The Marsters v. Healey Settlement Agreement is now in year two of implementation. On November 10th, CPR, its co-counsel, and state officials met for the 5th quarterly meeting required by the Agreement. The Commonwealth reported on data for the first year and quarter one of year two.
The First Year: The State had not completely tabulated the annual transition data, but did provide general capacity expansion data showing that progress in achieving metrics required by the Agreement is generally on track. New rental subsidies and housing slots from the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) all met required metrics for this year, though limitations will definitely present challenges with capacity expansion moving forward. Specifically, neither DMH nor EOHLC will have any funding for new housing subsidies and DMH will not even be able to fill vacancies in existing subsidized units next year.
Quarterly Data: We continue to closely monitor several behavioral health related metrics and we look forward to seeing whether new strategies from the Commonwealth lead to improved outcomes. The use of behavioral health services in nursing facilities, including the identification of those with behavioral health needs and Preadmission Screening Resident Reviews with Serious Mental Illness (PASRR SMI), rates of Clubhouse use, and Behavioral Health Community Partners (BH CP) engagement remain low while waiver denials for inability to be safely served in the community remain high.