CESSA Communication, Information Sharing & Public Messaging Subcommittee Meeting - Approved Minutes 03/08/2023

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

March 8, 2023 2:30-4:00 pm via Zoom

Meeting Minutes - Approved by Members 04/06/2023

  • Welcome/Call to Order
    • Meeting called to order by Emily Miller (Chair) at 2:34pm (via Zoom)
  • Member Roll Call/Approval of Minutes (02/22/23 meeting):
    • Williams moved to approved minutes, seconded by Miller.
    • Members Present:
      • Emily Miller (Chair), Vice-President for Behavioral Health Policy, IL Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (IARF) - present and approved the minutes
      • Jessena Williams, DMH (designee for Lee Ann Reinert, Deputy Director/David Albert, DMH Director) - present and approved the minutes
      • Pooja Nagpal, NAMI Illinois Alliance for Peer Professionals Board Member- present and approved the minutes
      • Curtis Harris, Access Living - present and approved the minutes
    • Expert Consultants:
      • Dr. Allison Brown, UIC Behavioral Health Crisis Hub
      • Scott Block, Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts
      • Jen Wooldridge, IL Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board
    • Other (public) participants:
      • Matt Fishback, Cook County Sheriff's Office
      • Dana Craig, Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission
      • Sarah White, Southwest Central Dispatch
  • Meeting Logistics/OMA
  • Discussion of Proposed Change in Meeting Dates (Miller):
    • Miller requested motion to change meeting cadence from the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month to the 1st and 3rd Thursdays (11:00 AM - 12:30 PM) of each month, beginning with April 2023 and continuing for the remainder of the term. Harris moved, seconded by Nagpal. Approved unanimously.
    • Brown stated that notice of changes will be posted on the OMA and CESSA webpages
  • State Updates (Brown):
    • Reminder of upcoming State Advisory Committee on Monday, March 13, 2023 at 1:00 PM, via WebEx
    • Regional Advisory Committee updates are usually provided at the SAC meeting
  • Discussion of Public Messaging Recommendations/Deliverables:
    • Brown - We previously discussed recommendations on who (key stakeholders/constituencies), where, how, and how often (modalities/cadence). Today's discussion will focus on what are priority issues and key topics for CESSA public messaging.
    • Miller - Clarify key dates (i.e., July 1), legislative changes and timelines, maintain updates to the DHS-DMH websites. CESSA law is currently active but there are still pieces that need to be implemented and there is still a lot of confusion on the implementation process.
    • Williams - Recommend feedback on content from the perspective of person/story of recovery.
    • Nagpal - Recognize the complexities of this law. The websites have a lot of information but needs to be simplified and each piece explained in plain language - for example, what is CESSA, what is 911, what is 988, etc. Video that simulates a person calling and what they would go through for 988, MCR, etc. Alleviate fears and concerns by showing positive experiences and interactions. Provide information on how CESSA came about (Stephon Watts) and trailblazing efforts in our state.
    • Williams - Agree that plain language benefits us all.
    • Brown - The RACs will have to customize public messaging specific to their regions and resources.
    • Miller - 988 is out there more because it is a national campaign, but CESSA is only Illinois but also needs to be out there to explain how it works with 988 and 911.
    • Nagpal - possibly craft a survey or set of brief questions for the RACs to see what they already have in place and what they are doing so far?
    • Group agreement and support for a survey to address gaps.
    • Harris - What are the other hotlines? Need to be consistent, so how will we do that?
    • Miller/Nagpal - factsheets with side-by-side comparisons, infographics on who to call for what services and what they do, what happens (i.e, 988, 911, 211/311, etc.) and give real-life examples
    • Harris - Don't think CESSA should be a co-response model (the risk Matrix)
    • Brown - The model(s) will be discussed at the SAC/RACs and other subcommittee meetings.
    • Nagpal - Public messaging to include awareness and get feedback from the RACs.
    • Brown - Links to current IDHS-DMS information that are posted online have been added to the chat. Recommend having members (and RACs) take look at what is out there now, such as the websites, FAQs and fact sheets, and let us know what they recommend for what edits may be needed, including what messages need simplifying, more plain language, or feedback on any other revisions.
  • Wrap up:
    • Our subcommittee will meet again on March 22nd and then move to new Thursday meetings schedule in April.
    • Anticipate voting on first deliverables at next meeting
    • Moving forward, start thinking about development of the messaging Toolkit
  • Public Comments:
    • Fishback: A member of a couple of RACs and agree with idea of doing a survey because CESSA is very complicated. Messaging has to be rolled out in slices, with different messaging for different groups, and in keeping with the spirit of the law. Regions may not have the necessary resources. Complex information needs to be presented step-by-step, and regions need to have different information for different audiences - each region needs their own information. In addition to the survey, recommend visual flow chart and str-by-step information to alleviate confusion around what to expect with the plan down the road.
    • White (via chat): Fishback's comments are well said.

* Adjournment: The Chair asked for a motion to adjourn, was so moved by Curtis Harris, seconded by Emily Miller, and the motion had a consensus by lack of dissent. The meeting adjourned at 3:46 PM