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TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
V O L U M E 1 1 , N O . 1 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 6
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
The Mental Health Safety Net wasdeveloped to provide essentialmental health services to those
persons who were disenrolled fromthe TennCare Program due toTennCare Reform and wereidentified as Severely andPersistently Mentally Ill (SPMI). Thedepartment was appropriated $11.4million to cover core, vital mentalhealth services that people withserious mental illness must attain tocontinue leading functional,productive lives.
Persons who are registered into theMental Health Safety Net are eligibleto receive servicessuch as assessment,evaluation, diagnostic,and therapeuticactivities; casemanagement;psychiatric medicationmanagement; lab workrelated to medicationmanagement; andpharmacy assistance andcoordination. Some individuals whohad previously received housingservices through AdvoCare werealso eligible for limited transitionalhousing support. In addition to theseservices, $33.4 million wasappropriated for pharmacy servicesthat include discounts on genericand brand name drugs plus oneatypical antipsychotic drug permonth with a $5 co-pay. In addition,$2.6 million was designated to make
Lithium and Depakote available forthe SPMI population with a $5 co-pay.
The number of persons originallyidentified as eligible for the MentalHealth Safety Net was approximately21,000 out of the 191,000 personswho were disenrolled. When thedepartment determined there would
be sufficient dollarsavailable for theinclusion of additionaleligible individuals, theMental Health SafetyNet population wasexpanded. The mostrecent expansionoccurred on December5, 2005, allowing for
the registration of any of the 191,000disenrolled persons assessed asSPMI.
The success of the Mental HealthSafety Net would not have beenpossible without the commitment andhard work of the 20 mental healthagencies that agreed to beproviders. Through their diligenceand outreach to the target population,
While the nation watched HurricaneKatrina make landfall across the Gulfcoast, no one imagined the degree ofdevastation to come or the impact thatthe hurricane would have on every statein the country. We didn’t know thatthousands of people had already madetheir way to Tennessee for shelter fromthe storm and that many more were tocome.
TDMHDD received its first Katrinarelated call on August 31, 2005. A groupof 60 adults with disabilities, along withsupervisory staff and family members,devised an evacuation plan to aTennessee state park, only to later findout they had no group homes to return toin Louisiana, and they could not stay atthe park indefinitely. The question ofwhere they were going remainedeminent. Within hours, all individualswere assessed by staff from the regionaloffice of the Division of MentalRetardation and a local mental healthcrisis response team and housed on thegrounds of a state mental retardationfacility.
The overall situation quickly escalated asthe number of evacuees across the stategrew, and evacuee flights began arrivingfrom New Orleans and Houston.Leadership staff joined the Tennesseeinterdepartmental collaborative effort toevaluate the availability of housing,treatment resources and statecapabilities. TDMHDD EmergencyServices Coordinator staff reported to theState Emergency Operations Center tocoordinate mental health staffing of
Project Tenn-KGoing the Extra Milefor Katrina Evacuees
Project Tenn-KGoing the Extra Milefor Katrina Evacuees
MENTAL HEALTH SAFETY NETAids Disenrolled SPMI Tennesseans
The most recent expansion
of the Mental Health Safety
Net population allowed for
the registration of any of the
191,000 disenrolled persons
assessed as SPMI.
cont. page 2 cont. page 6
Many affected by Hurricane Katrina will go on tosuffer from a condition known as Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At the OchsnerClinic Foundation in New Orleans, Dr. BarryGoldman stated, “There has been a virtualexplosion in the number of patients I am seeing withpost-Katrina depression, stress, anxiety andinsomnia. I have written more antidepressant, sleepand anti-anxiety prescriptions in the last sevenweeks than I have in the last months.”
This does not solely reflect those directly involved orat “Ground Zero” of one of the most devastatinghurricanes in the history of U.S. weather recording.The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)reported, in November 2005, that volunteers werealso experiencing PTSD.
Individuals suffering from PTSD may experienceone or more of the following symptoms:hopelessness, helplessness, depression,sleeplessness, anxiousness, physical pain,confusion, fear, anger, grief, shock, guilt, mistrust ofothers and loss of confidence in self. PTSD
typically develops only in a small percentage of persons afterexposure to an event in which grave physical harm occurredor was threatened. Repeatedly experiencing the eventthrough flashbacks and nightmares is often a commonoccurrence for PTSD sufferers. There are treatment optionsavailable, and medications, as well as cognitive andbehavioral psychosocial treatments, such as talk therapies,are proven to be effective.
