Four advocacy groups’ leaders wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor on February 11. Delbert Hosemann, Speaker Philip Gunn asked them to form a “stakeholder panel” to advise DMH about how it spends the American Rescue Plan Act money. They also requested that they monitor the results. The committee would include service recipients, their families, and care providers. They could also include law enforcement officers and community health centers. Leaders of Mississippi Psychiatric Association, Families As Allies and Disability Rights Mississippi stated that this inclusive and holistic approach would improve the chances of people with mental illness and their family members. DMH would receive the federal money. It employs more people than any state agency and works to expand community-based mental healthcare services. The Justice Department sued DMH in 2016 for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. It forced people with mental illnesses to seek treatment in “segregated” state hospitals, far away from their families and loved ones. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled in 2019 that DMH had violated Mississippians’ rights to severe mental illness. Reeves ordered last year the appointment of an independent monitor who would verify DMH’s data as well as evaluate its progress in community-based services. The state appealed to the 5th Circuit, but it is resisting this order. DMH Director Wendy Bailey presented her proposal to the ARPA subcommittee on December. She proposed that funds be used to build 60 crisis stabilization units, divert people from state hospital, train first responders to mental health first aid, establish the 988 suicide prevention line, and address the agency’s staffing shortage. Families As Allies is a nonprofit that advocates for families and children with behavioral health issues. Joy Hogge is the leader of Families As Allies. Hogge stated that the ARPA money could be a significant help for Mississippians who are seeking mental health services, if used wisely. She said that adding services that aren’t able to last a short time would be a mistake. It is also important to track outcomes. She said, “Ten years later, we could look back and say, ‘Yes. Things did get better. More people are receiving services, there are many providers, we are growing this.'” “As opposed just — here are some services that might disappear in a few years, and we don’t know if they actually helped,” she said. Adam Moore, DMH’s communications director, stated that the agency receives feedback from service recipients and other stakeholders via a statewide survey, meetings with advisory councils, and meetings that include family advocacy organizations. Bailey was also copied in the advocates’ letter. In a statement to Mississippi Today, he stated that DMH had not responded directly to the letter because it wasn’t addressed to the agency. However, he indicated that he was willing to share as much information as necessary regarding his ARPA funds proposal. “If the agency is granted the funds, DMH shall also keep track of outcomes and report publicly on the results. Senate Bill 2865 would allow the Department broad discretion to spend approximately $86 million. The Community Mental Health Centers will receive an additional $18.5 million. As part of the bill, the department must consult at least one outsider when deciding how to spend money on community mental health centers. This is Bill Rosamond, the coordinator for mental health accessibility. Rosamond was created by the legislature in 2020. Mississippi is moving away from institutionalizing people. The state’s 13 Community Mental Health Centers play an increasingly important role: They operate mobile crisis response teams as well as intensive services for those with severe mental illnesses. To expand their work, the department is shifting funding. Bailey stated that she will continue to follow the court’s orders, despite the appeal by the state. She stated in September that she will do “most anything and everything” to divert state hospitals from providing services to the community. The state claims that community-based services exist and that Reeves has subjected it to “perpetual Federal oversight.” However, Hogge and other advocates argue that it is too early to conclude that the system works. Reeves named Dr. Michael Hogan a “special master”, an official who gathers information for a court’s decision-making. Hogan had unsuccessfully tried to help DMH or the Department of Justice come to an agreement on a plan for remedial action. He reported to the court in June 2021 that Mississippi had made significant improvements in the past few years. This included reducing the length of stay at state hospitals. He concluded that there isn’t a complete picture of community service provision. He wrote that data on community service performance was not sufficient to evaluate performance nor to permit the Court to decide if the ADA requirements are being met. “The actual availability of the services in place has not been verified. It is unclear if Mississippians have access to the services they need. Polly Tribble is the executive director at Disability Rights Mississippi. She was charged by Congress to advocate for persons with disabilities in Mississippi. Tribble said that she hopes ARPA funds will help to accelerate the growth and development of community-based services. She stated that she doesn’t want the money to be used for facilities. “We want it go into services that really help people in the community.” The advocates also requested DMH to create a stakeholder group and use the money to strengthen the infrastructure of the system, not provide temporary services. The advocates also request that DMH report the outcomes to the legislature as well as the stakeholder group. In a letter to advocates, they ask that the proposed stakeholder committee collaborate with Rosamond and Hogan in order to plan ARPA spending. The House Appropriations Committee is currently working on SB 2865. Advocates hope that the letter will lead to amendments in the appropriations bill, before it is adopted. Hogge stated that there had been no substantive discussions about the implementation of the suggestions in the letter as of Thursday. She stated that she always believes that everything is possible and that optimism is key to success. “But based on the things I’ve seen, it’s not clear that I believe this is what will happen. It is my hope, and it would be the right thing to.