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November 2, 2018

Advancing Public Policies for People with Mental Illness, Chemical Dependency or Developmental Disabilities   

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Francine Sinkoff, Editor
fs@clmhd.org
NYS OASAS Announces Opening of New Residential Detox and Rehabilitation Facility in Clinton County

Future of DSRIP program in North Country unclear

NY State Expands Telemedicine Program for the Homeless - Rensselaer & Schenectady Counties

Amsterdam Police Department to receive training to recognize mental health emergencies - Montgomery County

Community Healthcare Network plans $7.9M clinic expansion - NYC

Timeline of NYC Health + Hospitals' $1 billion Epic EHR rollout

Proposed NYC bill would expand opioid treatment in homeless shelters - NYC

$30M health hub opens in eastern Brooklyn - NYC

Innovative housing idea for seniors who care for adult children with disabilities - NYC

A New York Community Fights to Keep a Psychiatric Ward in Its Own Backyard - NYC

Cost of a second chance: City spends $22M on 173K naloxone kits to fight ODs - NYC

Nation's First Institute to Prepare Nurses to Care for People with Developmental Disabilities to Open at St. John Fisher College in Rochester - Monroe County

First of its kind affordable housing in Onondaga County breaks ground

Community schools concept 'thriving,' assisting families - Oneida County

Opioid courts expand in Erie, Niagara counties to tackle epidemic

Higgins, Compeer Buffalo announce $2,175,000 in federal grants for mental health first aid training & mentorship programs
New MHA State of Mental Health Report Shows Many in Crisis
 
For the fifth year in a row, Mental Health America (MHA) released its annual State of Mental Health Report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on several mental health and access measures. This year, Minnesota came out on top overall with Nevada coming in 51st. The report also dives into addressing trauma in youth, and its long-term impact on performance and behavior in school.

MHA's report also shines the spotlight on childhood trauma and its impact long-term, and releases data that shows how much trauma can impact youth in school. Trauma-impacted youth are more likely to be absent from school, find themselves removed from classrooms, or struggle with academics.
Save the Date - 11/15 - Bring It Home Educational Rally in NYC

NYS OASAS Releases Peer Integration Toolkit 

New York State is proud to announce the New York State Peer Integration Toolkit . The toolkit was developed with the support of the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) project to assist with the planning, adoption and expansion of sustainable recovery-oriented supports and services.
 
The toolkit is being  disseminated as part of the BRSS TACS technical assistance bundle on peer integration. The toolkit is not only viewed as a comprehensive model for the topic, which includes a wide variety of forms and templates, but is also considered a valued resource that is shared with other States. 
How Community Health Workers Support Value-Based Care Principles

Study points to tie between workplace injuries and prolonged opioid use

Nonopioid Lofexidine Safe and Effective for Managing Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome

Red Cross Releases Online Course on How to Respond to an Opioid Overdose

New Survey: Stress in America by the American Psychological Association
USDA and ONDCP Unveil Latest Tool to Help Rural Communities Address the Opioid Epidemic

White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Deputy Director Jim Carroll and U.S. Department of Agriculture Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today unveiled a listing of Federal programs that can be used to build resilient communities and address opioid misuse in rural communities. The Rural Resource Guide to Help Communities Address Substance Use Disorder and Opioid Misuse is a first-of-its-kind, one-stop-shop for rural leaders looking for Federal funding and partnership opportunities.

More than 300,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving opioids since 2000. For a rural community or county already struggling to attract new - or maintain existing - businesses, the impact of opioid misuse on the quality of life and economic prosperity can be enormous. Read more here.
UPCOMING TRAININGS

November 6, 3 - 4 pm, OMH

November 7, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

Data Models and Data Visualization
November 7, 12 - 1 pm, CTAC/MCTAC

November 7, 1 - 2 pm, National Sheriffs' Association

The Role of Technology in Solving the Opioid Crisis
November 7, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

November 8, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

CCBHCs & Data: Meeting Requirements, Mastering Systems and Getting the Most Out of Your Data
November 8, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

Understanding the Opioid Crisis and Its Clinical Implications
November 12, 12 - 1 pm, CTAC/MCTAC

Where to Start as a New CCBHC: Lessons from a First Round CCBHC Grantee
November 13, 3:15 - 4:15 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

Using PSYCKES for Clinicians
November 14, 12:30 - 2 pm, OMH

Mitigating Medication Trauma in Complex Needs Populations
November 14, 2 - 3 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc.

