Dear neighbors,
Your Essex Westford delegates wish to share the following legislative update and news, as reported this week by Rep. Lori Houghton.

You're Invited to Upcoming Community Conversations

Please join your Essex & Westford House delegation (prior to) and during the legislative session for "Community Conversations," a monthly forum for updates on bills, committees, caucus activities and more. We welcome your concerns, questions and a spirit of open, respectful dialogue.

SAVE-THE-DATES:
Sat., Jan. 27, 11-12:30pm (Uncommon Coffee)
Sun., Feb. 18, 9-10:30 am (Nest Bakery)
Sat, March 16, 3-4:30pm (Westford Common Hall)
Sun., April 14, 9-10:30am (Zoom)
Sun., May 18 11-12:30pm (Uncommon Coffee)
Full Listing: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058150056452

Municipal Input Needed for City of Essex Junction

From budget to rental registry to the next stage in the City's strategic action plan work, the City Councilors and Staff need to hear resident's constructive input. More information on all can be found at http://www.essexjunction.org

Mental Health System of Care Updates and Opportunity to Provide Input

Your House Health Care Committee heard encouraging news on progress with several programs initiated in the past year to address gaps in our mental health system of care. The state focuses on four priorities - Someone to Call, Someone to Respond, Somewhere to Go and Someone to Prevent - and together we are implementing programs that are helping Vermonters. We have 6 active mental health urgent care programs offering people in crisis care and additional resources away from hospital emergency departments with 2 more coming online soon. Our statewide mobile crisis program began January 1 and has already responded to more than 57 calls. The focus of this new program is to meet people where they are, provide a 2-person response including staff with lived experience and offer follow-up services to check on safety planning and to make sure the crisis is resolved. Finally, our crisis support line - 988 - continues to provide access to a crisis counselor 24/7 through voice, text and chat.

There is more work to be done and the Department of Mental Health is interested in hearing from Vermonters. A virtual meeting, Wednesday January 24th from 6:00-7:30pm will offer an opportunity for Vermonters to provide their insights on the system of mental health and substance use care in Vermont: what's working well, and what participants think could be changed or improved upon in the future. This conversation will be guided by a set of basic questions about the system of care, and participants are welcome to share as much or as little as they'd like. The beginning of the meeting will provide an overview of a new potential model - Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers - and participants will be asked to share their thoughts and feelings on this model. More information and to sign up can be found here: https://mentalhealth.vermont.gov/department-mental-health-explores-certified-behavioral-heal[...]put

Health Care Provider Burden

Another focus of the health care committee this year is provider burden. We took extensive testimony this week on prior authorizations - how they influence access to care through provider time working to obtain the prior authorization rather than seeing more patients and through denial of coverage. We discussed the cost impact to the system and how commercial insurance companies require more prior authorizations than both Medicare and Medicaid. We will continue this work with the goal of reducing prior authorizations while focusing on access and quality of care.

How to Stay Engaged?
So how can Vermonters follow the legislator's work? Visit our legislative website at https://legislature.vermont.gov/ where you will find all bills introduced, the agendas and testimony for all committees, and the House and Senate action calendars.

Thank you for the continued opportunity to do this important work.

Event Info

Jul 4, 2024, 9 AM to 1 PM

Jul 5, 2024, 6 to 7 PM

Jul 9, 2024, 5:15 to 7:30 PM