Gunn stated, “So we want as much money to go into the classroom as possible.” “You also have services that support the child but are not directly educational, such as buses, principals, and buildings. But when we think about the classroom, that’s where we believe the action is.” Currier then turned to Dr. Mary Currier who was the state health officer and asked her what the “classroom” in the Department of Health would look like. Currier replied, “That’s a great question.” Currier said, “And as (I learn more about) the health department, [the focus] has been the community we live in.” She went on, explaining the steps taken by the department towards prevention and services like the mobile health units, which offer access to care beyond community health clinics. She stressed the importance of the department “getting out” to communities and stated that the department had applied for grants to address this. Currier stated, “So I believe our classroom is the entire community.” Gunn sighed. Gunn sighed. The concept of a “classroom” in a department was brought up several times during the three sessions. This was as lawmakers attempted to identify the most important and efficient services within each agency. The Legislature’s leadership announced the formation of the working groups earlier in the summer. They will be looking at the state’s tax code and how it distributes funds to 13 state agencies. Tuesday’s sessions included five agencies: the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services. The Division of Family and Child Services, Department of Mental Health and Medicaid were also covered. Gunn gave the “classroom” question to Jacob Black and Garrig Schields, lawyers for the Department of Human Services. Black spoke about the department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and how they are working with community college to help people in this program transition into higher-paying jobs. Black stated that they are committed to helping those who want to achieve self-sufficiency. Black said that he broke with several departments that had publicly complained about budget cuts and that the Department of Human Services was happy with the $60 million allocated to them for fiscal 2017. Gunn stated, “Well, I think you’re doing an excellent job with the money that you received from the Legislature. You’re going out and doing your best, and we really appreciate that.” Kristi Plotner, the Division of Family and Child Services’s spokesperson, answered questions on how her department would deal with changes in the foster care system following the Olivia Y lawsuit. The 2004 lawsuit alleged that Mississippi’s foster system wasn’t adequately protecting children. In 2008, a federal judge Tom Stewart Lee issued an order directing the state to create a Division of Family and Child Services. The Legislature provided $34.4 million for the creation of 260 positions to help reduce the caseloads of social workers. Plotner stated that “our classroom for child protective services is focused upon the families of children whom we have a duty of protecting, so all that we do is crucial to that mission of being in a position to support and protect those kids.” They are also filling the 260 positions. In an effort to “change culture”, which she claimed had contributed to some agency problems, they are replacing some of the older social workers. The majority of the legislators, who voted for Senate Bill 2179 to create the agency, were supportive. Lt. Gov. said, “I don’t think anyone will argue that what’s happened to our children across this state is any other than completely and completely unacceptable.” Tate Reeves. “Failure is not an option. This case, I believe it was not resources that caused this. It was a culture that resulted in very, very poor decisions. I hope and pray that the recent legislative session has been successful and that all requests have been fulfilled. “These are real children, and this is something we are very, very much, very focused upon.” Though the possibility of another lawsuit hovered over the session about the Department of Mental Health in the last session, legislators and agency heads fought over how to deal with it. The Department of Justice sued Mississippi two weeks ago alleging it had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, and failed to provide community-based services for mentally ill adults. Gunn inquired why the Department of Justice had filed the lawsuit, when the Legislature had provided $16.1 million to the Department of Mental Health over the past three years. Gunn asked, “Do you believe we’ve done the right thing?” “Yes sir, I do. It was because we didn’t do the job fast enough,” stated Diana Mikula (executive director of Department of Mental Health). Mikula was a vocal critic of the state budget cuts. She publicly discussed how the Department of Mental Health had to close its entire male chemical dependency program due to lack of funds, something Reeves pointed out. Your communications department is doing an excellent job. Reeves stated that while I would suggest a raise, I believe they already have it. Salaries were also a point of contention. Reeves pointed out that salaries for employees who have been with the department for over four years increased by $11.4million in the last four years. Mikula claimed that this is due to the low overall salaries. Her department had one of the highest turnover rates within the state, she said. The highest turnover rate is 48% for direct care workers who start at $16,000. Employees who stay are often promoted to fill in the gaps, which, she explained, gives employees a boost without impacting the bottom line. Mikula stated that there are “career ladders” which allow employees to meet their education and experience requirements. If they have the budget, they will want to keep staff. Reeves stated, “So you encourage their increase in pay?” So you are arbitrarily increasing your operating costs. That’s fine. However, if the Legislature continues appropriating significantly more money,… we find ourself where we are today.” Mikula said that it is impossible to retain staff at their salaries and that high turnover ultimately costs the state more money. Mikula stated that this is an issue we have addressed with the state Legislature. “We pay $16,000 per year (workers) to help the most vulnerable citizens in the state. The DMH tries to grow its own. The working group was concerned about the cost of managing the Medicaid program now and in the future. The state’s share of Medicaid’s budget has increased from $600,000 up to nearly $1 billion since fiscal year 2012. Andy Gipson (Republican from Braxton) wanted to know why Mississippi’s Medicaid expansion has continued to increase despite the fact that Mississippi is not a participant in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The head of the Medicaid department, Dr. David Dzielak said that the main cost drivers were the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory requirements and the increased costs of medical services. Dzielak stated that Mississippians’ poor health makes it more costly to get care. “We are starting from a hole. He said that we are 50 in all statistical health categories.
Dzielak said that Medicaid has made savings by switching from fee-for service plans in which doctors are paid for every service provided to managed-care systems in which doctors pay a flat fee per enrollee. Contributing: R.L. Contributing: R.L. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. This Story Can Be Republished