Berks County Office of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

COUNTY 101: Office of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities

County 101 is a recurring feature that takes a deeper look at one of the County of Berks’ many departments to further explain the services and programs available to residents.

Leadership:

Pam Seaman, MH/DD Administrator

Michele A. Ruano Weber, Deputy Administrator and Lydia Singley, HealthChoices Program Director

Mission Statement:

To provide quality care as well as the delivery of efficient public services and supports for individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities so that they can increase their opportunities and abilities to lead lives of dignity and independence. Acknowledging that Recovery is an ongoing process, MH/DD is committed to promoting personal growth, choice, and inclusion of consumers in their community.

What programs do you oversee?

Mental Health

• Behavioral HealthChoices, the state’s Medicaid managed care program. Our office is the primary contractor with the state for behavioral health managed care in Berks. We subcontract with a licensed Behavioral Health Managed Care Organization, Community Care Behavioral Health, who contracts with community providers for the actual services. Under this program, we support treatment needs for people dealing with mental health and substance use.

• Block Grant funded services, which cover the dollars and resources we have available to provide resources that are not considered treatment services or the cost of treatment services for those without insurance. Examples of resources include mental health services for adults and children, crisis intervention and emergency services, community residential rehabilitation program (CRR), vocational services, social rehabilitation services, supported living and assisting individuals.

Vision:

The Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities system will be a partnership of consumers, family members, service providers and policy makers which creates options responsive to individual needs and preferences.

In a nutshell:

The MH/DD office does not provide any direct services but oversees the system of providers and serves as the administrative arm for various funding and grants related to behavioral health, developmental disability and early intervention services. The office is responsible for the planning, programming, quality, compliance and financial oversight of the provider network.

Developmental Disabilities

• Intellectual Disability/Autism Spectrum Disorder Services: These programs are for individuals who have either an IQ of 70 or below prior to their 22nd birthday and/or are diagnosed with autism along with other functional impairments. The services are rehabilitative in nature for individuals who meet these eligibility criteria and the MH/DD Program is responsible for the identification and monitoring of each individualized service in a person’s plan. Providers are licensed, approved and contracted directly through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

• Early Intervention Services: The MH/DD office oversees early intervention services for infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years old. Children eligible for these services show a delay in one or more developmental areas, have a physical disability or have a condition which has a high probability for developmental delay. Services are delivered through a coaching model with families in their natural environment and include: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, special instruction, hearing and vision services, etc. The goal of early intervention is to build skills and catch up on developmental delays.

Other

• Human Service Development Fund: MH/DD manages funds/contracts with community providers on behalf of Berks County for low-income adults with disabilities for services such as: home delivered meals, counseling, homemaker/chore, service planning, etc.

• Homeless Assistance Program: This program is managed on behalf of the county to allocate and oversee state funds targeted toward the issue of homelessness. The MH/DD Program contracts with the Berks County Homelessness Coalition to work with providers delivering such services as case management, bridge housing, emergency shelter and rental assistance.

• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): The MH/DD office manages funding received by the county for emergency food assistance for low-income individuals by contracting with Helping Harvest for community food distribution to the target population.

• Child and Adolescent Services Program (CASSP): The CASSP Coordinator, staffed at the MH/DD Office, works with all child-serving systems to problem solve individual and service system complex needs.

Are there any services you offer that you wish more people were aware of?

Due to the wide variety of services and programs we administer, it is understandable that residents may not be aware of who to call for assistance. Our office has a contract with Service Access Management to provide information and referral support. Residents can call our office or the SAM office at 610-236-0530 and ask for intake.

We also have crisis intervention services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through Holcomb. The telephone number for that service is 610-379-2007 or 1-888-219-3910.

Are there any misunderstandings about the programs you administer that you want to address?

Many individuals do not fully understand the HealthChoices program. Individuals eligible for Medicaid have a choice of various Managed Care Organizations/Insurers for their physical health needs. However, there is only one behavioral health Managed Care Insurance Company in each county. For Berks County, that is Community Care Behavioral Health.

Many individuals also are not aware of the various levels of care and numerous providers available throughout the county. These resources can be found through CCBH’s member line at 1-800-553-7499 or on their very resourceful and userfriendly website: https://members.ccbh.com/find-provider/ provider-directory.

What community organizations or initiatives is your department involved with?

R U OK Berks – The Berks County Suicide Prevention Task Force is a group of community leaders collaborating to reduce suicide in Berks County through advocacy, education and the reduction of stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide.

SOS Berks – The Berks County Opioid Coalition is made up of community members and stakeholders dedicated to reducing overdose deaths in Berks County.

Anything else you want residents to understand about your department?

Our team often needs to wear different hats because each system and program has different regulations and requirements. A lot of the populations we serve also cross over between the various programs, so we need to be able to be flexible and adjust with each call to find the best services available for each individual.