The Missouri Department of Mental Health Collaborative

The DMH Collaborative registration allows access to
four prerecorded sessions, as well as a live Q&A session from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 24.

Audience

physicians, nursing directors, emergency department directors, case management directors and directors of social work

Series Overview

The Missouri Department of Mental Health and MHA have a rich history of collaborating to provide education, advocate for and implement services, and reduce barriers for behavioral health care. The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for all health care providers, but it has especially been difficult for those providing mental health services given the unique needs of this population, resource limitations and the increase in general mental health needs across the population.

DMH and MHA have provided a series of educational offerings to increase awareness of and access to resources, ensuring patients with mental health issues and developmental disabilities receive timely and effective care.

Prerecorded Sessions

Care of the Developmentally Disabled Population

Session Overview

This session provides an overview of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Participants will learn the process to obtain services from both the Division of Developmental Disabilities and Division of Behavioral Health, and identify specialized services for children.

Speaker

Amber Stockreef is the interdivisional children services coordinator for the Missouri Department of Mental Health. She assists with the coordination of services and systems for youth with co-occurring disorders. She is a Licensed Behavior Analyst with more than 13 years of experience working in the field of mental health with adults, children and families with co-occurring mental health and developmental disabilities. She has worked in the community, schools and government. She is a graduate of Culver-Stockton College, earned her master’s in education from the University of Cincinnati and currently is working toward a Doctorate in Human Services. Her current passion is developing a collaborative, multidisciplinary model to support and treat the co-occurring population.

Successful Transitions from the Hospital

Session Overview

This session offers a great opportunity to learn about possible resources when working with the developmentally disabled population. Participants will learn what the DMH — Division of Developmental Disabilities is doing in conjunction with area hospitals to help address the concerns and challenges associated with the emergency department and hospital inpatient stays of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Speakers

Rita Cooper is the Western Region Area behavior analyst for DMH. Cooper works on developing programs, systems, assessments and trainings to help reduce crisis situations and support a better quality of life both for the people served by DMH and for its staff. Her areas of expertise are in understanding systems approaches to organizational behavior change, data analysis, performance management and behavior analysis. Cooper began working with DMH in 2007 at the Higginsville Habilitation Center as an associate behavior analyst. In 2011, she took a position at the Kansas City Regional Office as the lead for the Behavior Resource Team. In 2015, she earned her master's in education from Arizona State University and passed the BCBA exam. In 2016, she was promoted to her current position within DMH. Cooper continued her professional development and education by earning her certification in Organizational Behavior Management. Cooper was instrumental in obtaining a grant from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis in the area of behavior analysis and aging, mental health and substance use disorder. Cooper has more than 20 years of experience in the area of developmental disabilities in a variety of capacities from direct support to education and consultation.

Melantha Witherspoon is the Eastern Area behavior analyst for DMH. Witherspoon has served people with complex behavioral and mental health needs since 2005, providing teams and agencies with technical assistance. As an area behavior analyst, she identifies risk categories, how those areas of risk affect people and systems, and develops system-level interventions to mitigate risk. Other responsibilities include providing training regarding best practices for PBS and ABA, and home- and community-based services.

Developing an Emergency Room Plan for Complex Individuals

Session Overview

This session explores how two complex cases are addressed by a residential provider team and the area hospital. Participants will be able to use the experience of these cases to springboard conversations, develop plans and implement resources to effectively and efficiently care for patients with complex care needs.

Speakers

Dr. Fon Powell is the managing director at Equilibrium Homes, an agency that specializes in providing ISL services to Tier 3 individuals. She is a neuroscientist specialized in the study of brain disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Powell received her Ph.D. from Cornell University, where she was a Ford Foundation Fellow and US Amgen Scholar. Her research is published in numerous journals, including NeuroImage, Biological Psychiatry and Brain. She holds a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from Duke University.

Landre Kingdon is a licensed clinical social worker who advocates for the dually diagnosed population of children and adolescents experiencing behavioral health symptoms in Missouri. Through facilitating connections and establishing common ground with community providers, Kingdon has been able to inspire collaboration and create better access to resources for the pediatric behavioral health population. Kingdon is committed to every child and adolescent having the opportunity to fully engage in their story, to have the platform to reach their full potential, be given the tools to advocate for themselves as they grow into adulthood and experience a joy-filled life. She continues to engage in creating ongoing educational opportunities regionally and nationally. Kingdon is the Chair of the Leadership and Development Grant for the Social Work Leaders in Health Care of Metro St. Louis, Inc. and enjoys traveling to Honduras where she volunteers for Humanity and Hope United Foundation, a nonprofit working to partner with underserved villages in remote communities in Central America. She holds a board position with Humanity and Hope United where she engages the staff and volunteers in organizational culture and strategic planning. Kingdon holds a master’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis.

Preadmission Screening and Resident Review

Session Overview

The Preadmission Screening and Resident Review is a federally mandated screening process for individuals with a serious mental illness and/or intellectual/developmental disability-related diagnosis who apply for or reside in Medicaid-certified beds in a nursing facility regardless of the source of payment. The screening assures that appropriate placement of persons known or suspected of having a mental impairment(s) occurs and that the individual needs of mentally impaired persons are being met in the appropriate placement environment. Participants will learn about PASRR requirements and processes in Missouri to help ensure patients’ needs are met and hospital discharge can be accomplished in an efficient manner.

Speakers

Michelle Clark is the new Missouri Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) Coordinator with DMH, and she serves as the representative for the Missouri Mental Health Authority. Clark manages the level II process for patients seeking nursing facility placement. She has more than 14 years of health care experience across various settings and roles, including both medical and mental health care. Clark's journey in the health care field began in high school where she worked as a medical technician in a nursing facility.  In the course of procuring her bachelor’s degree of science in human services from Evangel University, Clark diversified her experience as a nurse assistant in cardiology at Mercy Hospital of Springfield, Mo., with administrative duties in the respiratory therapy department, and also served in-home health care part-time. After college, Clark transitioned into mental health, working as a community support specialist for individuals with substance use disorders and severe mental illnesses. During her time with the state of Missouri, Clark provided both case management and behavioral health services for individuals with developmental disabilities, assisted agencies in building more sustainable systems, and instructed on positive behavior supports. Her latest position was program monitoring and certification for Missouri’s behavioral health facilities while serving as the expert on aging for the Behavioral Health Division. Clark is a dedicated professional who strives on improving mental health services in Missouri.

Ammanda Ott, COMRU/Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, currently supervises the Central Office Medical Review Unit. She has been in this position for approximately 11 years. She coordinates the state regulation process for the level of care. Ott has worked in the past as a surveyor for DHSS Intermediate Care Facility for Clients with Intellectual Disabilities and as a registered nurse at Capital Region Medical Center on the PCU unit. She graduated from Lincoln University with an associate's degree in nursing in 2001.

This educational activity is provided by MHA Health Institute.