Disability Conference Remarks

Statement

Thank you, Dr. Schafer. This conference is just one of countless examples of the outstanding work Keith and his team do each and every day. These efforts received national recognition last month when Dr. Schafer was honored by the National Council for Behavioral Health with their Inspiring Hope award.

Let's give Keith and the staff of the Department of Mental Health a round of applause.

Last month, Missouri said goodbye to one of my predecessors, former Governor Joe Teasdale, a dedicated public servant whose life was guided by his abiding faith and an unwavering commitment to his fellow man.

At the funeral, the priest related a quote from Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who said that:

"The moral test of our democracy is how we treat those who are in the dawn of life, the children …those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly …And those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the vulnerable."

Our democracy is constantly held to that test … and with your help, we've worked to bring thousands of Missourians struggling with mental and developmental challenges, out of the shadows -- and toward a brighter, healthier future.

In October of 2010, we started the Partnership for Hope, a program that is providing earlier access to services for Missouri individuals with developmental disabilities, and their families.

The idea behind the Partnership is simple: End the wait for services. Avoid or delay the need for institutional placement. And keep families together.

The response to the partnership has been enthusiastic and strong. Already, it's helped thousands of people with developmental disabilities reach their full potential.

Today, Partnership for Hope now provides home- and community-based services to more than 3,000 Missourians in 100 counties and the city of St. Louis.

I know the Partnership has many friends here in the room today, and I would like to applaud each of you for the work you've done -- and continue to do -- to make this initiative a success. Well done.

Four years ago, we also passed a landmark bill that requires insurance companies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Today, nearly 1.6 million Missourians are covered by insurance policies that cover these proven treatments… and more than 3,000 Missourians got treatment for autism spectrum disorders last year.

In a testament to how far we've come -- and the tireless commitment of the people in this room -- United Cerebral Palsy recently ranked Missouri among the top 10 states in the country for providing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the services and support they need to reach their God-Given potential.

When it comes to mental health challenges, last year we launched a strategic initiative to help Missourians with mental illness get the care they need before they reach a crisis point, and help communities respond to those who do.

We have new mental health liaisons at each of our 29 community mental health centers, so that our law enforcement officers can focus on being cops, not frontline caregivers.

We launched emergency room intervention projects in seven areas across the state...

And we made a historic investment in Mental Health First Aid training, so that teachers, pastors, first responders, and colleagues can identify the signs of mental illness and know what to do.

During this fiscal year, we will have trained more than a thousand Missourians on these proven, life-saving techniques.

And today, Missouri has more citizens trained in Mental Health First Aid than every other state in the nation but one.

Friends, these are significant and measurable accomplishments that are changing -- and saving -- real lives all across our state... and I appreciate your support over the years to help us achieve them.

But the "moral test of our democracy' as described by Vice President Humphrey isn't a one-time test.

It's a daily gauge to ensure that we never forget those in the shadows of life.

And if you hold this past legislative session up to that test,. the results didn't always meet the high standards we aimed for.

In some areas, we were able to make progress.

In my State of the State address, I urged the General Assembly to protect all of our communities by rebuilding Fulton State Mental Hospital.... a critical and long-overdue public safety priority that will bring better care to patients and greater safety to its employees.

Today that project is moving forward with a strategic bond issuance.

The legislature answered my call to continue investing in Mental Health First Aid training and in putting new mental health liaisons at our community mental health centers.

And this year we'll mark a historic moment, as the waiting list for in-home Medicaid developmental disability services in counties participating in our Partnership for Hope Program goes to zero for the first time in over 20 years.

When I took office, Missourians with disabilities like cerebral palsy and autism often had to wait months and even years to get the support they needed -- people like Nate Huffman from St. Peters, who I met when we first launched the Partnership for Hope in 2010.

Back when he was in school, Nate had access to physical therapy and other services that helped him be more independent. He'd even gotten strong enough to walk around his high school track. But when he graduated, those services ended.

For eight years, Nate's condition and quality of life worsened while he was placed on a waiting list for in-home services. Eight years -- it was heart-breaking. But that was before the Partnership for Hope.

Today, Nate is doing much better. His physical therapy is going well and he's able to communicate through a new computer system.

He told me that his goal was to someday be able to walk around that track again -- and thanks to the Partnership for Hope, he's getting closer to reaching that goal each and every day.

Because of Missourians like Nate, each year I've been in office, we've made it a priority to chip away at that waiting list.

This year, with another expansion of our Partnership for Hope, that waiting list will no longer exist.

However, in other critical areas, the legislature fell short.

Once again, they failed to take action on Medicaid -- leaving 300,000 Missourians, including 50,000 folks who need mental health services -- without access to affordable health coverage.

They chose not to move forward on our plan to address the critical shortage of mental health professionals -- by training thousands more Missourians in these high-demand fields.

And in the final hours of the legislative session, legislators passed more than a dozen special breaks for a slew of special interests -- blowing a massive hole in the state budget, and the local budgets of communities across our state.

The General Assembly passed tax exemptions for fast food restaurants... convenience stores . . . electric companies.... personal seat licenses at stadiums... dry cleaners... and the list goes on.

Altogether, the grab-bag of giveaways and sweet-heart deals rushed through on the final day of session would reduce state and local revenue by up to $776 million, each and every year.

That's three quarters of a billion dollars, with the impacts beginning in the fiscal year that will start in just a few short weeks -- and not a penny of it accounted for in the budget that was sent to my desk.

Friends, in the coming weeks and months, I need your help to make sure that when the General Assembly returns for their veto session his fall, they return having undergone a change of heart.

They will return having heard from you, and ready to correct the error of their ways.

They will return having spent some time with the families you serve -- folks who don't have lobbyists or political consultants.

Folks who put their trust in their elected representatives to do the right thing -- for those in the dawn of life, the twilight of life, the shadows of life, and for all Missourians.

These are the Missourians I have fought for as Governor, the folks for whom I will continue to fight as we build a brighter, more prosperous future for our state.

Again, thank you all for the opportunity to speak to you today, and for all that you do -- each day -- to build a brighter, healthier, more equal future for everyone in our state.

Thank you, and God Bless.

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