In Tennessee, the state provides information and links to crisiscounseling and other forms of assistance athttp://www.tnanytime.org/hurricane.html.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has a listing ofWeb links giving information on PTSD and other informationincluding:
KatrinaHealth.org at http://www.katrinahealth.org;
Professional Resources for Service Providers DuringDisasters at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/dirupdate_hurricanekatrina-coping.cfm; and
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Disaster Relief Information at http://www.samhsa.gov/Disaster/professional_disaster.aspx
TDMHDD was honored by the Tennessee Association of Mental HealthOrganizations (TAMHO) in December with a Certificate of Merit fordepartment efforts for the Mental Health Safety Net designed to aid Severelyand Persistently Mentally Ill (SPMI) people disenrolled from TennCare inTennessee. TAMHO is a statewide trade association representingcommunity mental health centers and other non-profit organizations thatprovide behavioral health services. The awards ceremony on December 1,2005 was held at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville.
P o s t - T r a u m a t i c S t e s s D i s o r d e rPTSD—Dealing with the Aftermath of Katrina
TAMHO AWARD
HONORS DEPARTMENT
TAMHO AWARD
HONORS DEPARTMENT
Deputy Commissioner Joe Carobene (farright) accepts the department’s Certificate ofMerit from TAMHO. Others standing withCarobene, from left to right are:Dr. Alan Lynch, M.D., Co-Chair, TAMHOMedical Advisory Committee and ChiefMedical Officer, Mental Health Cooperative,Nashville; Charles R. Blackburn, CAE,Executive Director, TAMHO; Karen H. Rhea,M.D., Co-Chair TAMHO Medical AdvisoryCommittee and VP Medical Services,Centerstone; and Bob N. Vero, EdD,TAMHO President and COO, Centerstone
SAFETY NET…cont.
they have registered more than10,481 persons. The department hadregular networking meetings with theagencies to elicit their input on theprogress of the project and to respondto their informational and educationalneeds regarding the operation of theMental Health Safety Net.
The department was recentlyhonored for its organizational effortsregarding the Mental Heath SafetyNet by receiving a Certificate of Meritaward from the TennesseeAssociation of Mental HealthOrganizations on December 1, 2005at their Annual Award andRecognition Ceremony (See articleat left).
If you have questions regarding theMental Health Safety Net, pleasecontact Dennis Wenner at 615/532-6732. �
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Jill Hudson has beenappointed director of theOffice of Public Informationand Education (OPIE) and isthe department’s publicinformation officer. Prior tothis position, Hudson servedas a lobbyist for the EpilepsyFoundation of America, aswell as communicationsdirector for a member ofCongress. Contact Hudson at(615) 532-6597 [email protected].
Joining Hudson in OPIE is anew publications editor,Lorene Lambert, who bringsover 27 years of experienceworking for the state ofTennessee and more than 30years of experience inpublishing, photography andart fields. Lambert alsoserves as the department’spublications and printingliaison with state RecordsManagement and GeneralServices’ Central Printing.Contact Lambert at (615)253-4812 [email protected].
On September 14, 2005, the Tennessee SuicidePrevention Network (TSPN) presented the firstKen and Madge Tullis Regional SuicidePrevention Awards during the annual Suicide
Prevention Awareness Month ceremony at theOld Supreme Court Chambers in the StateCapitol. Recipients, chosen by the AdvisoryCouncil representatives from each of the TSPN’seight administrative regions are as follows:
Sam Bernard Ph.D., survivors & first responders network advocate Southeast
Lisa Daniel Crisis director, mobile, Quinco Mental Health Center Rural West
Judith J. Johnson Volunteer for TSPN Mid-Cumberland
Elizabeth Haren LPC-MHSP Northeast
David M. Gilliam MD, medical examiner for Blount CountySuicide Prevention Action Team East Tennessee
Brad Martin Editor, Hickman County TimesHickman County Suicide Prevention Task Force South Central
Linda Moran Suicide prevention trainer Upper Cumberland
Dianne & William Young Pastors, Healing Center Memphis/Shelby Co. Area
Welcome Dr. Howard Burley and Dr. Jason Carter To the Office of Clinical Leadership
Suicide Prevention Leaders
Dr. Jason Carter isTDMHDD’s new chief ofpharmacy. Dr. Cartercomes to the departmentfrom the Memphis MentalHealth Institute and theUniversity of TennesseeHealth Science Center,(Memphis) College ofPharmacy. Dr. Carter has aPharm.D. degree from theUT College of Pharmacy. He brings a wealth ofexperience in pharmacy practice andpsychopharmacology to the department. Contact Dr. Carter at (615) 532-6736 [email protected].
