Maryland to eligible individuals with disabilities. Maryland citizens with permanent disabilities who provide proof that they are receiving disability from a State or U.S. agency are eligible. Participation in the program by businesses is voluntary and each business determines the type and amount of the discount or special offer to be given to customers with disabilities. The list of participating businesses will be distributed to eligible participants with disabilities who join the program and posted and updated on the websites of the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities and the Maryland Technology Assistance Program. A special Disability Access Card will identify eligible participants in the program. Businesses or individuals with disabilities wishing to participate and/or get additional information about the program should contact Bobette T. Watts in the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities at (410) 333-3098 v/tty or 1-800-637-4113 or oid@gov.state.md.us. [top] *TRAINING FOR SECONDARY CONSUMERS* The Office of Consumer Affairs at the Mental Hygiene Administration offers consumers a six-month training program entitled the Leadership Empowerment Advocacy Project or LEAP. This has been an ongoing project run by Susan Kadis for the last ten years. LEAP was first developed at MAPSS and has been co-sponsored by the Center for Mental Health Services or MHA since 1991. LEAP offers training to consumers in the following areas: Assertiveness Training, Resume Writing, Public Speaking, Leadership Skills, Advocacy Communication, Advance Directives, Mental Hygiene Administration, Public Mental Health System, Entitlements and Board Membership. The training currently takes place twice a month over a six-month period. When LEAP was advertised last year a number of secondary consumers called and showed interest in the training. This year we are considering doing training for them as well as a separate training for consumers. In order to better discern whether secondary consumers are interested in this type of training, the subjects they are interested in and what days and times are best to hold the training, we are asking that you answer the following questions and either call Susan Kadis at (410) 767-1381 with your answers or circle the correct answer and mail your response in to: NAMI Maryland 711 West 40^th Street, Suite 451 Baltimore, MD 21211 Thank you for taking the time, thought and consideration to respond to this article. 1. Would you be interested in receiving Leadership Empowerment Advocacy Training? YES NO 2. Are you interested in the same curriculum that has been done in the past? YES NO 3. What other topics would you like to be covered? __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 4. When is the best time for you to meet? WEEKDAY SATURDAY EVENING By Susan Kadis Coordinator of Consumer Advocacy Office of Consumer Affairs Mental Hygiene Administration [top] Hope for a Model State and County Mental Health System On July 17, 2001, the Montgomery County Council adopted a resolution proposed by Council President Blair Ewing to establish a 12 member Blue Ribbon Panel of distinguished mental health professionals and advocates to advise on the development of a model mental health system. The Panel is charged with making recommendations for improvements to the State's public health system and advising the County Council on local funding and delivery of public mental health services. The Panel will make recommendations to the County Council by February 1, 2002, and also submit a written report to Governor Glendening. The Panel Chair is psychologist Kevin Dwyer, Senior Advisor at the National Mental Health Association; the Co-Chair is Dr. Wayne Fenton, Deputy Director of Clinical Affairs at NIMH and a NAMI MD member. NAMI Montgomery County is represented by Affiliate Board President, Diane Sterenbuch. It appears our vigorous advocacy efforts are beginning to pay off. Let's keep up the momentum. By Diane Sterenbuch NAMI MD Board Member Please Note: New Address for Lower Shore Friends: 207 Maryland Avenue, Suite 5 Salisbury, MD 21801 410-334-2173 or 443-235-0767 . [top] Carroll County Festival: A Success By Charles Crew The first ever Mental Health and Well Being Festival was held in Westminster, MD on Saturday, May 19, 2001. The Festival Theme, “Peace of Mind – Spread the Seeds of Awareness,” was designed to provide information and enlightenment to the community as an activity to celebrate May as Mental Health Month. Several NAMI members were instrumental in developing the theme and logo and making the festival a very successful event. Twenty-four consumers participated in numerous ways throughout the day and ran the children’s arts and crafts activities. Over 400 parents, family members and children took part in the festival activities, picked up materials and interacted with participants. We are looking forward to building on this year’s efforts by making the festival an annual event in Carroll County. [top] Baltimore Child and Adolescent Response System (B-Cars) is Changing! Effective May 2001, B-Cars will be operating Monday through Friday from 12-8 for crises response and new admissions. B-Cars services for clients will continue to be offered on a 24/7 basis. Call 410-752-2272 to reach the 24/7 hotline for triage and referral. [top] And Housing For All by Ken Wireman Should everyone have a roof over their head? It seems like an absurd question, but