Annually, 6.6 million people are stalked in the United States. The majority of victims/survivors report that technology was used to stalk them. In the Stalking and Technology workshop at the 2013 Annual Conference, Detective-Sergeant Valerie O’Brien from the Michigan State University Police Department and I will be presenting on technology that stalkers use, safety planning, area resources, Michigan laws, and law enforcement resources. 

Stalking, like sexual assault and domestic violence, is a widely misunderstood crime. Victims/survivors are often confused about what is happening. They may not know how the stalker is finding out information about them, that what they are experiencing is a crime, their options, or where to go for help.

Due to social workers’ unique roles in clients’ lives, we should all be informed about the dynamics of this insidious crime. The average stalking case lasts approximately two years. Victims often report feeling fear of not knowing what will happen next and that the stalking will never end. The prevalence of anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression is much higher among stalking victims than the general population.

This workshop is especially relevant for professionals working in the field of interpersonal violence (IPV): 66% of female victims and 41% of male victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner. Anyone working with children, youth and families should also attend. Approximately 1 in 5 female victims and 1 in 14 male victims experienced stalking between the ages of 11 and 17.

We hope you can join us in April.

Erica Schmittdiel, LLMSW, is the MSU Safe Place/CARE Advocacy Coordinator, a member of the NASW-MI Legislative Social Policy Committee, and the secretary of the NASW-MI Physical and Sexual Violence and Women’s Issues Special Interest Group.

Sources:

http://www.victimsofcrime.org/docs/src/stalking-fact-sheet_english.pdf?sfvrsn=4

http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center/help-for-victims/stalking-safety-planning

The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Summary Report

Jan 10th, 2013
NASW CEO Betsy Clark, and other mental health and disability rights advocates, met at the White House on Wednesday to provide input for Vice President Biden’s Task Force on Gun Control and Violence. The meeting was led by Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius, and included Attorney General Eric Holder, Pam Hyde from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and David Esquith from the Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the Department of Education.

In addition to NASW, advocates included the leaders of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the Child Mind Institute,  the National Council for Behavioral Health, County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and Mental Health America. Tim Shriver, the CEO of the Special Olympics,  and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy (RI) also were present.

Issues emphasized included the need for mental health parity, increased wrap-around services for persons with mental health issues living in the community, and additional school social workers and school counselors. Concern was expressed about the tendency to link mental illness and violence and about the further stimatizing of persons who have a psychiatric diagnosis. A particular issue was the suggestion previously made by some officials about establishing a registry or database of people who have a mental illness. NASW expressed the need for confidentiality, privacy rights, and the discrimination that would follow if such a registry developed. 

Attorney General Holder declared that the meeting had been “eye-opening” for him and noted that this was only the first of what would be a series of meetings and conversations with the mental health community. Their goal is to put together a packet of initiatives and action items for President Obama by the end of January.

One suggestion from the group was for President Obama to have a national conversation with America about mental health issues and, by using his position and becoming a champion, to help dispell the stigma and myths surrounding mental illness. Another approach centered on safety in our schools.  It was suggested that students themselves be engaged as advocates and advisors, that they be asked what can and should be done. Fully enacting mental health parity in the Affordable Care Act was a joint suggestion from all the groups present.

NASW had previously written to President Obama regarding the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

Violence Against Women Act Reintroduced January 30, 2013

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was enacted in 1994, was the first major federal law to help government agencies and victim advocates work together to fight violent acts against women. It has proven highly effective at addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA was not reauthorized at the end of the 112th Congress and was recently reintroduced.


VAWA created the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) with the Department of Justice. OVW issues grants to help communities across America develop innovative strategies to address violence against women. Grants issued by OVW resulted in nearly 470,000 victims and survivors being seen by OVW grantees between July 2007 and July 2009. Nearly 570,000 professionals across the country were trained with grant funds. The services provided to these victims included victim advocacy, crisis intervention, court accompaniment, and counseling. Additionally, over 60,000 children were served in some capacity under VAWA over the same two year period.


VAWA provides clear and proven benefits to women, families, and other victims throughout the United States, but the work is not done. Only your support can ensure that women everywhere receive the protection and services needed to keep themselves and their families safe. We urge you to support reauthorization of VAWA today. Social workers have worked tirelessly to advocate for an expanded more inclusive reauthorization of VAWA, which includes protections for students on campus, immigrant victims, Native women and LGBT communities.


Send a letter to your Representative and Senators today!

