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Governor Hochul Announces Loan Repayment Program Expansion to Mental Health Practitioners Serving Children and Youth
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced a $4 million expansion of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to include licensed professionals serving children and adolescents at programs licensed or funded by the state. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health (OMH), in partnership with the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the funding will provide at least 400 awards of up to $30,000 to help mental health professionals serving youth repay education loans and student debt, provided they work a minimum of three years at eligible mental health programs. The Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program provides up to $120,000 for psychiatrists and $30,000 for other mental health professionals to repay qualified education loans and student debt, provided they remain employed by licensed community mental health programs for three years. Read more here.
Related: Twenty-two year study: Adolescents engaged in fewer external risky behaviors but some report increasing mental health concerns
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Medicaid Recipients Struggle to Find Mental Health Care. Looming Cuts Could Make it Harder.
Charmeka Newton, a psychologist who has her own practice in Lansing, Michigan, is passionate about serving Black and Hispanic patients. They’re often looking for therapists who will understand how their race, ethnicity and culture may affect them, she said, and she helps provide that care. Medicaid is a major source of health care for people of color. But Newton can only afford to see a small number of Medicaid patients, because the program pays her so much less than commercial insurance. Republicans in Congress are aiming to make extensive cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program that covers a total of 72 million low-income people and people with disabilities, or 1 in 5 U.S. residents. If that happens, Newton and many other mental health providers worry that already-low Medicaid reimbursement rates will stagnate or even decline. That would make it difficult for her to keep seeing Medicaid patients. Read more here.
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Inside America’s Mental Health Agency: Mass Firings and Work Stoppages Sap Morale, Impede Mission
As Elon Musk and his young engineers at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have purged thousands of federal employees, they’ve insisted they are only terminating low-performing and probationary workers and that their actions won’t impede the ability of government agencies to do their work, but rather make them more efficient. But at the agency tasked with leading the fight to ease the country’s mental health and addiction crises, many of the 100 or so workers who’ve been fired – as well as the roughly 800 who, as of today, remain employed – have observed something different. They see a massive downsizing process characterized by almost complete indifference to the impact on the people involved or the ability of the agency to fulfill its mission. They also contend that the charges of poor performance are simply a pretext. Read more here.
Related: Mental Health Groups Decry Potential SAMHSA Cuts
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Mental Health Pilot for the Chronically Homeless Shows Signs of Success on Unrelenting Issue
In the litany of mental health initiatives being tested to solve one of the city’s most persistent issues, at least one is showing early signs of success. A pilot program focused on transitioning homeless people from intensive street outreach programs into more stable community-based services is producing promising results, according to data shared with Crain’s. Known by its acronym, STEPS, which stands for Step-down Treatment Ensures Personal Success, and run by the Institute for Community Living, a Financial District-based nonprofit, the program offers a range of health and social services for people who require a lighter touch after having passed through one of two street-based treatment programs aimed at the most dire cases of people experiencing chronic homelessness and untreated mental illness. STEPS accepts participants after they’ve obtained transitional or supportive housing, employment and other measures of independence. Read more here.
Related: Building Cross-Sector Collaboration Between Health Care and Homeless Services: Ground-Level Insights from California
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FDA Warns of Misuse of Laughing Gas Sold in Colorful, Flavored Canisters
U.S. health officials are tracking a rise in injuries tied to the misuse of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, including some brands that are sold in small canisters containing flavors like blueberry, strawberry and watermelon. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned consumers that inhaling the gas for its euphoric effects can cause dangerously low blood pressure, leading to loss of consciousness and injuries. The agency flagged a number products sold in colorful packaging at gas stations, vape shops and online including Cosmic Gas, Galaxy Gas and MassGass. Read more here.
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Views of Mental, Physical Health Lowest in Almost 25 Years: Gallup
Americans’ views of their mental and physical health are at the lowest point in nearly 25 years, a downturn that accelerated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued since, according to a Gallup survey published last Thursday. The poll found that some three-quarters of Americans said their mental health (at 75 percent) and physical health (at 76 percent) were “excellent” or “good.” The number of respondents who described their mental health as “excellent” shrunk to 31 percent. Regarding physical health, those characterizing it as “excellent” went down to 24 percent, Gallup found. The highest number of Americans who gave their mental health a positive rating was 89 percent in 2012. For physical health, the peak was in 2003, at 82 percent. Read more here.
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Opioid Orphans: Grandparents Struggle to Raise Children Left Behind
Libby Walker pushes up her sleeve and reveals the tattoo on her left forearm, a three-inch square with a tint of yellow. “I love you Oh SO Much,” it says in big, rounded handwriting. There’s a heart beneath the words and XOXO to the side. For the rest of her life, Walker will wear the last message her daughter, Heaven Leigh, left her on a Post-it note before she died of a fentanyl overdose on August 1, 2020, at the age of 30. The tattoo is a testament to the enduring bond of Walker’s love for Heaven – and for Heaven’s three daughters, whom she is raising. She gave up her job as a service adviser at a Toyota dealership and instead drives a school bus – and makes occasional DoorDash deliveries – so she can be available for the teenagers. That means money is tight: her income and the girls’ Social Security payments combined are just $100 a month above the threshold that would qualify for food stamps. Read more here.