November 14, 3 - 4 pm, The National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs

November 14, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals

November 15, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

CMS Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN) Efforts in Rural Health
November 15, 1 - 2 pm, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): Diagnosis and FASD-Informed Care
November 19, 12 - 1 pm, CTAC/MCTAC

PSYCKES Train the Trainer
November 21, 12 - 1 pm, OMH

Leveraging Medicaid Managed Care to Advance Value-Based Purchasing
November 27, 1 - 2 pm, Manatt Health

Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Solutions That Work
November 29, 12 - 1 pm, CTAC/MCTAC

December 6, 2 - 3:15 pm, National Association of Counties

December 12, 3 - 4:30 pm,  NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals

 
CALENDAR OF EVENTS

NOVEMBER 2018

CLMHD Executive Committee Call
November 7: 8 am, GTM

CLMHD Office Closed - Veterans Day
November 12

CLMHD/DOH/OMH/C-SPOA Meeting
November 15, 3 - 4 pm, GTM

Children & Families Committee Meeting
November 20, 11:30 am - 1 pm, GTM

CLMHD Office Closed - Thanksgiving
November 22 - 23

CLMHD Directors Meeting
November 28, 9:30 - 11 am, GTM


Contact CLMHD for all Call In and Go To Meeting information, 518.462.9422 
NYC Health + Hospitals Increases Access to Buprenorphine in All Five Boroughs

NYC Health + Hospitals yesterday announced expanded access to buprenorphine, a prescription drug to manage opioid addiction, through adult medicine clinics in 18 community and hospital-based ambulatory care centers. Located in all five boroughs, the 18 clinics will integrate the clinical management of buprenorphine into primary care, making availability easier and treatment more holistic.

The new access to buprenorphine-a life-saving office-based opioid treatment-adds to existing availability through the public health system's emergency departments, inpatient care, and specialty outpatient clinics and reflects its ongoing transformational efforts to expand community-based care. Read more here.
Now, New York Counties Must Jail Kids Separately. Some Are Creating a Non-Profit to Build a Regional Facility

Counties in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes are working together to find new places to house children in the criminal justice system.

Last year, the New York state legislature passed a law that prohibits children from being charged as adults which means they can't be housed in the same jails as adults. That's a challenge for some upstate counties.

Many counties don't have a secure facility that can house children who've been charged or convicted of a crime. Eleven counties plan to join up to create a non-profit to build a new regional facility. Some counties legislature still have to vote on the agreement. Read more here.
Application Materials Available for Fall Round of OPWDD's 2018 Integrated Supportive Housing Program

OPWDD has recently released the application materials for the fall round of the 2018 Integrated Supportive Housing program. The documents can be found on the Multi-Family Integrated Supportive Housing Program page.  These application materials are for projects that intend on applying for financing through NYS Homes and Community Renewal's 2018 Multi-family Unified Funding RFP. Please contact OPWDD's Office of Home and Community Living at 518-473-1973 if you have any questions.
How States Can Better Engage Medicaid Patients

Medicaid is the largest health care program in the United States and impacts the lives of more than 76 million Americans, nearly one-quarter of the nation's population. 

State Medicaid programs can only be truly successful, however, if they are responsive to the needs and priorities of the clients they serve-not providers, but patients and their families. Medicaid officials understand this.
However, in the resource- and time-constrained environments in which Medicaid staff operate, finding the right avenues for gathering meaningful consumer input can be a challenge.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been trying to address these challenges through its work to transform health and health care systems. As part of these efforts, the Foundation along with the Center for Health Care Strategies recently engaged experts, including representatives from across the patient advocacy world, around this issue. 

Here are some practical, insightful suggestions from these partners regarding how Medicaid can better engage patients in the policymaking and implementation process. Read more here.
Hospital Staff, Performance Metrics Can Help Tackle Opioid Crisis, Policy Expert Says

Hospital leaders should tackle the nation's opioid epidemic by supporting staff who are passionate about the issue and implementing opioid-related performance metrics, said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University, in a keynote address in New York.

"I believe the opioid crisis is not a drug-abuse crisis," Kolodny said. Rather, he said, the epidemic has corresponded to an increase in opioid prescriptions. The epidemic will take different approaches to end it, he said. About 72,000 people died from drug overdoses last year nationwide, including about 50,000 whose deaths were tied to opioids, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Kolodny spoke Tuesday at the annual Symposium on Health Care Services in New York: Research and Practice, presented by the United Hospital Fund and the Greater New York Hospital Association Foundation.

