CESSA Communication, Information Sharing & Public Messaging Subcommittee Meeting - Approved Minutes 11/30/2022

Meeting of the Technical Subcommittee on Communication, Information Sharing, and Public Messaging

November 30, 2022 2:30-4:00 pm via Zoom

Meeting Minutes - Approved by Members 12/14/2022

  • Call to Order:
    • Meeting called to order via Zoom at 2:33 pm by Dr. Allison Brown, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Behavioral Health Crisis Hub, Jane Addams College of Social Work, Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research (partner to Illinois DHS-DMH in support of CESSA implementation)
  • Member Roll Call:
    • Jim Kaitschuk, Director of IL Sheriff's Association - present
    • Lee Ann Reinert, DMH Deputy Director, Policy & Planning (designee for David Albert, DMH Director) - present
    • Emily Miller, Vice-President for Behavioral Health Policy, IL Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF) - present [joined at 2:45 pm]
  • Expert Consultants:
    • Dr. Allison Brown, UIC
    • Peter Eckart, UIC
    • Jessena Williams, DMH
    • Dr. Lorrie Jones, UIC
  • Other (public) participants:
    • Matt Fishback, Cook County Sheriff's Office
    • Judy King
  • Meeting Logistics/OMA:
    • The meeting minutes will be posted on the IDHS-DMH (CESSA) OMA website after approval by members of the subcommittee.
  • Consideration of charter/plan for CISPM Subcommittee:
    • Identified Chair: Emily Miller, IARF; and Co-Chair: Lee Ann Reinert, DMH
    • Decision Structure (decisions by consensus/majority):
      • Reinert: Maintain the same rules across the different meetings of CESSA
      • Kaitschuk: Agreed
    • Managing Public Comment:
      • Reinert: Reserve the last 20-30 minutes at the end of the meeting.
      • Kaitschuk: Agreed
    • Meeting cadence and schedule:
      • Eckart: Without an extension of the CESSA deadline, will only schedule when to meet in December 2022.
      • Reinert: Meetings should be held every 2 weeks - due to holidays, the next meeting to be held on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 2:30-4:00 pm
      • Brown: Recommended canceling December 28, 2022 due to holidays
      • Kaitschuk: Agreed
      • Miller: Agreed
  • Subcommittee Responsibilities: Read without member comment
  • Subcommittee Deliverables: Read without member comment
  • Review of CISPM issues from November 21 SAC meeting: Incorporated in State Updates below.
  • DMH/UIC Behavioral Health Crisis Hub State Updates (Lee Ann Reinert, DMH):
    • CESSA has a set of conditions with a deadline to meet those conditions by Jan 1, 2023. DMH has requested an extension to meeting those conditions, by July 1, 2023. This extension request is included in a bill that is supposed to be heard today during the current Legislative Session. The extension's purpose is to ensure that CESSA planning is thoughtful and thorough with safety in mind.
    • To date, the CESSA State Advisory Committee has been meeting since Summer 2022, with multiple expert presentations made during those meetings. There have been great discussions during these meetings. The CESSA Regional subcommittees have begun as well.
    • In terms of communications, work thus far has been to create public messaging to counter the amount of misinformation and myths relating to CESSA that has been circulated in our state, and focused on myth busting and clarifying emerging miscommunication among existing first responders. A specific fact sheet for law enforcement is currently being vetted by DHS Legal Counsel. This fact sheet's aim is to clarify the interpretation and implementation of CESSA. Additionally,
    • There have been communications and public messaging materials posted to the CESSA webpage, specifically various FAQs, Myth Busters, and fact sheets on CESSA and 988. These are separate initiatives, but they are interconnected, and we are trying to address them together.
    • We are working to develop significant changes in the state's crisis continuum that will have a strong improvement on the response to those in crisis. I have come to understand how communication and information sharing is a crucial part of this, so that people can understand what these changes are trying to accomplish and how we can work together.
    • We welcome further feedback from this group on what other types of messaging is beneficial for future efforts. Messaging is critical so that the system is understood in its goal, clarifying confusion, and/or debunk any misinformation or myths.
    • Miller: Added there is so much misunderstanding out there already, so glad this is being addressed with a dedicated subcommittee.
    • Brown: Noted that there is a CESSA myth busters fact sheet available right now that has been distributed to SAC and RAC members and posted to the DMH website.
  • Public Comment: None
  • Adjournment:
    • Chair Emily Miller asked for a motion to adjourn, was moved by Reinert, and passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 pm.