NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board Operating Bylaws
A. NAME
The Name of this group shall be NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board.
B. AUTHORITY
The authority of the respective County Mental Health Authorities in accordance with M.S. 245.4661 establishes the NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board. The NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board shall operate under limited authority granted to it by the respective County Mental Health Authorities such that authority not expressly granted to the NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board by individual County Boards is reserved to those County boards.
C. PURPOSES
The NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative Governing Board exists to plan and develop with the group’s geographic jurisdiction, a system of care that will serve the needs of adults with serious and persistent mental illness. The specific purposes of the NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative are as follows:
Mission and Principles
NW8 AMHI is dedicated to improving the mental health of community through intentional planning and partnerships across a region grounded in the following principles:
- Lived experience with mental illness guides the governance and services.
- Brings together people with lived experience including the County LAC’s, providers, counties, tribes, MCOs and DHS to fully utilize all available resources to meet regional needs.
- Develops and provides an array of person centered services that builds on personal and cultural strengths.
- Utilizes a data driven model to evaluate the impact of services on health outcomes. Assures access, early intervention, coordination, and application of resources through creative partnerships.
Roles and Responsibilities: The AMHI members are expected to:
- Identify regional needs,
- Prioritize areas for development and
- Use data to assess current services
- Plan for current and future mental health services.
- Provide a Fiscal Accountability Structure
- Make specific recommendations regarding system design to the respective County Mental Health Authorities
- Implement a mental health service delivery system for adults with serious and persistent mental illness. That such effort will:
- provide an array of mental health services,
- be based on strategies that improve access and coordination of services,
- incorporate existing State resources into the community mental health infrastructure, and
- utilize existing categorical funding streams and reimbursement sources in combined and creative ways.
D. MEMBERSHIP
The membership of the NW8 Adult Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) is comprised of representatives from the following counties: Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake & Roseau Counties. The Governing Board will consist of eight (8) voting members to be selected in the following manners:
The following will comprise the membership of the Governing Board.
8 – One voting Representative from each of the participating counties
Ex-officio non-voting Provider Representatives selected by the Human Services Directors at their discretion.
1 – Ex-officio non-voting AMHI Coordinator Representative selected by the Human Services Directors
1 – Ex-officio non-voting Representative appointed by the Behavioral Health Division from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
3 – Ex-officio non-voting MCO Representative appointed by the Human Service Directors
1 – Ex-officio non-voting Local Advisory Council Chairperson nominated by the Local Advisory Council to act on behalf of people with lived experiences. The LAC Chairperson will serve on the AMHI board through their term as the Chairperson on the LAC. Furthermore, by unanimous vote of the eight County Governing Board members, the LAC Rep may be terminated.
Representatives designated by a County Mental Health Authority need to be empowered to act on behalf of the appointing authority.
E. OFFICERS
The NW8 Health and Human Services Directors will rotate as Chair starting with Kittson County in 2022. The rotation will go in alphabetical order by county and each will serve in their position for a two (2) year term. The rotation will skip Marshall County Human Service Director the first round as they have served as Chairperson for the past 5 years. The Chairperson will change on January 1 at the end of the two (2) year term with optional yearly extensions. Any county may decline nomination of chairperson for their designated cycle. The chair would then move to the next county in line.
•Kittson County
•Mahnomen County
•Norman County
•Pennington County
•Polk County
•Red Lake County
•Roseau County
•Marshall County
DUTIES OF OFFICERS Chairperson – the duties of the Chairperson are:
1.Work closely with AMHI Coordinator to prepare agendas, AMHI documents and reporting procedures.
2.Chair the Governing Board meetings.
3.To make necessary appointments to committees, tasks forces and other such groups that is within the Governing Board scope of responsibility.
4.Provide guidance to the AMHI Coordinator
5.Work closely with fiscal host to reduce carry over funds and ensure spending ison target for AMHI and Crisis budgets.
6.Work closely with Alluma and County Directors to complete AMHICoordinator’s annual review
The Chairperson is responsible to delegate a County Director to chair the Governing Board meetings in their absence.
F. GOVERNING BOARD
The Governing Board is a standing Committee.
The Governing Board shall provide oversight to the work of any personnel doing Sub Committee business.
The Governing Board will be responsible for providing oversight for any Sub committees that may need to be established. Sub committees will be established as needed to perform specific tasks for the Governing Board. At least one County Representative from the NW8 will serve on each team to maintain continuity of the Governing Board.
Governing Board Member Responsibilities:
- To attend all regularly scheduled meetings of the general membership, assigned sub committees and Governing Board.
- To focus on the long-range vision and strategic plans based on feedback from the Local Advisory Council & Adult Mental Health Case Manager meetings.
- To supervise the activities, evaluate progress, review and approve expenditures.
- Give recommendations and assistance as requested on matters related to Mental Health Services design and delivery within the NW8.
- The Governing Board shall have responsibility for determination of spending of AMHI grant funds.
- The Governing Board shall have responsibility for determination of spending AMHI grant funds. To provide the respective Local Adult MH Advisory Council or in its place to the County Board a report of unmet mental health needs residing in the represented county to be included in the county’s biennial mental health component of the community social services plan.
- Fiscal Host is responsible for contracts with regional vendors of services within the Region.
- The AMHI Coordinator is responsible to act as the liaison between the AMHI Governing board and the Local Advisory Council, Adult Mental Health Case Managers, Adult Mental Health Supervisors and Care teams to report back the needs in the NW8.
G. MEETINGS
The Chairperson holds meetings of the full Governing Board at such times as determined necessary. Meetings will be held the second (2nd) Wednesday of every other month in the morning, or as agreed in advance by the Governing Board. All meetings are open to the public and meet the Open Meeting Law requirements. Open Meeting Law. Meeting minutes are posted to the AMHI website following each Board meeting www.nw8amhi.org. Meetings will be held in a location central to the geographic planning area. Any requested additions to the agenda shall be made to the chair; changes will be at the discretion of the chair. The Local Advisory Council Chairperson will represent individuals with lived experiences at the Governing board meetings.
H. VOTING
An attempt will be made to settle all Governing Board issues through a consensus reaching process; however, majority vote shall rule on all Governing Board issues. The simple majority rule process shall extend to all committee issues as well. For full Governing Board meetings only county representative are considered voting members. Each county shall have one vote.
I. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
If a conflict of interest arises, member must make it known to the Governing board and abstain from voting
J. AMENDMENTS AND BY-LAWS REVIEW
The Governing Board will review these By-laws for revisions on an annual basis. The Governing Board at a regularly scheduled meeting must approve any changes in the By-laws. Amendments can be recommended at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Governing Board and approved by an affirmative vote of the full Governing Board membership.
K. QUORUM
A simple majority of the current County Representatives present with a minimum of five (5) Counties represented shall constitute a quorum.