Kolodny said a three-pronged approach is needed to control the epidemic: prevent new cases of opioid addiction, treat people who are already addicted, and reduce the supply from pill mills and the black market. Read more here.
NYS Releases New Guidance for Overdose Postvention

NYS OASAS has published a new guide for behavioral health agencies experiencing high rates of overdose in their agency.  The guide is intended to help managers and supervisors of behavioral health agencies navigate postvention response in the aftermath of a patient's death from overdose.
The guide covers postvention support topics and considerations for service recipients and their families as well as colleagues and staff.  Additionally, the postvention guide provides an overview of grief responses in behavioral health professionals, as well as strategies for self-care and coping with grief reactions following a loss.  

OASAS has also recently published an 
opioid overdose prevention resource document intended to guide behavioral health workers in creating comprehensive overdose prevention programs in their organization.  
A Rural Community Decided To Treat Its Opioid Problem Like A Natural Disaster

When he was police chief of Stanwood, Wash., population 7,000, Ty Trenary thought rural communities like his were immune from the opioid crisis.

Then, one day, a mother walked through his door and said, "Chief, you have a heroin problem in your community."

"And I remember thinking, 'Well that's not possible,' " Trenary recalls. "This is Stanwood and heroin is in big cities with homeless populations. It's not in rural America."

But heroin addiction and abuse are not just a big city problem, as Trenary had thought.
While the bulk of fatal overdoses still happen in urban areas, the rural overdose rate has increased to slightly surpass that of cities.

Rural Americans say drug addiction and abuse are the most urgent health problems facing their local community, according to  a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Read more here .
Funding Opportunity: Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Rural Health Network Development Planning Program ("Network Planning"). The purpose of the Network Planning program is to assist in the development of an integrated health care network, specifically network participants who do not have a history of formal collaborative efforts in order to: (i) achieve efficiencies; (ii) expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of essential health care services; and (iii) strengthen the rural health care system as a whole. A rural health network is defined as an organizational arrangement among at least three separately owned regional or local health care providers that come together to develop strategies for improving health services delivery systems in a community.

The goals of the Network Planning program are centered around approaches that will aid providers in better serving their communities given the changes taking place in health care, as providers transition from focusing on the volume of services to focusing on the value of services. Read more here.
Apply Now: Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Education Agency Grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for FY 2019 Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) - State Education Agency (SEA) grants. 

The purpose of this program is to build or expand the capacity of state educational agencies, in partnership with state mental health agencies overseeing school-aged youth and local education agencies to: (1) increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; (2) provide training for school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth to detect and respond to mental health issues; and (3) connect school-aged youth who have behavioral health issues and their families to needed services. SAMHSA expects that this program will focus on partnerships and collaboration between state and local systems to promote the healthy development of school-aged youth and prevent youth violence.

The  solicitation provides further details about the program. Applications are due by December 24.
Long Stigmatized, Methadone Clinics Multiply in Some States
Stateline Oct31
While Congress and the Trump administration were promoting greater use of the addiction medication buprenorphine to quell the opioid epidemic, a handful of states were licensing new methadone clinics in dozens of the nation's hardest-hit communities.

In fact, the methadone treatment industry, which began in the late 1960s, grew more in the past four years than it has in the past two decades, said Mark Parrino, president of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence Inc., which represents methadone treatment providers.

Between 2014 and 2018, the methadone industry added 254 new clinics, according to data from the Drug Enforcement Administration. In the two decades before that, increases in the number of programs were only incremental, Parrino said. "We haven't seen such a dramatic increase in the industry since the 1970s."

But despite a national drumbeat for more science-based treatment for people addicted to prescription painkillers, heroin and other illicit opioids, the opioid treatment industry's expansion has mostly gone unheralded. Read more here.
Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria for Complex Care Programs: Survey of Approaches

Around the country, innovative health care organizations are developing programs to better coordinate care for people with complex medical, behavioral health, and social needs. As a first step, organizations need to consistently and efficiently identify individuals in their patient population who can benefit from enhanced care coordination and also determine when to "graduate" patients out of their programs. The Center for Health Care Strategies surveyed organizations involved in its Transforming Complex Care and Complex Care Innovation Lab initiatives to find out how they are identifying individuals for their respective complex care programs. Although this field is still emerging, the criteria used by these innovators can help inform other programs seeking to develop or refine eligibility criteria for complex care management programs.
The Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors advances public policies and awareness for people with mental illness, chemical dependency and developmental disabilities.  We are a statewide membership organization that consists of the Commissioner/ Director of each of the state's 57 county mental hygiene departments and the mental hygiene department of the City of New York.

Affiliated