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Join the NASW Advocacy Network Listserv By joining the advocacy network listserv, you will receive periodic updates and action alerts, geared specifically to the areas in which you indicate an interest, via e-mail from NASW’s government relations staff.

To join NASW’s advocacy network listserv, please click here.

Send a Letter to Your Member of Congress

NASW’s CapWiz system assists you in preparing and sending e-mails or letters on key federal issues to your Members of Congress.

To proceed directly to CapWiz, please click here.

As Social Workers, our efforts flourish with a broad cultural understanding and representation of the people we serve. This means leadership should be organized with a good reflection base of our membership here in Michigan.  Our work and evolution depends on input from a balanced leadership group which must reflect you-and the rest of our membership; whether that balance need be more diversity -racially or ethnically- or whether the need be more comprehensive of our membership by a better reflection of gender, sexual orientation, and even greater mixture in leadership with our social work student distribution.

Balance in leadership allows our Chapter to serve areas of concern unique to our State and its eleven regions.  A diverse leadership allows us, as social workers to reinforce our commitment toward understanding and responding to individual and family needs across cultures and throughout life spans. As your professional association president, I am asking you and all potential leaders you know to please step forward!

Also, particularly within our Chapter we are reaching out for a couple of dominate areas of target; a broader ethnicity and racial representation and the inclusion of more male social workers for our leadership roles.

Please make a leadership recommendation- as soon as possible-of either yourself or someone you know of who has an interest in any of the following open positions on NASW-Michigan’s Board.

Officers:

Vice President of Standards and Services

Secretary

President Elect

Board of Directors

Regional 3 Representative (must be from Region 3)

Regional 7 Representative  (must be from Region 7)

Regional 8 Representative  (must be from Region 8)

BSW Student Representative

MSW Student Representative

Committee for Nomination and Leadership Identification

CCNLI Region 4-5 (must be from one of these regions)

CCNLI Region 6-7 (must be from one of these regions)

Thank you ahead of time. Contact me at jellliot@gmail.com for more information!

-Janice Elliot, President

NASW-Michigan

Felony for Driving While Taking Antidepressants?

Much of the recently passed legislation in Michigan was quite alarming. I had a hard time keeping up with what was going on and was frequently appalled at the process itself.  One bill that slipped under most radars was SB 353, now known as Public Act 543. This is an amendment to an earlier law that had set penalties for drunk driving and driving under the influence of controlled substances.

The concern that it attempts to address is the need for restrictions on driving while intoxicated by inhalants and taking more than the prescribed amounts of medications. Although I applaud this effort, I can only condemn the additional overreach of the law to control most everybody else. When I say most everybody, I am not exaggerating. The new law adds new language to the previous law by adding “Intoxicating substances.” To quote the new law, “Intoxicating substance would mean any substance, other than alcohol or a controlled substance, that is recognized as a drug in the official United States Pharmacopeia, official homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States, or official national Formulary, or any supplement to any of them.”

 Well if we can't drive while taking legally prescribed medications from the entire Pharmacopeia, regardless of their effect on driving a motor vehicle, what are we supposed to do?

Not only is it now illegal, but it is a felony under the new law, punishable as if the same as drunk driving. One of the biggest concerns besides personal freedom was regarding those who take medications for mental health. Hasn't this law now become a deterrent for taking prescribed medication? At a time when we are in need of better health services the last thing we need is a deterrent to seeking better health. This legislation is already the law of the land. Warn your friends warn your neighbors. Our only hope now is for enough people to urge their state legislators to amend this section of the new law or for someone to take this up with the courts.

Allan Wachendorfer, BSW Candidate – Eastern Michigan University

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/publicact/pdf/2012-PA-0543.pdf

NASW Michigan, in collaboration with Eco Cuba is planning to organize a professional research trip to Cuba for Michigan social workers for this coming fall 2013 (approximate dates Oct 11-20).

Participants will have the rare opportunity of visiting Cuba, a country that despite 50 years of a US imposed international embargo and third world economic status has made a major commitment to the health and welfare of its people and can boast some of the healthiest citizens on the planet. With a health system that is holistic and community based, and focuses on prevention and early intervention, Cubans have healthcare as a right, education that is free through college and beyond, and a human service system that engages community and mutual support, in keeping with the communitarian values of their country.