even today many persons with mental illness are homeless, seek homeless shelters, or live in sub-standard housing. If we are to look at this issue today, we must first examine what has historically happened with regard to housing for persons with mental illness. Up to and including the late 1800’s, a person who could not make it on his/her own was relegated to “Poor Houses” and “Work Houses” to live and subsist. These places were nothing more that open door prisons. The key element to this “charity” was that a person had to be very desperate to live in one. the conditions were purposefully so bad that people on the fringe of taking care of themselves would, through fear, do their utmost best to continue working. What about the person with a mental illness who wound up in the “Poor House?” At the “Poor House,” the reason you came there did not matter; everyone was treated with the same contempt. Was this decent housing? The early 1900’s marked the rise of large institutions for persons with mental illness. Some of these facilities held more than 5,000 patients. In essence, the warehousing of persons with mental illness was taking place. If a person had a mental illness, the standard practice of the day dictated that the person did not belong in the community but rather locked up in a mental institution. Although a person with mental illness was “housed,” that individual was usually committed to the institution and had little hope of living in or returning to the community. The outcry from advocates about the deplorable conditions of institutional psychiatric hospitals led to the liberation of many to the community. Was this a positive step toward helping persons with mental illness to acquire affordable, decent housing? The deinstitutionalization of the 1960’s happened as a result of the dismantling and downsizing of mental institutions. Such a positive move toward community integration led to enormous numbers of people with mental illness being dis- charged to the community, unfortunately without adequate supports, specifically housing arrangements. Across the country, homelessness and “flophouse/ boarding house” living became the norm for someone with mental illness. The government, both at the state and federal levels, did not finance community- based services until years after deinstitutionalization began. The mass exodus of persons with mental illness from psychiatric hospitals happened without the necessary planning. How were persons with mental illness to acquire affordable, decent housing? The question remains today. Although there are many new and innovative programs available, persons with mental illness are still faced with inadequate housing options. In general, there remains a significant gap between residential long-term, service-linked housing and independent living. With the right supports, many persons with mental illness could live more independently and could obtain affordable, decent housing. On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. (OOO MD) held a housing forum in June 2000 with consumers from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland, and Cecil County participating. It became overwhelmingly apparent that there is a pattern regarding participants’ housing needs. It appears that persons with mental illness want what anyone else would want in choosing a place to live: safe, affordable, convenient housing. OOO MD will be conducting more forums in Maryland throughout the year to look closer at housing issues for consumers. There are still homeless people on the street. The need for shelters is not going away. Persons with mental illness contribute to this need. Housing for persons with mental illness is a major issue that needs to be addressed. For more information about the time and location of a Housing forum in you area, please call Ken at (410) 646-0262 or e-mail him at onourown@frontiernet.net Ken Wireman is the Housing Director for On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. [top] New Specialized Mental Health Center Dedicated The Veterans Affairs (VA) Capitol Health Care Network formally dedicated its new quarters that houses the $1.7 million a year program to conduct a Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) on Wednesday, November 29, 2000 at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. The MIRECC, which is based at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, will improve the provision of health care to veterans suffering from severe mental illness. The ultimate goal of the new MIRECC is to improve the care and treatment of persons with schizophrenia. Approximately 1 percent of the U.S. population has schizophrenia, including an estimated 270,000 veterans suffering from this mental illness. As one of eight MIRECC’s nationwide, this center will conduct research activities in Baltimore, Perry Point, Washington, DC, and Martinsburg, WV. The center’s work will focus on six key areas in the treatment of schizophrenia, including substance abuse, psychopharmacology, neuropsychological factors in rehabilitation, health behaviors, women with schizophrenia, and how important aspects of care are delivered. For more information about the MIRECC, their services, and programs, contact Alan Bellack, Ph.D., MIRECC director at (410) 605-7451.
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Maryland News From the NAMI Maryland Newsletter

And Housing For All

New Specialized Mental Health Center Dedicated