Dr. Howard L. Burley is TDMHDD’s newchief medical officer. Before coming to thedepartment, Dr. Burley was vice president ofAdvocare of Tennessee. Dr. Burley is certified inPsychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry by theAmerican Board of Psychiatry. He holds a B.S.from Howard University and a medical degreefrom Meharry Medical College. Other positionsheld include director of mental health servicesfor Corrections Corporations of America;medical director of Residential Dual Treatment
Services and Out-Patient Services, Cumberland Heights Alcohol and DrugTreatment Services; the Metro Nashville Health Department Downtown Clinic;and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services at Meharry Medical College. Hisexpertise is in managed care, clinical psychiatry and co-occurring disorders.Contact Dr. Burley at (615) 532-6564 or [email protected].
Welcome to OPIE Staff
Recipients of the Ken and Madge Tullis Regional Suicide Prevention Awards. From left to right:William and Dianne Young, Lisa Daniel, Dr. David Gilliam, Elizabeth Haren, Sam Bernard, Judith J. Johnson and Linda Moran.
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Suicide Prevention LeadersEach regional winner was also eligible for thestatewide Ken and Madge Tullis SuicidePrevention Award. Dr. David Gilliam wasselected, and the award was presented byTDHMDD Commissioner Virginia TrotterBetts and Benjamin T. Harrington, ExecutiveDirector of the Mental Health Association ofEast Tennessee and chair of the TennesseeSuicide Prevention Network AdvisoryCouncil.
The annual Madge and Ken Tullis SuicidePrevention Awards are open to any personwithin Tennessee, excluding TSPNemployees, who make vital contributions to
suicide prevention and survivor programs. The Tullises have been long-time preventionactivists. Dr. Ken Tullis is an award-winningpsychiatrist specializing in addictions and isthe director of the suicide prevention programat Lakeside Behavioral Health System inMemphis. Dr. Tullis is also a charter memberof Suicide Anonymous, a twelve-step programfor people at risk, and the author of Seductionof Suicide and The Courage to Live Workbook.
Dr. David Gilliam, recipient of the statewideKen and Madge Tullis Suicide Prevention
Award. Commissioner Betts was one of thepresenters for the event.
In December, Commissioner VirginiaTrotter Betts presented service awardsduring a departmental lunch toemployees who have served the Stateof Tennessee from 5 to 35 years, for acombined work total of 440 years ofexperience.
During the ceremonies, RodneySanders was honored as TDMHDDEmployee of the Year. Sanders is aprocurement officer for the CentralOffice and is the telecommunicationsliaison for the department.
Sanders handles everything fromordering supplies and materials tosetting up accounts with CentralStores, installing telephones and cablesystems, tracking cell phones, scheduling movers andreconstruction of cubicles. Sanders also prepares monthly
reports and processes contracts. His work with F&A hasalso helped other state agencies set up proper policies andprocedures. Sanders’ dedication and dependability makesa daily difference in the working environment of hisfellow employees. Yet, he is quick to tell you, “I’m onlydoing my job.”
Also, of particular note, is recognition for 35 years ofservice given to Beverly Perdue, a Management Systems
administrative services assistant,who has served all but four ofthose years in TDMHDD.Perdue’s Central Office dutiesinclude keeping time records,preparing and keying informationon pay equity, makingreservations for state cars,answering phones and completinga variety of forms for constructionand engineering projects.
Service Award & Employee of the Year Honors
Rodney Sanders (top)Honored as Employee
of the Year byCommissioner Betts
Beverly Perdue (right)Honored for 35 Years
of Service byCommissioner Betts
The TDMHDD Office of Special Populationshas been reorganized to become the Office ofSpecial Populations and Minority Services.Children’s Services, Diversity and Faith-Based Initiatives, Title VI, Co-Occurrence,Geriatrics and the RMHI Nurse Executivesare now under the leadership of ExecutiveDirector, Dr. Frieda Outlaw.
The TDMHDD Office of Policy and StrategicInitiatives is now the Office of Policy,Forensics and Criminal Justice, and ConsumerAffairs under the leadership of ExecutiveDirector, Marthagem Whitlock. Research,
Program Support and Legislative Programsalso now reside in this division.