Trip participants will have the opportunity to meet with policy makers and social workers, observe service settings and dialogue with colleagues in these settings. We will visit services for the young and for the old, for families and for individuals, community based services and institutional services, urban and rural settings. Exact locations will be developed with Eco Cuba once we establish who our trip participants are and what their particular interests are. Eco Cuba will provide excellent language and cultural translation services and an air conditioned tour van to transport us throughout the trip. The estimated cost of the trip is $3000 plus roundtrip airfare to Miami. A stay and a comfortable hotel and most meals are included in this, but there are some out of pocket costs in Cuba including some meals, bottled water, and some cultural events (some are included).  We estimate this will be about $400-500 but could be less). Since this is a research trip, all of the cost is tax deductible and we are calculating that participants will be able to receive about 40 social work CEs for their involvement.

At this time we are seeking information about how many of you may be interested in participating in this trip so we know that we should move ahead with planning. We will pursue the trip with as few as 10 participants and will take a maximum of 20 people. Marjorie Ziefert, LMSW will be coordinating the trip for NASW. She has been to Cuba twice and is currently on sabbatical from Eastern Michigan University doing research on Cuba’s human service system.

Please email dbreijak@nasw-michigan.org if you would like to remain updated on this trip.

Thank you.

Snyder Vetoes BCBSM Bills

Senate Bills 1293 and 1294, both sponsored by Senator Joe Hun (R-Hamburg) were vetoed by the Governor.    SB 1294 would have amended the Nonprofit Health Care Corporation Reform Act to allow Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to ‘establish, own, operate, and merge with a nonprofit mutual disability insurer, under certain conditions.’  SB 1293 would have amended the Michigan Insurance Code to allow the formation of a nonprofit, domestic mutual insurer, allow BCBS to merge with that mutual insurer, and required them to continue to be a nonprofit, offering health insurance to the individual and small group health markets.

Prior to the veto, several changes had been made to the bill package, the biggest being a complete ban on most favored nation clauses starting in 2014 and a raised total of $120 million to subsidize Medigap coverage.  Abortion coverage would have been an opt-in option instead of an opt-out option, and BCBSM would have still been required to donate $1.5 billion over 18 months starting in April 2014 to the new Michigan Health and Wellness Foundation to replace BCBSM as a non-profit.  The bill also would have required a financial review of BCBSM but not a full audit.

Abortion Clinic Limitations Passes, Conscientious Objector Bill Dies

The Governor signed House Bill 5711, now Public Act 499, which places stricter regulations on health clinics that perform abortions (by limiting the procedure to only those clinics designated as surgical centers), and makes the procedure less accessible to women.  The version that passed was ‘negotiated’, with Governor Snyder seeking and getting changes to the bill before it was taken up by the Senate.   

Conscientious Objector Bill Dies  

Another bill regulating abortions and whom a professional choose to treat did not come out of Lame Duck:   Senate Bill 975, “The Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection Act”, would have made it ok for medical providers to refuse care to individuals if they opposed certain things based on moral grounds.  The bill died in the House.

Also Signed:

House Bill 4555 and Senate Bill 24, now Public Acts 540 and 541, respectively.  The bills will extend the juvenile competency age to put new provisions in both the Mental Health Code and the

Probate Code regarding the manner in which a juvenile's competency to stand trial for the commission of a crime is determined.

House Bills 4862 and 4863, now Public Act 500, will alter the relationship between the Substance Abuse Coordinating Agencies (CAs) and the Community Mental Health Services Programs (CMHSPs) in Michigan.  PA 500 will effectively put the CAs under the control of the CMHSPs.  It is not expected to have an effect on social workers employed in either kind of entity.  

Senate Bill 1232 (Sen. Emmons, R-Sheridan), now Public Act 565, will create the Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act in the Michigan Probate Code

Michigan Now a Right to Work State

In one of the more dramatic and controversial lame duck sessions, the Michigan legislature, much to the displeasure to Democrats, rushed through and passed three RTW bills.   Despite Governor Snyder’s statements during the first two years of his administration that RTW was too divisive for him to tackle, a press conference took place on Thursday morning with the Governor, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, and Speaker Jase Bolger giving their intentions to make Michigan a RTW state.

The Senate and House used three bills which had previously been introduced as ‘Right to Work Zone’ bills and inserted RTW legislation.  By the end of the day, both chambers had done what they had to according to the rules, in order to make final passage of the three bills on the following Tuesday inevitable.  And that inevitable final passage of the RTW bills brought the largest protest Lansing had seen in recent memory with more than 12,500 protestors present and 400 State Troopers on duty at the Capitol Building and around Lansing. 

