Advancing Puglic Policies for people with Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorder and/or Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
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NY Health Centers Say $5M for Covid-19 Response is 'Insufficient'
New York community health centers will receive $5.2 million in federal funds to
help them respond
to the pandemic in an aid package that several health networks said wasn't commensurate with the role clinics will play in the crisis.
The funding was part of $100 million that the Department of Health and Human Services set aside for health centers in a broader $8.3 billion aid package.
The federally qualified health centers treat poor and uninsured New Yorkers and are seeing patients turn up in their offices with Covid-19.
"The $100 million is so insufficient given clinical, administrative and financial pressure on all community health centers," said James Sinkoff, the chief financial officer of Hudson River Healthcare, a network of health centers with 43 locations in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley. "New York community health centers are under tremendous strain at this time." Read more
here.
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NYS Mental Health Groups Launch Campaign to Reach Out to New Yorkers During the Virus Crisis
The Coalition for Behavioral Health and the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) announced the launching of the Strive for Five Challenge to encourage all New Yorkers to reach out, connect and comfort each other while we all work our way through the COVID-19 crisis and social distancing.
The challenge is simple: individuals find 5 people in their life who they will check-in during each of the next 30-days.
New Yorkers always step forward in a crisis and there has never been a more critical time, as Governor Cuomo emphasized this morning, to reach out and look after each other's mental health. As movement is increasingly restricted, the importance of virtual check-ins grows more important each day. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS &
TRAININGS
Integrating Peer Support to Expand the Workforce for Individuals with Behavioral Health Challenges - Part 1
March 30, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Supporting Older Adults Part 1: Honoring their Strengths
March 30, 3 - 4:30 pm, Academy of Peer Services
Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) 101 for Prescribers
March 31, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health
What's Next? The Value of Evidence from the Camden Coalition and CareMore Health to Inform Complex Care Program Design
March 31, 1 - 2:30 pm, National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs
Peer Services: Peer Providers Offer Understanding, Respect, Mutual Empowerment, and Support to Others Through Use of Their Personal Experiences
March 31, 1 - 2:30 pm, Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
Addressing Youth Substance Use at the County Level Through Policy and Practice
March 31, 3 - 4 pm, National Association of Counties
April 7, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
A Framework for Performance Measurement in Mental Health Crisis Services Webinar
April 20, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Integrating Peer Support to Expand the Workforce for Individuals with Behavioral Health Challenges - Part 2
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Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
April 7: 1 - 3 pm, GTM
Children & Families Committee Meeting
April 21: 11:30 am - 1 pm, GTM
Contact CLMHD for all Call In and Go To Meeting information, 518.462.9422
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Mental Health Needs Expected to Rise Due to COVID-19
News about COVID-19 in New York is bleak. A rising number of cases and deaths, financial havoc, social isolation and uncertainty have made many residents feel understandably anxious during this time.
Soon, that could become a public health crisis of its own. Experts around the country have already begun to see spiking anxiety and other forms of emotional distress and they are bracing for increased mental health problems.
In New York, which has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States, those mental health problems will likely be particularly acute. Read more
here.
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More Than 6,000 Mental Health Professionals Volunteer For NYS Hotline
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week that 40,000 healthcare workers, including retirees and students, have signed up to volunteer to work as part of the state's surge healthcare force during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plus 6,175 mental health professionals who will provide free online mental health services.
"We've talked about the emotional stress that this brings on people and the mental health stress and the mental challenges," Cuomo said. "No one is really talking about this. We are all concerned about the immediate critical need. The life and death of the immediate situation which is right. But don't underestimate the emotional trauma that people are feeling and the emotional health issues."
The mental health professionals agreed to volunteer their time and expertise for the hotline at absolutely no charge to callers. New Yorkers can call the state's hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to schedule a free appointment. Read more
here.
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Experts Fear Coronavirus Crisis Putting Those Recovering From Addictions at Risk
After 40 years of sobriety, Roy Kearse of Amityville no longer worries about relapsing into the black hole of heroin addiction that once landed him in prison and nearly cost him his life.
But for those still grappling with their recovery - and who rely heavily on the structure of in-person meetings and group sessions - the forced isolation sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is a nightmare scenario that some experts fear could lead to a public health crisis.
"People are afraid," said Kearse, who serves as vice president of recovery at Samaritan Daytop Village, a Queens-based drug treatment center. "During times of crisis we always have to worry about people relapsing ... So will some people fall through the cracks? Probably so. And will some people relapse? Probably so." Read more
here.
Additional articles of interest:
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GOVERNING: Coronavirus Response Resources Guide for Government Leaders
The novel coronavirus has tested the durability of federal, state and local governments around the country and the world. This list of resources is meant to connect leaders with useful tools to aid in response efforts.
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COVID-19 Regulatory Changes Let Behavioral Providers Remotely Prescribe Meds, Use Tablets for Telehealth
The Trump administration continues to loosen health care regulations in an attempt to better equip providers to deal with COVID-19.
For the behavioral health industry, the newfound flexibilities make it much easier for providers to deliver comprehensive telehealth services. Due to the crisis, the government is looking past certain HIPAA rules, allowing providers to deliver services in new ways, waiving some restrictions on medication administration and giving states more power to add additional flexibilities of their own.
With new rules coming out every day, it's likely providers will see even more regulatory relief down the line. Read more
here.
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Care coordination is both a service line opportunity for specialty provider organizations and an essential ingredient for participating in integrated care systems. But payers and health plans aren't looking for the care coordination models of the past. Rather, they are pushing for integrated models that integrate management of health, pharmacy, behavioral health, and social supports.
Leading and/or participating in these integrated care coordination initiatives is a tall order for many specialty provider organizations. There is the need to bring clinical staff up to speed on new clinical domains, and the financial management infrastructure and expertise needed for value-based reimbursement. And, there is the data sharing issue. Interoperability just isn't where it needs to be for most specialty provider organizations to be competitive in care coordination-with many stranded data silos that prevent optimizing care coordination. Read more
here.
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