The departure of two key senior staffmembers, Janice Spillman and JosephBrenner in the Office of Planning, Legislationand Regulation, means additional realignmentof programmatic responsibilities compatiblewith streamlining department efficiency. Corestaff have assumed responsibility for certainfunctions formerly housed within the Officeof Planning, Legislation and Regulation. Theyare as follows:
Marie Williams, Executive Director, Office
of Recovery Services, assumes planningresponsibilities.
Cindy Tyler, Office of Legal Counsel,assumes regulatory and ethicsresponsibilities.
Marthagem Whitlock, Executive Director,Office of Policy, assumes legislativeresponsibilities.
Vital functions will be continued under thisrealignment, and executive directors willproceed to fill key vacant positions withinthese divisions.
Reorganization Aligns TDMHDD Services & Policy
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At the end of December, director JaniceSpillman and senior legal counsel JosephBrenner, Jr. retired from the Office ofPlanning, Legislation and Regulation(OPLR). They take with them a tremendousamount of institutional knowledge of thedepartment and the history of Tennessee’smental health program development.
Janice Spillman’s parting words includedpraise for coworkers and thankfulness forthe scope of work that made life better forthose with mental disorders and disabilities.
According to Deputy Commissioner JoeCarobene, “I have known Janice since June1972, when she was working in the divisionof Mental Retardation Services as a young,masters level social worker. I first noticedher passion for ensuring services forpersons with mental retardation, and the
only thing that has changed is her extensionof this passion to benefit a larger group ofpeople served by this department. Janice’stremendous contributions to the departmentinclude being a model state employee whostrives for excellence and has little time forthose who do not.”
Janice plans to pursue remodeling projectsat home and enroll in a master gardenercourse. She also plans to do volunteer worknext fall with a domestic violence program.If you would like to contact Janice, she canbe reached via email [email protected].
Joseph Brenner, Jr. began working for thedepartment in 1974 in the then newforensics program. He is known as the mostknowledgeable attorney in Tennessee onmental health and developmental disability
law. During Brenner’s tenure, a new law todecentralize the evaluation of peoplecharged with crimes, and revisions tosubstantial pieces of law governing the civilrights of persons subject to commitmentwere implemented. A new licensure law andchanges to contract, zoning, property,conflict resolution, and more, with regard topersons with mental illness ordevelopmental disabilities, were alsorefined so that TDMHDD will continue tolead the way to helping Tennesseans.
Brenner said in a parting message to staff,“I’ve thought that our department was thebest place to work in government becauseits people and leaders defied thebureaucratic model. We’re its people andwe should be proud that we see our missionas giving people what they need to helpthem live life fully.”
Farewell to Janice Spillman and Joseph Brenner, Jr.
MMHI Lawsuit Update: A fifteen-yearfederal civil rights lawsuit and settlementagainst the Memphis Mental HealthInstitute (MMHI) has been dismissed,effective Dec. 21, 2005, resolving all U.S.Department of Justice issues with MMHIand TDMHDD. The original ConsentDecree, entered in 1996, called forchanges in staffing, treatment planning,discharge planning, and non-psychiatricmedical care. Congratulations to theleadership and staff of MMHI, as well asthe TMHDD Central Office staff, whoworked closely together to achieve thisresolution!
Cherokee Internship ProgramAccredited: One of Tennessee’s majormental health providers, Cherokee HealthSystems (CHS), has received a five-year,full accreditation of its PsychologyInternship Program from the AmericanPsychological Association (APA). TheCHS program is a 12-month, 2000-hourinternship for diverse and intensiveclinical training within a communityhealth environment. Students are exposedto a range of clinical opportunities fromtraditional outpatient to primary behavioral
care and psychosocial rehabilitation. CHSis a clinical practicum site for doctoral,clinical and counseling students from UT.The psychology internship program is alsoapproved as a member of the Associationfor Psychology Post-Doctoral andInternship Centers (APPIC). For moreinformation, visit the CHS Website atwww.cherokeehealth.com.
SPAN USA Honors Suicide PreventionLeaders: At the September 8-10, 2005,National Awareness Event of the SuicidePrevention Action Network USA (SPANUSA), national and local advocates wereawarded for their leadership withGrassroots, Founders and Allies for Actionawards. In the Allies for Action category,Commissioner Virginia Trotter Betts wasamong the four honorees. Hercommitment to suicide prevention datesback to her involvement with formerSurgeon General David Satcher’sinitiatives on mental health, including hislandmark report on suicide prevention andplanning of the 1998 Reno Conference forthe National Strategy for SuicidePrevention. SPAN USA is a non-profitorganization based in Washington D.C.and is one of the USA’s most effective
grassroots suicide preventionorganizations. Visit www.spanusa.org tolearn more.
