SAVE THE DATES!

Spring Policy Forum
May 8-9, 2019
Sheraton Grand
Sacramento, CA

CBHA Fall Conference
Oct. 2-3, 2019
Redondo Beach, CA

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GENERAL NEWSLETTER
March 28, 2019

Greetings colleagues!

This month, we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD). This month commemorates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The 2019 theme for IWD is “balance for better.” 

As I reflect on the various women pioneers in the health field, I am grateful for those who eluded the temptation to say “no” to career advancing opportunities in search of a more balanced life. It is because of their long weeks of commitment to a task that doors have been opened for so many women in the healthcare workforce today. So, thank you to all the women who provide needed behavioral health services to clients across our state, and to those women leaders who serve as advocates on behalf of organizations, providers, clients, and their family members to the state Legislature. Thank you for challenging the stereotypes of what it means to embrace a balanced lifestyle. 

DHCS Reorganization
Earlier this month, we learned about upcoming changes to DHCS. The DHCS Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services (MHSUDS) Division is being reorganized to better integrate behavioral health with the rest of the Medi-Cal program, as well as consolidate non-Medi-Cal programs into behavioral health divisions. According to DHCS, the MHSUDS reorganization will increase program administration accountability, improve service delivery, decrease processing times, and increase communication and engagement with stakeholders and employees... click title to continue reading
We understand that our clients have practical needs that affect their ability to recover and thrive. We work closely with government and nonprofit agencies to help our clients obtain housing, transportation, schooling, employment and other supportive services. Hillview Village, our permanent housing complex, provides a welcoming home to 85 low income, chronically homeless clients. Click here to visit our website.
CBHA attended NatCon19 in Nashville this week. Check out these photos! Get regular updates by following us on our social media accounts: Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

CBHA Board President Vitka Eisen presented in multiple NatCon sessions: ' Safe Consumption Spaces: Community Strategies' and ' Harm Reduction and Treatment: Conflict or Complementary?'
CBHA Executive Director Paul Curtis (and National Council Board member) guiding attendees on where to find open seats during NatCon's general morning sessions.
ALGEE was at Natcon19 MHFA Summit in Nashville with CBHA Director of Programs and Operations Sara Kahoalii.
April 4, 2019
The next DMC-ODS technical assistance webinar will be held on Thursday, April 4 th  from 4:00 to 5:00pm. The topic for this webinar is billing & claiming in the DMC-ODS. Any materials will be circulated in advance of the webinar. Please register in advance using this link .
Deaths from a synthetic opioid called fentanyl have been on the rise nationally, and last week’s findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show this could be the third wave of the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Though the spike in death rates has largely affected the Northeast, the trend is starting to worry health experts in California, who are already taking precautions to reduce overdoses.

“We should be worried,” said Kelly Pfeifer, an opioid policy expert with the nonprofit California Health Care Foundation. “We may experience the type of fentanyl epidemic that the East Coast has experienced. But we have some real advantages in California.”.... click title to continue reading
...“More US adolescents and young adults in the late 2010s, versus the mid-2000s, experienced serious psychological distress, major depression, or suicidal thoughts, and more attempted suicide,” said lead author Jean Twenge, PhD, author of the book iGen and professor of psychology at San Diego State University in California. “These trends are weak or nonexistent among adults 26 years and over, suggesting a generational shift in mood disorders instead of an overall increase across all ages.”... click title to continue reading
With their thin mattresses, small cells, and mediocre food, jails are uncomfortable places for any person to spend time. But if you’re coming down off an addictive drug like heroin with no fix in sight, the hard beds and lack of privacy is even more hellish. Withdrawal from opiates — often called dope sickness — is agonizing.

“I would experience a sickness so terrible I would do almost anything to prevent it: cold sweats, nausea, diarrhea, and body aches, all mixed with depression and anxiety that make it impossible to do anything except dwell on how sick you are,” local journalist Brian Rinker writes in Kaiser Health News... click title to continue reading
...While the new law says it’s illegal to drop patients off at shelters without shelter approval, there's been a grace period as hospitals and local homeless service agencies learn and adjust.
That leniency will end on July 1, when hospitals will be required to create a collaborative plan with community agencies, log where every homeless patient was... click to continue reading
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