The Senate and House passed, amid audible chants of protest from the gallery and outside the chambers, Senate Bill 116, House Bill 4003, and House Bill 4054.  The bills make it so that individuals within bargaining units who chose not to be union members, in both the public and private sector, do not have to pay the union previously required service fees for representation services rendered by that union.  Unions are still legally required to represent collective bargaining units in matters such as wage negotiations and grievances for members and nonmembers alike.

Additionally, each of the three Right to Work bills had a $1 million appropriation added to be used for ‘implementation of the amendments’.  Due to those appropriations, the bills are immune to a referendum at the ballot to repeal the public acts.  Governor Snyder signed the bills quickly after they were presented to him.  They will go into effect 90 days after the 2013 legislative session begins in January.

P.P.T. Reforms Set in Motion

On the last day of lame duck, the legislature passed massive personal property tax reforms.  A package of twelve bills would phase out the personal property tax on businesses, and outlines a complex reimbursement plan for the local units of government who would lose revenue from the phasing out.  The legislature ultimately passed the initially proposed plan, set forth by Lt. Governor Brian Calley, after an alternative plan was proposed which would not have reimbursed the local government units at all.  Essentially, Calley’s plan allows for local governments to reimburse enough revenue for police and fire up to 100%, but all other services at 80%.  The cities, counties, libraries, and townships were lobbying for a 100% replacement on everything. 

The passage of one of the bills in particular, HB 6026, was very close, with several Republicans crossing over to join the Democrats in casting a no vote.  Representatives Mike Callton (R-Nashville), Cindy Denby (R-Handy Twp.), Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuck), Joel Johnson (R-Clare), Matt Lori (R-Constantine), Greg MacMaster (R-Kewadin), Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan), and Sharon Tyler (R-Niles) all voted no on the bill that outlines how the use tax will be implemented in order to help reimburse the local governments.

This use tax portion of the bill package requires a vote of the people, which could take place as soon as 2014.  Additionally, due to the amendments that were passed with this package of bills, if the public does not approve of the use tax portion, none of the PPT reform plan will be implemented. 

School Reform Bills Also Die in Lame Duck

Senate Bill 620, the “parent trigger” bill did not make it out of the Lame Duck session.  The bill would have given teachers and parents the authority to turn their school into a charter school.  To qualify, a school would have had to be in the bottom 5 percent of Michigan’s schools.  Additionally, a petition, with signatures of either 60 percent of parents and legal guardians or signatures of 51 percent of parents and legal guardians and 60 percent of teachers, would have been required in order to reform the school.

House Bill 5776 did not make it out of House Education Committee.   The bill, sponsored by Representative Maureen Stapleton (D-Detroit), would have required that school officials obtain written permission from parents in order for their children to be placed in the classroom of a teacher rated ‘ineffective’. 

SB 353

Yet one more bill to pass in the last-minute rush of Lame Duck is SB 353, a bill that appears to criminalize driving under the influence of “intoxicating substances.”  However, the laundry list of “intoxicating substances” includes anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, seizure medication, and the like.

The intent, according to the Michigan State Police, is not to start pulling-over every driver to screen for these “intoxicating substances,” but instead to go after people using those drugs illicitly; not one pill, but all the pills.  Not one dose of Nyquil; the entire bottle, and thus their driving is clearly affected.  However, the unintended consequences appear to be to potentially criminalize people safely taking appropriate doses of legal prescriptions. 

Language has been suggested that may fix the problem that SB 353 exacerbates:

It is an affirmative defense to a violation of this section that the intoxicating substance was a drug legally prescribed to the individual and all of the following apply:

1)      The individual was not exceeding the dosage as prescribed by the physician

2)      The prescribing physician or pharmacist had not directed the person, in verbal or written material,  to refrain from operating a motor vehicle

3)      If there is evidence of consumption of alcohol, the prescribing physician or pharmacist had not directed the person, in verbal or written material, to refrain from consuming alcohol while taking the drug

State of the State and Other Notes

The legislature has commenced with session, starting January 9.  That is the constitutionally-mandated beginning of session (the second Tuesday of January), but all the legislature did was elect leadership (Jase Bolger, R – Marshall, was again elected Speaker). 

