Attorney General James Secures $7.4 Billion from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family for Fueling the Opioid Crisis
New York Attorney General Letitia James last Thursday announced that a bipartisan coalition of states, and other parties led by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) have reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma, Inc. (Purdue) for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis. Purdue, under the Sacklers’ leadership, invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country. The settlement ends the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States and will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. The $7.4 billion settlement in principle, the nation’s largest settlement to date with individuals responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis, comes after the United States Supreme Court overturned a prior multistate settlement with the Sacklers and Purdue in June 2024. Read more here.
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New York State Department of Health Launches State Medicaid Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO) Initiative
The New York State Department of Health last Friday announced the launch of the state's Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO), a core initiative under New York's current 1115 waiver amendment, approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2024. Establishing a HERO is part of the waiver amendment's multi-pronged approach to strengthen the integration of social services and health care delivery. United Hospital Fund (UHF) will coordinate HERO strategies with the goal to functionally bridge public health, social services and health care delivery. UHF will collaborate with the New York State Medicaid Program, healthcare providers, community stakeholders, and academic partners to understand effective regionally focused approaches to addressing the social needs of Medicaid beneficiaries, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and lack of transportation. Read more here.
Related: UHF to Lead Coordination of New York State Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO)
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OPWDD Announces $850 Million Dollar Investment in New York’s Developmental Disability Service Providers
The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities last week announced the release of updated reimbursement rates for non-profit residential and day service providers licensed by the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The rates, included in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget, are retroactive to July 1, 2024. With the new rates, providers will be able to offer more competitive wages for frontline workers, ensuring better retention and fewer staffing vacancies. The enacted Budget provided State resources to update provider reimbursement rates, a process known as rate rebasing, effective July 1. This State investment, combined with additional federal funding, will provide more than $400 million in new resources each year for OPWDD’s service providers. Rate rebasing is a federally required process where provider reimbursement rates are updated to reflect changes in the actual cost of delivering services. Read more here.
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Insurers Failed to Comply With Mental Health Coverage Law, Department of Labor Report Finds
The U.S. Department of Labor found widespread noncompliance and violations of federal law in how health plans and insurers cover mental health care, findings that mirror a recent ProPublica investigation. Health plans, and the companies that administer them, have excluded key behavioral treatments, such as therapies for substance use and autism, and offered inadequate networks of mental health providers, according to a 142-page report released Jan. 17 in conjunction with the Treasury and Health and Human Services departments. The report, which the agencies are required to file regularly to Congress, also detailed the results of secret shopper surveys of more than 4,300 mental health providers listed in insurance directories and found an “alarming proportion” were “unresponsive or unreachable.” Such error-ridden plans, commonly known as ghost networks, make it harder for patients to get the treatment they need, ProPublica has previously found. Read more here.
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Online Therapy Boom Has Mainly Benefited Privileged Groups, Studies Find
The number of Americans receiving psychotherapy increased by 30 percent during the pandemic, as virtual sessions replaced in-person appointments — but new research dampens the hope that technology will make mental health care more available to the neediest populations. In fact, the researchers found, the shift to teletherapy has exacerbated existing disparities. The increase in psychotherapy has occurred among groups that already enjoyed more access: people in higher-income brackets, living in cities, with steady employment and more education, researchers found in a series of studies, the most recent of which was published Wednesday in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Among those who have not benefited from the boom, the team found, are children from low-income families, Black children and adolescents, and adults with “serious psychological distress.” Read more here.
Related: New York ranked fourth in access to healthcare professionals, study finds
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Crisis Care in Crisis: New Report Reveals Escalating Workforce Shortages
Research shows that mental health care is critical for overall health, with a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association finding that mental health treatment significantly reduces readmission of patients who’d been hospitalized for heart failure and ischemic heart disorders by 75%. Yet, the mental health workforce is shrinking. A new report reveals that states are facing critical behavioral health workforce shortages, particularly in crisis services. The report, authored by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute, known by its acronym NRI, surveyed 44 states on their workforce shortages, providing insight into how different parts of the crisis system have been affected, from call centers to mobile crisis and crisis stabilization programs. Read more here.
