0001|                       SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 12
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                             DEDE FELDMAN
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0005|     
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0006|     
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0007|     
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0008|        FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE
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0009|                              
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0010|                      A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO LEAD A STUDY OF THE
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0012|     NEEDS FOR AND BEST METHODS OF PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE STATEWIDE
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0013|     MENTAL HEALTH IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM.
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0014|     
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0015|          WHEREAS, New Mexico wants to support the academic needs
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0016|     and educational success of our children; and
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0017|          WHEREAS, school children face multiple barriers to
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0018|     successful learning, including biological learning problems,
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0019|     personal and family issues, a lack of coordinated and
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0020|     accessible school and community assessment resources and
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0021|     service programs and a lack of teacher training and resources;
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0022|     and
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0023|          WHEREAS, New Mexico ranks in the top fifteen states in
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0024|     the rates of alcoholism, public school dropouts, domestic
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0025|     violence, poverty and violent teen death; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, children in our schools have need of multiple
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0002|     mental health resources, as documented by both state and
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0003|     national data showing that more than one-third of all children
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0004|     seen in school-based health centers have primary mental health
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0005|     needs; and
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0006|          WHEREAS, students require an integrated continuum of
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0007|     services, but children's outpatient mental health services in
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0008|     New Mexico are scarce, lacking in coordination and difficult
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0009|     to access; and
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0010|          WHEREAS, over fifty percent of all children detained in
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0011|     the juvenile justice system meet criteria for at least one
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0012|     mental health diagnosis; and
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0013|          WHEREAS, under the federal Individuals with Disabilities
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0014|     Education Act, schools have clear responsibility to evaluate
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0015|     students with behavioral health needs for disabilities and to
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0016|     provide appropriate services; and
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0017|          WHEREAS, the implementation of medicaid managed care
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0018|     requires that schools take a more pivotal role, collaborating
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0019|     with community providers to ensure quality behavioral health
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0020|     services; and
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0021|          WHEREAS, students face daily multiple life stresses, have
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0022|     multiple mental health needs and require coordinated services
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0023|     to break down barriers to learning in order to achieve success
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0024|     in education;
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0025|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0001|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a task force be formed to study
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0002|     programs and needs relevant to school mental health throughout
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0003|     New Mexico and to propose solutions to these needs and options
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0004|     to improve existing programs; and
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0005|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of school health
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0006|     in the public health division of the department of health be
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0007|     designated as the lead agency to organize the task force and
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0008|     conduct the study; and
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0009|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include
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0010|     representatives from the department of health, the state
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0011|     department of public education, the children, youth and
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0012|     families department, the human services department, the
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0013|     corrections department, the administrative office of the
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0014|     courts, the children's subcommittee of the governor's mental
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0015|     health planning council, the developmental disabilities
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0016|     planning council, the Individuals with Disabilities Education
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0017|     Act council and a wide range of consumers, advocates and
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0018|     providers working in the mental health field and other
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0019|     appropriate individuals and groups concerned about children's
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0020|     mental health, including school personnel; and
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0021|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force's
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0022|     recommendations include clarification of the responsibilities
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0023|     and authority of each agency for providing programs and
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0024|     assessment of and recommendations on information collected by
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0025|     the agencies that may be helpful in improving school mental
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0001|     health programs; and
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0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force study
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0003|     financial resources from all governmental sources that
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0004|     contribute to school mental health programs and whether these
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0005|     resources can be used more efficiently in delivering the
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0006|     needed programs; and
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0007|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include examination
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0008|     and specific recommendations for both intra-agency and
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0009|     interagency cooperation to ensure maximum cooperation in
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0010|     providing school mental health programs; and
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0011|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include an
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0012|     examination of and recommendations on increased training for
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0013|     all school personnel, including teachers, counselors, nurses,
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0014|     social workers, psychologists and others, as their work
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0015|     relates to improving school mental health; and
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0016|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its
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0017|     findings and recommendations by October 30, 1998 to the
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0018|     interim legislative health and human services committee and
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0019|     the legislative education study committee; and
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0020|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be
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0021|     sent to the director of the office of school health of the
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0022|     public health division of the department of health for
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0023|     distribution to all appropriate parties.
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0024|                              
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