On Wednesday, January 16, Governor Snyder gave his 3rd State of the State address.  A copy of the notes from his speech are attached.  Of note: 

• Blue Cross Blue Shield reform is at the top of the Governor’s Agenda; SB 61 and 62 have just been introduced (Senator Joe Hune, R – Hamburg Twp) and are on a fast-track
• Education reform – namely the expansion of Detroit’s existing education authority into a statewide Education Achievement Authority, is also a huge priority; the legislation last year, though, was problematic enough that the legislature let the bills expire without a vote in December;
• In April, the Governor will hold an education summit; it will explore school safety and early detection of mental health issues.  The Governor called for more mental health workers in schools.

Capitol Services, Inc.

Region 1 NASW Members,

  Please join social workers from around the UP and meet your Region 1 Representative Shelley Ovink at for the first "brown bag" lunch meeting of 2013! The program will include a discussion on 'Building Better Lives: The National Alliance on Mental Illness' with speaker Louise Wilcox, BSN from Pathways CMH. Earn 1 CE for FREE!

When: Monday, January 28, 2013

Noon-1

Where: Catholic Social Services

Corner of Fifth and Fisher/Rock

Marquette, MI 49855

(Enter the far left door off the parking lot)


Contact Region Representative Shelley Ovink at dvip-mqt@hotmail.com to RSVP

NASW-Michigan is an approved provider with the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative, Provider Number MICEC-0017.

This program is approved for 1.0 social work continuing education clock hour.  CE is free to NASW members.   CE available for $10 to non-members

Also, please note that March is Social Work Month and 2013’s theme is “Weaving Threads of Resilience and Advocacy: The Power of Social Work.” The Chapter invites you to share a quote about resilience or advocacy and how it has inspired your practice. Submit your quote of no more than 75 words with a clear photo of yourself to dbreijak@nasw-michigan.org by February 1, 2013. The stories and photos will be featured in the March issue of The Bridge.

 Find NASW-MI on Facebook & Linkedin today!

Please see the Region I page for more details.

Tired of the same old T-shirt designs?

We need YOUR help to design the T-shirt for LEAD day!

The theme for this year is LEADing for a Lifetime – have fun with it!

See your design on social workers around Michigan!

To enter, please send your design to nasw-michigan@nasw-michigan.org

Chosen design will win a great prize from NASW - Michigan Chapter!

Effective January 2013, clinical social workers have begun using new and revised psychotherapy codes when providing psychotherapy services to patients. For the first time since 1998, the family of psychotherapy codes has gone through a major revision process. NASW provided national social work leadership in the development and approval processes for the new and revised psychotherapy codes through the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel. In addition to working with CPT panel, NASW also worked collaboratively with the American Psychiatric Association, Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Nurses Association, and American Psychological Association. More information about the new changes can be found here.

However, there appears to be a glich in the billing system and NASW-Michigan has been advised that CPT codes 90834 and 90837 are currently being rejected as not payable to LMSWs by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Please see the below repsonse and know that the error is being corrected:

BCBSM is already aware of this problem.  I received the below response from Medical Affairs:

Medical Affairs has determined that in accordance with the 2013 Code Update Benefit Chance Request# 209BLHX01 Clinical Licensed Master Social Worker is a payable provider for both procedure codes 90834 and 90837.  CPT code 90806 was replaced with two codes. 1) 90834 if you do under 53 minutes of individual psychotherapy, and 2) 90837 if you provide over 53 minutes of individual psychotherapy. Benefit Explainer is in the process of completing this update request.  Please allow additional time for the implementation of the BCR to be completed.  

Once system is updated, claims will process through for payment of benefits.

NASW-Michigan would like to thank Mary Beth Houpt at Mid Michigan Medical Management for her help in clarifying the situation. NASW is offering a FREE 1CE Lunchtime series event tomorrow, January 11 around the psychotherapy code changes. Click here for registration or more details.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Additionally, get your questions answered at:
An Hour on Psychotherapy Codes
Question-and-Answer Sessions for Clinical Social Workers
Exclusively for NASW members, NASW will host free question-and-answer sessions on the new psychotherapy codes to assist clinical social workers in using the codes effectively in their private practices. The sessions are limited to the first 100 callers on the day of the event. These sessions will be held every Wednesday beginning January 23, 2013 and ending April 24, 2013. Each call will last one hour, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET. To join a session, use the following information:
MEETING TITLE: Psychotherapy Codes
TELECONFERENCE LINE: 866-454-4206
PARTICIPANT PASSCODE: 488595
CPT SESSION DATES:
January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13, February 20, February 27, March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27, April 3, April 10, April 17, April 24