Using Medicaid and Private Insurance to Pay for Alternative First Response
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For communities looking to build or expand alternative first response programs, one of the first questions is: “how will you pay for it?”
One particularly promising – and underutilized option – involves seeking reimbursement from Medicaid or private insurers. Increasingly, alternative response programs throughout the country are finding ways to leverage Medicaid and other insurance reimbursement streams – through waivers and available matching funds – to support alternative response programs for the long term at low cost.
This webinar was co-hosted by the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Vera Institute of Justice – to discuss this innovative funding source and how to effectively leverage it. Jason Bean-Mortinson and Joe Avalos of Thurston Mason Behavioral Health ASO in Washington State and Alicia Smith of Peg’s Foundation will share their perspectives on how local communities can – and already do – use Medicaid and other insurance funding to support alternative, non-police first response.
Panelists
Jason Bean-Mortinson, Substance Use Disorder Administrator, Thurston Mason Behavioral Health ASO
Jason Bean-Mortinson is the Substance Use Disorder Administrator for Thurston-Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (TMBH-ASO) which administers behavioral health Crisis services and other non-Medicaid (federal, state, and local) funded behavioral health services in Thurston & Mason Counties. Jason started out in the substance use disorder treatment field working in various settings including outpatient, adolescent and adult drug court, involuntary treatment, withdrawal management, and residential settings. He began his policy level work with the State of Washington Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery before moving to work centered on his local community by supporting the formation of the TMBH-ASO. Since working for TMBH-ASO, Jason has taken the lead on many initiatives advancing community-based solutions for individuals involved in the legal system, worked to improve cross system collaborations, supported local and state opioid response work, and served on many other behavioral health related workgroups.
Joe Avalos, Administrator for Olympic Health & Recovery Services, Thurston Mason Behavioral Health ASO
Joe Avalos is the Administrator for Olympic Health & Recovery Services, a licensed behavioral health agency focused on providing behavioral health crisis services, hospital diversion, and jail diversion services for a multi-county region in Washington State. After completing his service in the US Navy, Joe worked as a behavioral health clinician in a substance use disorder inpatient facility, provided co-occurring outpatient services, and worked in crisis services unit within a hospital emergency department. His administrative experience includes working as the Senior Program Administrator for the Children & Youth Behavioral Health Program for the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery, serving as the Chief Operating Officer for a multi-county Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization, and serving on numerous legislative committees on behavioral health in Washington state. Joe holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a mental health & substance use disorder professional in Washington State.
Alicia Smith, Director of Policy and Implementation, Peg's Foundation
Alicia D. Smith, M.H.A., is Director of Policy and Implementation at Peg’s Foundation, the largest mental health funder in Ohio. In her role, Alicia advances the foundation’s strategic priorities to improve systems, programs, and policies in service to persons with mental illness. She supports the foundation’s work to identify sustainable solutions for the financing and delivery of crisis response services. Alicia has over 27 years of experience with Medicaid and other public assistance programs and has worked extensively with national and state mental health and substance use disorder payment and regulatory systems and providers. She has provided policy and program development and analysis consultation to numerous state Medicaid agencies. Alicia has also led several large scale, multi-stakeholder projects on behalf of Medicaid managed care organizations, community behavioral health providers, hospital and health systems, and state and national trade associations.
Host(s)
Freya Rigterink is the Executive Director of the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, which is dedicated to promoting public safety through transparency, equity, and democratic engagement. She launched the organization’s Reimagining Public Safety (RPS) portfolio, an expansive effort to support and learn from jurisdictions that are redesigning their public safety systems to be more responsive to communities, with a particular emphasis on alternative and non-police response. Freya came to the Policing Project with a background in municipal government and oversight. Most recently, Freya served as Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Mayor for New York City, where she focused on public safety, criminal justice, and the City’s pandemic response. Freya has also held roles in the New York City Council and Chicago Inspector General's Office. Freya holds a BA from Wesleyan University and a JD from Northwestern University, and she is a member of the New York City Commission to Combat Police Corruption.
Freya Rigterink, Executive Director, Policing Project at NYU School of Law
Sarah Wurzburg oversees technical assistance focused on behavioral health, diversion, and reentry, and serves as the lead for projects related to substance use, mental illnesses, and housing. She leads the work on the development of community responder programs, including a toolkit that supports sites in development of alternative first responses to people in crisis. Previously, Sarah was a research analyst at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., where she was the team lead for Youth and Women’s Services and was the primary author of research reports on youth substance use disorder treatment, driving under the influence, and Medicaid. Sarah has also worked as a juvenile court advocate and in community substance use prevention. She received her BA from DePauw University in English and her MA in social services administration from the University of Chicago.
Sarah Wurzburg, Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health, Council of State Governments Justice Center
Daniela Gilbert directs Vera’s Redefining Public Safety initiative to design, strengthen, and invest in civilian public safety ecosystems. She brings more than 15 years of experience in community safety, system transformation, and change management to her role. Before joining Vera in 2020, Daniela directed justice initiatives in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health, implementing programs and policy to increase behavioral health care access and equity. In 2011, she co-founded the California Partnership for Safe Communities and partnered with community, civic, and criminal justice leaders on gun violence and incarceration reduction in 10 California cities.
Daniela Gilbert, Director of Redefining Public Safety, Vera Institute of Justice