Related: Secretary Kennedy Renews Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address National Opioid Crisis
Revolutionary NYC program for addicts has fatal overdoses plummeting
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Making the Connection to Care: Oral Health and Substance Use Disorder
Oral health, substance use, and mental health are closely linked, with untreated dental issues worsening behavioral health outcomes and substance use contributing to poor oral health. Reduced saliva flow, poor nutrition, and limited access to dental care heighten risks for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD). Research shows that integrating oral health care into SUD treatment improves quality of life, treatment success, and recovery, while untreated dental pain can hinder mental health, self-esteem, and employability. Despite this connection, care systems remain siloed, with barriers like limited Medicaid coverage, financial and transportation issues, and stigma. States can improve outcomes by coordinating services, integrating screenings, and strengthening community partnerships to reduce the long-term impacts of untreated oral health conditions for individuals with SUD. Read more here.
Related: Strategies to Optimize the Medicaid Oral Health Workforce
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Less Than Half of Medicaid Managed Care Plans Cover All Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder
Twenty-eight million adults in the U.S. have alcohol use disorder (AUD), and the life-threatening condition particularly impacts Medicaid populations. Despite the existence of evidence-based medications for AUD, less than half of all Medicaid managed care plans cover all types of medications for AUD, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. “The results of this study emerge at a key moment in addressing escalating alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in the US,” researchers wrote. “Prior work has shown that initiating [medications for alcohol use disorder] (MAUD) before hospital discharge is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of returning to the hospital or dying within 30 days. Widespread coverage of all MAUD could support these initiatives.” Read more here.
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The Brooklyn Health Equity Index: A New Survey to Measure Patients’ Experience of Bias and Discrimination
In 2022, United Hospital Fund convened a task force of leaders from New York health care organizations to help coordinate efforts to improve health equity and health care quality. The task force’s findings were released in a recent UHF report. Complementing this report is a new series of spotlights chronicling how some task force members are already taking the initiative to connect quality and equity in their health systems. The spotlight series is organized in four themes: incorporating social determinants of health (SDoH) into clinical care models; patient engagement and co-design; improving capacity for SDoH screening and referrals; and investing in the community. This spotlight examines the Brooklyn Health Equity Index (BKHI), developed by SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center in partnership with One Brooklyn Health System (OBHS) and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Comics for the Brain, the Mind, and Everything Else
March 20, 12 - 1 pm, NYSPHA
Building Digital Trust: The Role of Healthcare Professionals on Social Media
March 20, 5:30 - 7 pm, NYAM
New Research on Mental Health & Construction
March 25, 2 - 3 pm, CPWR
Managing New York’s behavioral health resource challenges
March 26, 12 - 1 pm, HANYS
The Workforce Crisis: Innovative Strategies to Strengthen and Support Healthcare Teams
March 26, 12 - 1 pm, Becker's Hospital Review
Justice Center Code of Conduct Train-the-Trainer Session
March 26, 1 - 4 pm, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs
Workforce Well-Being and Resilience During Times of Change
March 26, 2 - 3:15 pm, Social Current
Medicaid’s Ongoing Critical Role in the U.S. Response to the Opioid and Overdose Crisis
March 26, 2 - 3:30 pm, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts
Peers Making an Impact in Crisis Care
March 26, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, NASMHPD
Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) of Peer Support in Criminal Justice
March 26, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
How GE Appliances Approaches Alcohol Use & Employee Health
March 27, 12 - 1 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Group Facilitation Skills for Alcohol & Other Substance Use Counselors
March 28, 10 am - 12 pm, NCATTC
New York State Behavioral Health Tobacco Summit
April 2, 9 - 4:30 pm, NYSOMH/NAMI-NYS
Improving Access to Care for Residents of Supportive Housing – A National Webinar
April 9, 1 - 2 pm, Corporation for Supportive Housing
Advocacy in Action: Behavioral Health Integration and Systems Change
April 22, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Improving Mental Health Outcomes: 59 Essential Evidence-Based Practices for Communities, Police, Courts, Jails, and Community Corrections
April 24, 1 - 2:30 pm, NCHATS
Navigating VBC Negotiations: Turning Complexity Into Opportunity
April 30, 1 - 2 pm, Onecare Population Health Academy
Collaborative Care: Strengthening Provider Relationships with Autistic and Neurodivergent Population
May 7, 1:30 - 3 pm, School Mental Health Resource Training Center
Redefining Recovery: Insights into Gambling and Substance Use Disorders
May 7, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
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CLMHD CALENDAR
MARCH
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
March 20: 1 - 3 pm
APRIL
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
April 2: 8 - 9 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
April 8: 10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
April 10: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
April 10: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
April 15: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
April 16: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
April 17: 1 - 2 pm
CLMHD Spring 2025 Full Membership Meeting
April 30 - May 2, Albany
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