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Celebrate At CAHS

20-Years Strong and Committed to the Future

On July 1, 1996, the Capital Area Human Services District was officially established by the Louisiana Legislature and Governor.  One year later, the agency was up and running, providing our seven-parish area with quality behavioral health services and assistance to citizens with developmental disabilities. Stay tuned for announcements about activities that will be part of our year-long celebration!

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Congratulations: 2016-17 CAHS Board Leaders

Pictured (l-r):  Gary Spillman, Rebekah "Becky" Katz, and Amy Betts

Congratulations to Rebekah "Becky" Katz of Ascension Parish, and Amy Betts of West Feliciana Parish, who were elected June 6 by their fellow CAHS board members to serve as Board Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, for this fiscal year.

The members also expressed their appreciation to Gary Spillman for his dedicated leadership as CAHS Board Chair for the past two years.  He will continue to serve, representing West Baton Rouge Parish.

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Please join CAHS in commemorating July as Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, as proclaimed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mental health directly and indirectly impacts us all. One-in-five adults in the United States experiences a mental health condition, and CAHS is proud to be a leading provider of mental health services in Louisiana. Learn more about Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

Pictured right: Bebe Moore Campbell (1950-2006) was a New York Times best-selling author who worked to raise awareness about mental health in communities of color and encouraged individuals to talk with their doctors about mental health.

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CAHS Executive Director Jan Kasofsky, PhD, is visiting with every CAHS department and program during June and July, talking with employees, thanking them for their dedicated service, and reviewing the agency's 2016 strategic initiatives.

The visits are particularly timely as CAHS is a major participant in the state's Medicaid expansion efforts which have real benefits for CAHS clients and our agency (see related story below). In her visits, Dr. Kasofsky is focusing on three purposes of the strategic initiatives, by which all CAHS efforts and outcomes will be measured. Those purposes are: 

Purpose A
Apply Quality Improvement approaches for operational efficiency and programmatic effectiveness within a recovery-oriented system of care framework. 
 
Purpose B
Provide innovative business strategies incorporating internal and external referral expansion to address the needs of the community and to protect financial solvency.
 
Purpose C
Ensure targeted, locally responsive, population-based approaches to prevention, wellness and recovery through innovation, leadership, partnerships, and collaboration.

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 PLAN TO PARTICIPATE: Summer Salad Luncheon

FRIDAY, JULY 29
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
CAHS Government Street, Room 200
Delivery is available to other locations
Choose your lettuce, dressing, and four toppings for only $5
Premiums and additional toppings, $1 each
Menu here
The proceeds from this ERC-hosted event will be used for future activities for CAHS employees

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Enjoy Great Food ... Help A Great Cause
 

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Suit Drive Benefits Men and Women Leaving Prison
 

 

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My Brother’s Keeper of Baton Rouge held its second annual EduFest, June 28, at the Family and Youth Service Center, 1120 Government St.  One of the outcomes of EduFest is to help children prepare for school -- beyond uniforms -- with health screenings and information about proper diet, rest, exercise, and good study habits.

 

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Coming Up:  Connecting The Dots EXPO, July 30
 

CAHS is pleased to be an exhibitor at the "Connecting the Dots EXPO," July 30. Admission is free, and the event will be held 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza Executive Center, 4728 Constitution Ave., in Baton Rouge.

Bring your family to enjoy fun and learning with mini classes, prizes, giveaways, celebrities and sports stars, art activities, exercise, yoga, and meditation. CAHS and other exhibitors will provide information about healthy lifestyles, support for mental and behavioral health, treatment options, resources for families, and wellness.

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Thanks to the assistance of CAHS employees, 202 of our clients were enrolled in Medicaid during the first 15 days of June as part of the state's Medicaid expansion program.   

Also, about one-quarter of CAHS clients who previously received "Take Charge" benefits only, began receiving full Medicaid benefits on July 1, said Karla Muzik, CAHS Director of Business Operations. She said CAHS employees are helping SNAP beneficiaries complete the Medicaid questionnaire to qualify for full benefits, and all CAHS clients with no insurance coverage who seek no-cost or sliding fee services are being asked to apply for Medicaid.

Medicaid enrollment means that CAHS clients benefit from a full menu of health care services, just as they would through private insurance. The benefits include mental health care, as they have received historically from CAHS, addiction recovery services, primary health care, and transportation to and from medical appointments.

The Medicaid expansion efforts also help CAHS from a budgetary standpoint, as Medicaid reimbursements for CAHS services would replace state general fund dollars that have been cut significantly in recent years. As more CAHS clients are covered, those Medicaid dollars (instead of declining state general funds) will follow the clients and will be used to fund our services.

Special thanks to all CAHS employees for their help with the enrollment efforts and to the members of the CAHS Medicaid Expansion Management Team: Jan Kasofsky, PhD, Chair; Shaketha Brown, Human Resources; Stephen Aguillard, Clinical Services; Karla Muzik, Operations; Adina Collins, Finance; and Bruce Salisbury, Information Technology.
 

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Leading The Way At CAHS
 

The Behavioral Health Collaborative, hosted by CAHS in partnership with Humana, met June 17 to explore ways to integrate behavioral health services with primary health care.  

CAHS Executive Director Jan Kasofsky, PhD, led the meeting and noted that CAHS began a process of integrating services several years ago as behavioral health clients also experienced primary health issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

“We realized that our clients needed a well-rounded, coordinated system of care, not just attention for their behavioral health needs. We also found that as their primary health needs were addressed, they were better able to achieve their behavioral health goals,” Dr. Kasofsky said.

Attendees at the meeting included providers, doctors, nurses, and counselors who identified four primary issues: 1) lack of providers, 2) fragmented services, 3) lack of access to services offered, and 4) “tiers of service” that offer better care for those who can pay more.

As part of its work, the Collaborative divided into groups to begin action planning around four main topics: 1) service delivery, 2) financing, 3) infrastructure, and 4) rules and regulations.

The groups brainstormed issues and opportunities and agreed to convene again on July 22 at CAHS to continue the action-planning process. 

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Aguillard, Washington To Present At State Conference
 

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Having Fun At CAHS
 

 

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The CAHS Employee Relations Committee (ERC) treated employees at four CAHS centers to ice cream socials in June. The socials were held at the Center for Adult Behavioral Health on June 15, the Gonzales Mental Health Center and Margaret Dumas Mental Health Center, both on June 17, and the Capital Area Recovery Program on June 29. Check out the pictures below of the fun had by all.

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Welcome, Jeff Salard
 

 

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