NAMI Texas Vote4mentalhealth State House Candidates General Election Questionnaire - All State House Districts
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NAMI Texas Vote4MentalHealth State House Candidates General Election Questionnaire - All State House Districts The candidates were asked the following open-ended questions: 1. Texas is experiencing a shortage of mental health and addiction care providers, especially in rural and underserved areas. How will you make sure more people have access to mental health treatment and services? 2. State and federal law requires mental health parity, or the During February 2020 and September-October 2020, NAMI equal treatment of mental health conditions and substance Texas’ Public Policy Team and our volunteers sent out a six- use disorders, compared to physical health conditions, in question mental health policy questionnaire via Google Forms to insurance plans. However, individuals in Texas still often every individual running for a state legislative seat in a contested receive unequal coverage for mental health treatment and race. Candidates were also provided information on NAMI Texas’ services. What will you do to improve coverage for public policy platform. We are only sharing the results for mental health care? candidates who are in a contested race. If we have not received a 3. At least 30% of individuals in local Texas jails have a completed questionnaire from a candidate, we will indicate that we severe mental illness, and more than half of justice- have not received a response yet. Reminders were sent on a weekly involved individuals nationwide have at least one mental basis to candidates who had not yet responded to the health condition. What will you do to divert people with questionnaire. mental illness from the criminal justice system? 4. Almost a quarter of individuals experiencing NAMI Texas is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) non-profit homelessness have a severe mental illness, and mental organization. We DO NOT endorse any candidates, or rank or alter illness has been identified as the third leading cause of their answers in any way. We provide this information to educate homelessness nationwide. How will you help people with you on where candidates in your district stand on key mental mental illness who are struggling with housing? health issues and let you use this information to inform your vote 5. Half of mental health conditions begin by the age of 14 on November 3rd. A candidate’s inclusion of answers here does not and 75% begin by the age of 24, but these issues often go indicate a preference or endorsement by NAMI Texas. Inclusion in undetected and untreated until they reach a crisis point. this guide does not indicate that NAMI Texas endorses any How will you promote earlier intervention for people candidate's positions provided in the questionnaire. We encourage experiencing mental illness? NAMI members and mental health advocates to continue asking 6. Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country, and important questions of legislative and local candidates and has faced serious challenges in ensuring individuals in #Vote4MentalHealth! underserved areas have access to health care. What will you do to improve access to health care and reduce our More information on the #Vote4MentalHealth campaign can be high uninsured rate? found at namitexas.org/vote4mentalhealth-texas. NAMI Texas Vote4MentalHealth State House Candidates General Election Questionnaire - All State House Districts House District 2 House District 4 Bryan Slaton (R) Keith Bell (R, Incumbent) Bryan Slaton has not responded to the questionnaire yet. Keith Bell has not responded to the questionnaire yet. Bill Brannon (D) K. Nicole Sprabary (L) 1. System Capacity: Expand Medicaid. Better integrate mental K. Nicole Sprabary has not responded to the questionnaire yet. health professionals and training and into the school system. Put mental health on an equal insurance footing. House District 5 2.. Mental Health Coverage/Parity: Require the Attorney Cole Hefner (R, Incumbent) General to enforce the law as a requirement for licensing. Cole Hefner has not responded to the questionnaire yet. 3. Criminal Justice: Be sure counties have the diagnostic support they need to properly identify problems and better finance LaWyanda Prince (D) appropriate treatment programs. LaWyanda Prince has not responded to the questionnaire yet. 4. Housing: Homelessness in general needs to be addressed. Public support for private organizations that are working on the House District 6 issue should be encouraged along with potential subsidies for partial rents. Job training should also be available. Matt Schaefer (R, Incumbent) 5. Early Intervention: Again better integrate mental health Matt Schaefer has not responded to the questionnaire yet. professionals into the school system and improve mental health education for parents and teachers. Julie Gobble (D) 6. Access to Health Care: First, expand Medicaid under the ACA. Julie Gobble has not responded to the questionnaire yet. Consider financial and/or