2020 Legislative Affairs Breakfast
November 11, 2020
8:15 – 8:30 AM
Virtual Networking
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Fireside Chat with Keynote Legislators
Register by October 30, 2020
Join Metrocare’s CEO Dr. John Burruss for a virtual fireside chat with powerful mental health leaders. The Honorable Four Price, Chair of the House Calendars Committee, and The Honorable Toni Rose, Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII & VIII, to discuss the state of behavioral health and the impact the 87th Texas Legislative Session could have on the healthcare community as a whole.
Contact
Director of Public Affairs Christina Collins at christina.collins@metrocareservices.org
Speaker: The Honorable Four Price (Amarillo, TX)
Chairman, House Calendars Committee, Texas House of Representatives
State Representative Four Price, a fourth generation Texan from Amarillo, has the privilege of advocating for constituents residing in five Texas Panhandle counties – Carson, Hutchinson, Moore, Potter and Sherman – and in 2018, was re-elected to his fifth term.
In January 2019, Representative Price was appointed to chair the House Calendars Committee, which is responsible for determining which items of proposed legislation are scheduled for debate in the Texas House Chamber. Price also serves as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, the House Public Health Committee, and the House Redistricting Committee. He continues to co-chair the Health and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee and was recently appointed to serve on the House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety.
Regarding behavioral health policy, he chaired the House Select Committee on Mental Health (2015-2016) and the House Select Committee on Opioids and Substance Abuse (2017-2018). Price has authored and passed into law several bills pertaining to mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorders, including HB 10 (85R), HB 13 (85R), HB 18 (86R), HB 19 (86R), and HB 2454 (86R), HB 601 (86R), HB 1063 (86R) and HB 3345 (86R). Recently, Price was presented with a 2020 Legislative Champion Award by Mental Health America. Price and his staff have been recognized for their work by several organizations including the Texas Association of City & County Health Officials, NAMI Texas, the Texas Suicide Prevention Council, Association of Substance Abuse Programs, Texas Hospital Association, and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
Representative Price and his wife, Karen, are the proud parents of four adult children. The Price’s reside in Amarillo.
Speaker: The Honorable Toni Rose (Dallas, TX)
Chairman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII, & VIII, Texas House of Representatives
State Representative Toni Rose is currently serving her fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, representing District 110 which includes the diverse communities of Oak Cliff, Highland Hills, Pleasant Grove, Balch Springs and Mesquite. Born and raised in Dallas, Representative Rose developed a passion for civic engagement at an early age which mirrors her work in mental health, social justice and criminal justice. Representative Rose obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Paul Quinn College.
Representative Rose’s passion continued during her tenure in the Texas Legislature where her legislative focus includes mental health reform, access to affordable healthcare, improving the quality of life for our aging population and underserved communities.
Representative Rose serves as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII & VIII. As Sub-Committee Chair, Representative Rose leads budget considerations on issues of Natural Resources, Business & Economic Development and Business Regulation. Representative Rose also serves as Chair of the Aging Committee and as a member of the powerful House Committee on Calendars as well as House Committees on Human Services and Redistricting. According to Capitol Inside, Representative Rose ranks the 14th most powerful member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Representative Rose has also received several distinctions for her advocacy of mental health issues, including awards from Mental Health America of Greater Dallas and NAMI Dallas Advocate of the Year. She holds numerous leadership positions, such as 2nd Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, Women in Government State Director, and Executive Committee Member for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women.
Moderator: Dr. John W. Burruss
Chief Executive Officer, Metrocare Services
Dr. John Burruss is the Chief Executive Officer of Metrocare Services, Dallas County’s provider for Mental Healthcare and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and one of the largest across the country. With an annual budget of over $100 million and a 50-year history, Metrocare serves 60,000 unduplicated patients each year with a staff of 850 employees. From mental health care for adults and children to co-occurring substance abuse treatment, intensive clinical services, and accessible pharmacies, Metrocare breaks down barriers to quality health care through a vast array of supports, including wrap-around case management, housing, and re-entry services.
Under Dr. Burruss’ leadership, Metrocare has sustained agency-wide financial growth and service expansion. He has stewarded over 98 local and statewide partnership and led the agency towards an increasingly integrated approach to care since joining Metrocare in 2013. During his tenure, Metrocare has achieved nationally recognized CARF accreditation and most recently CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) status, the gold-standard of behavioral health care.
Prior to Metrocare, Dr. Burruss was Executive Medical Director for Affiliates at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston where he managed the Affiliated Medical Services of Baylor and the University of Texas Health Science Center, the largest physician practice in the State of Texas. Dr. Burruss was the youngest Dean ever appointed at Baylor when he became Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs in 2005. Subsequently, he served as Chief Medical Officer for Baylor from 2009-2010. Throughout that time, Dr. Burruss was a practicing psychiatrist on the medical staff at Ben Taub Hospital where he was Chief of Psychiatry from 2002 to 2008.
Dr. Burruss earned his MD and completed a psychiatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston after a bachelors in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin. He has also trained at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern, Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the American College of Psychiatrists.