Related: Crisis Services Struggle to Meet Increased Need Generated From Launch of 988
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Researchers Track Sharp Increase in Diagnoses for Sedative, Hypnotic and Anxiety Use Disorder in Young Adults
The prevalence of diagnosed disorders from recurrent use of sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has increased sharply since 2001, according to Rutgers Health researchers. Their study, published in Addiction, examined diagnoses of these disorders in adolescents and young adults between 2001 to 2019. Sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications are used to treat a variety of conditions, including sleep and anxiety disorders. According to Harvard Health, consistent use of these drugs can lead to a higher tolerance for their effects, meaning patients require higher doses to achieve the intended effects. For some, a problematic pattern of use of these medications can lead to significant impairment and distress. When this happens, patients may be diagnosed with sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorders, which are estimated to impact 2.2 million Americans, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Funding Opportunities for Your Community in 2025: Corrections, Community Corrections, and Reentry
January 30, 3 - 4 pm, BJA
Funding Opportunities for Your Community in 2025: Law Enforcement
February 4, 3 - 4 pm, BJA
When clinicians become family caregivers
February 5, 2 - 3 pm, Camden Coalition
Funding Opportunities for Your Community in 2025: Behavioral Health
February 5, 3 - 4 pm, BJA
FREE Getting the Grant Workshop - In-Person - Ithaca, NY
February 6, 8 am - 4 pm, Appalachian Regional Commission
Funding Opportunities for Your Community in 2025: Community-Based Organizations
February 6, 3 - 4 pm, BJA
Financing Strategies for Community-Based Organizations
February 6, 4 - 5 pm, SAMHSA
Key Considerations in Supporting Parents with Intellectual Disabilities and Specific Learning Disabilities
February 11, 10 - 11:30 am, TTAC
Navigating Concerns on Youth Crime, Violence, and Behavioral Health: 3 Steps to Take Series
February 11, 2 - 3 pm, CSG Justice Center
Trans 101: Creating a Safe and Affirming Environment for Transgender Consumers
February 11, 2 - 3:30 pm, NYSOMH
The Power of Collaboration: Aligning Perspectives to Build with Purpose
February 11, 2 - 3 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Supporting African Americans in Treatment and Recovery: Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (MAUD)
February 13, 3 - 4 pm, PCSS
Providing Quality Treatment Programming: What It Means to Ensure Fidelity to the Treatment Model
February 18, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMSA's GAINS Center
Wellness and Resilience in Rural Communities: An Overview of Rural Minds
February 19, 12 - 1 pm, OMH/SPCNY
Overcoming Workforce Challenges in Behavioral Health Care
February 26, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Justice Center Code of Conduct Train-the-Trainer Session
February 26, 1 - 4 pm, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs
Conducting Cultural Assessments: Engaging and Providing Treatment for Justice-Involved Individuals from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ Communities
February 26, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Forging Partnerships Between Schools and the Crisis-Coordinated System of Care
February 27, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Youth and the Legalization of Marijuana
March 12, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Justice Center Code of Conduct Train-the-Trainer Session
March 26, 1 - 4 pm, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs
Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) of Peer Support in Criminal Justice
March 26, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
New York State Behavioral Health Tobacco Summit
April 2, 9 - 4:30 pm, NYSOMH/NAMI-NYS
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CLMHD CALENDAR
FEBRUARY
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
February 5: 8 - 9 am
AOT Coordinators Call
February 7: 10 - 11:30 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
February 11: 10 - 11 am
LGU Billing Staff Call
February 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
February 13: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
February 13: 3 - 4 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Presidents' Day
February 17
Children & Families Committee Meeting
February 18: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
February 19: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
February 20: 1 - 2 pm
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