Four Tennessee “Voices for theVoiceless” Revealed: The AmericanJournal of Nursing, January 2006 issue,recognizes TDMHDD CommissionerVirginia Trotter Betts and assistantcommissioners Frieda Hopkins Outlaw,Lynn McDonald, and Candace Gilligan asleaders in the fields of mental health andnursing. The profile article honors the fouras “psychiatric clinical nurse specialists[who] have taken lead roles in stategovernment mental health services” onbehalf of people who are often the mostvoiceless of the nation’s citizens.
“Nursing input is essential,” Betts remarksin the article. “Someone is going to makehealth policy, so it might as well besomeone who knows something about it.”
Nurses have an extremely important rolein patient and consumer health care, andBetts feels leaders with nursingbackgrounds are effective in assuring thatquality services are established andmaintained statewide.
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Commissioner’s Corner
evacuee flight arrivals, shelters,and fixed and mobile assistancesites. Emergency managementbegan the implementation ofcounty disaster plans, and manymental health professionalsresponded to the need forassistance in various locationssuch as hotels and churches. Inthose early weeks, over 180community and hospitalprovider staff documented 1,353hours of individual and groupcrisis counseling services tomore than 3,800 individualsstatewide.
On September 11, 2005,Tennessee was declared eligibleto apply for a 60-day FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA) Crisis CounselingImmediate Services Programgrant to continue services toevacuees in the state. ProjectTenn-K, a grant funded at$127,584, provided 22 positionsin 5 community mental healthagencies throughout the state toprovide individual and groupcrisis counseling, educationalmaterials, and information andreferral services to personswithin the community. Targetedpopulations included children,individuals experiencing loss orseparation from loved ones,
consumers of mental healthand/or substance abuse services,persons with physical disabilitiesand medical needs who had beendisplaced, and persons withuntreated addiction. Individualsleaving shelters were followedinto the community andprovided assistance with thetransition to temporary orpermanent Tennessee homes.
A major goal of the FEMACrisis Counseling Program wasto help disaster victims deal withtraumatic events and learncoping skills to prevent long-term psychological problems.Before ending on November 11,2005, Project Tenn-K providedcrisis counseling to more than4,500 individuals, held 25 crisiscounseling groups anddistributed more than 5,000packets of educational materials.Less than 10% of individualsseen were referred for formalbehavioral health services;approximately 75% of thosepersons had a previous historyof treatment in their home states.Although the Project Tenn-Kgrant is complete, communitybehavioral health providerscontinue to provide clinicaltreatment and communitysupport to evacuees requiringthese services. �
Project Tenn-K…cont. TDMHDD UpdateTennessee Department of Mental Health
& Developmental DisabilitiesVolume 11, Number 1
January/February 2006 Issue
Newsletter StaffJill M. Hudson, Director
Lorene Lambert, Publications EditorPrepared and distributed by
the Office of Public Information & Education5th Floor, Cordell Hull Bldg.
425 Fifth Avenue NorthNashville, TN 37243
615.253.4812Available online at
http://www.tennessee.gov/mental/index.html
Please send queries, suggestions and address changes to:[email protected] or [email protected]
Pursuant to the State of Tennessee’s policy of nondiscrimination,the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilitiesdoes not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color,national or ethnic origin, age, disability or military service in itspolicies, or in the admission to, or treatment or employment in, itsprograms, services or activities.
Contact the department’s EEO/AA Coordinator at 615-532-5680,the Title VI Coordinator or the ADA Coordinator at 615-532-6700 or1-800-560-5767 for inquiries, complaints or further information.Persons with hearing impairments should call 615-532-6612
Published bi-monthly by the Tennessee Department ofMental Health & Developmental Disabilities. PeriodicalsPostage Pair at Nashville, Tennessee. Postmaster: sendaddress changes to TDMHDD/OPIE, 5th Fl. Cordell HullBldg., 425 Fifth Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37243
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and DevelopmentalDisabilities online newsletter. Copies are filed with statedepositories and archives as directed by State RecordsManagment rules and regulations for publication authorization.
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Department of Mental Health andDevelopmental DisabilitiesOffice of Public Information & EducationFifth Floor, Cordell Hull Building425 5th Ave. NorthNashville, TN 37243
