Q8. "Who is the ultimate authority in determining which organization represents the profession? Or will it always be factions competing?”

Answer: The ultimate authority in determining which organization represents the profession lies with the membership. It is you who decide where to align yourself and where to invest your dues. Membership in a professional organization should be based on how well it serves the profession and meets your professional needs. If an organization fails to meet these expectations, members have the right to withhold support by not paying dues.

At MMHCA, we operate under the principle that the organization is run by the members and for the members. The board's sole purpose is to serve the members, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs addressed. Members have the power to raise their voices, influence decisions, and shape the direction of the organization. We are committed to fostering a culture of openness and responsiveness, where member feedback guides our actions and decisions. Together, we strive to build a professional organization that truly represents and serves its membership.'

We can confidently tell you that Mr. Blundo does not have the sole authority, or any authority at this point, in determining which organization represents the profession. His role was terminated pursuant to his contract. If he wants to create a brand-new organization, he can. However, he cannot take the MMHCA name and assets and attempt to deceive the public into thinking he still retains control over MMHCA.

If you look at what the elected MMHCA board has done under these difficult circumstances, we believe you’ll see we have made our focus addressing the membership’s needs.

We have surveyed the membership and adapted our focus for lobbying to respond to what matters to members; the counseling compact and Insurance clawbacks to name two areas.
Since the Elected Board of MMHCA has been in charge, we have:

• Held monthly public board meetings that are recorded and made available to members
• Updated MMHCA’s Bylaws with member input and our attorney’s guidance, and made the Bylaws public on mmhcaNow.org 4.19.24 Bylaws - MMHCA
• Provided multiple free workshops for members (including 3 in the last two months)
• Conducted training, free to members, on the practical matters of Medicare for LPCs - ongoing training • regarding Medicare will be offered by an expert in the field.
• Created an online library of free educational video resources (YouTube @mmhcalibrary)
• Created a new, up-to-date website: mmhcaNow.org
• Surveyed members several times to get input on organization direction
• Provided monthly free clinical peer consultation group sessions
• Contracted with and meet regularly with MMHCA’s essential lobbyist, Acuitas ($1,670/month)
• Gotten the organization on track with the just completed, first in a decade, public election (June 2024) • 2024 Election Results MMHCA 6.15.24
• Continued to work on studying the Counseling Compact
• Started work with our lobbyist on limiting the number of years Insurance Clawbacks can occur
• Provided members free access to a national functional medicine psychiatry conference (value $299)
• Created a cooperative relationship with another Michigan mental health organization
• Begun revitalizing MMHCA’s LinkedIn group and Twitter (X) accounts: linkedin.com/company/mmhca and x.com/officialMMHCA
• And much more to come.

We hope that you will decide to be part of MMHCA now and in the future. The elected volunteer Board of MMHCA needs the support of the membership to serve both the profession and individual members.