tuition inducements for doctors that agree to practice in underserved areas. House District 8 Cody Harris (R, Incumbent) House District 3 Cody Harris has not responded to the questionnaire yet. Cecil Bell (R, Incumbent) Cecil Bell has not responded to the questionnaire yet. R. Edwin Adams (L) R. Edwin Adam’s contact information could not be located. Martin Shupp (D) Martin Shupp has not responded to the questionnaire yet. House District 10 Jake Ellzey (R) Jake Ellzey has not responded to the questionnaire yet. NAMI Texas Vote4MentalHealth State House Candidates General Election Questionnaire - All State House Districts Matt Savino (L) treatment. Although this modality requires internet access, rural 1. System Capacity: I don't have a solution or remedy of my own health clinics could be used for site access. We should work with but I'm open to hear any ideas there are. providers to not only increase reimbursements for mental health 2. Mental Health Coverage/Parity: No response. services and substance abuse, but to offer incentives for those 3. Criminal Justice: We need a recovery program. Rehabilitate willing to have offices in the underserved communities. These people in jails and prisons not just hold them. Other countries and incentives could include office space or modifiers to existing even areas in the US have done this with great success. billing codes for greater reimbursements. 4. Housing: Stop limiting and putting restriction on agencies, 2. Mental Health Coverage/Parity: Most people agree that private programs and organizations that the government thinks it mental health treatment is important and should be accessible. needs to get involved in. More can be done if government is not However different insurance policies not only offer different levels obstructing it. of coverage, but many have a separate deductible or high copays. 5. Early Intervention: It is not the job of government to get Mental health care must be accessible and affordable. We should involved and I will do whatever I can to get government out of the work across the aisle and with both state supported programs and way. private insurance to increase the access to affordable quality care. 6. Access to Health Care: Cut the red tape of government getting Mental health care for our children and youth should be mandatory in the way and let the free market handle medical needs. and should cover 100% without copays or coinsurance. The State Legislature is already working with the public schools to improve House District 11 trauma focused interventions. These interventions will only be Travis Clardy (R, Incumbent) successful if the children who are referred to services can find a Travis Clardy has not responded to the questionnaire yet. provider and afford to pay. 3. Criminal Justice: There are very few resources available for Alec Johnson (D) chronic mentally ill persons and for persons who find themselves Alec Johnson has not responded to the questionnaire yet. in the justice system for any reason. I think we have to have multiple responses House District 14 In my County, the Sheriff’s Office formed a Crisis Intervention John Raney (R, Incumbent) Team that intervenes in situations involving someone challenged John Raney has not responded to the questionnaire yet. with mental health to prevent the situation from escalating into a crisis and incarceration or worse. We should duplicate this best Janet Dudding (D) practice in our public safety communities. 1. System Capacity: It is heartbreaking to know that when people reach out for help, barriers to treatment may include a lack of We need to ensure that school related behaviors due to mental providers. Evidence based practice indicates that telehealth or health concerns do not result in detention and probation. Students online access to providers could be as effective as face to face NAMI Texas Vote4MentalHealth State House Candidates General Election Questionnaire - All State House Districts with mental health issues are often unable to be successful in 6. Access to Health Care: We should expand Medicaid. I am detention or on probation and end up with extensive criminal often baffled at why Texas chooses to have uninsured persons, histories due to probation violations. Once a student with an when the federal funds are there for us to expand coverage to many emotional disturbance has a criminal record and involvement with people. Expanding Medicaid will benefit our rural hospitals and the police, it is much harder to keep them out of detention. I think may keep their doors open. We should also look at funding for the the legislature is working to increase school safety while rural healthcare centers. People must be able to access routine and modifying the role of the school resource office to only be preventative care in order to decrease the acute illnesses and use of involved when criminal behavior occurs. (SB (State Bill) 1707). the Emergency room for care that could have been managed earlier 4. Housing: It is nearly impossible to address chronic mental and with less cost. illness when you are without safe, affordable housing.