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Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State: Our New York, Our Future
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday delivered the 2024 State of the State Address and released her “Our New York, Our Future” agenda. The State of the State includes 204 bold initiatives to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer. “The State of New York is stronger, healthier, safer and more affordable than it was two years ago when I became Governor, but there is more work to do,” Governor Hochul said. “Every proposal announced today serves to improve our state and ensure our communities are not just surviving, but that they are thriving. Our New York is our future, and the future is brighter than ever.” Read more here.
Related: Governor Hochul Takes on Youth Mental Health Crisis with Expanded Efforts to Protect the Mental Health of Kids & Teenagers
Governor Hochul Announces Plan to Address Public Safety Challenges Associated with Serious Mental Illness
Governor Hochul Unveils New Initiatives to Support Children and Families Across New York
Governor Hochul Announces Initiatives to Transform and Strengthen Health Care Throughout New York State
Many Psych Hospital Beds Are Back in Action a Year After Hochul Vow
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Governor Hochul Announces Groundbreaking Medicaid 1115 Waiver Amendment to Enhance New York State’s Health Care System
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a groundbreaking amendment to New York’s Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration that will be catalytic in New York’s continuing efforts to build a health care system that benefits all New Yorkers. The demonstration bundles a comprehensive series of actions to advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and strengthen access to primary and behavioral health care across the state, and will be supported through $7.5 billion in funding over the next three years. Read more here.
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Commentary by Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan: "Communities Face a Triple Threat: Addiction, Mental Illness and Homelessness"
The intertwining issues of addiction, mental health and homelessness demand our collective attention and a unified response. As leaders of municipalities directly facing these challenges, we implore the state and federal governments to recognize the urgency of a coordinated and comprehensive approach – and to make sure the crucial perspective of local governments is part of the solution. The interplay of mental illness, addiction and homelessness creates a complex and often inescapable web. Individuals grappling with untreated mental health issues often turn to substances, and some succumb to addiction. As addiction tightens its grip, stable employment and housing are threatened, ultimately leading to homelessness. Conversely, the harsh conditions of homelessness exacerbate existing mental health challenges, making it harder to break the cycle. Read more here.
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New York State Announces Daniel’s Law Task Force Listening Session
The New York State Office of Mental Health last week announced that the Daniel’s Law Task Force will host the next in a series of stakeholder listening sessions aimed at gathering feedback from the public. Registration is now open for the second stakeholder listening session at the at the State University of New York at Stony Brook’s Charles B. Wang Conference Center from 4 - 6 pm on Thursday, Jan. 11, and also streamed live. Established in response to the death of 41-year-old Daniel Prude in 2020, the task force is charged with developing recommendations to guide behavioral health crisis response and explore avenues for related diversion services. Read more here.
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DiNapoli: End of Continuous Medicaid Enrollment Requirement Poses Risks to State Financial Plan
With federal legislation ending continuous Medicaid coverage in March 2023, New York state began the process of redetermining eligibility for every enrolled individual. An analysis by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found this “unwinding” may not meet projections in the Division of the Budget’s (DOB) Mid-Year Update to the Enacted Budget Financial Plan, adding costs to the state budget. “Increased enrollment in Medicaid is one of the key reasons New York has one of the lowest rates of uninsured individuals in the nation,” DiNapoli said. Read more here.
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Navigating the Dual Crisis: Mental Health, Domestic Abuse, and Post-Holiday Depression in New York State
In the dynamic mosaic of New York State, a pressing dual crisis is unfolding—one that encompasses mental health challenges, domestic abuse, and the often-overlooked specter of post-holiday depression. As our communities grapple with the daily pressures of modern life, the imperative for comprehensive support in these interconnected areas becomes increasingly apparent. Recent data from the New York State Department of Health paints a concerning picture of the mental health landscape. In the wake of the holiday season, cases of post-holiday depression have surged, compounding the existing challenges. Read more here.
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Top Behavioral Health Trends for 2024
After a tumultuous 2023, 2024 may be a steadier year for the behavioral health industry. While behavioral health deals slipped in 2023, Behavioral Health Business expects M&A to pick up this year as interest rates fall and the economy stabilizes. Still, the M&A craze of 2021 is unlikely, and mega deals will be scarce. This will be a pivotal year for the autism industry, especially, which saw massive amounts of investment in the first few years of the decade but also some major hiccups last year, including one of its largest providers declaring bankruptcy. Read more here.
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Tech-Enabled Solutions as a Tool to Address Health-Related Social Needs in Medicaid: Opportunities and Policy Considerations
Leveraging innovative technology, can potentially support more efficient health care delivery and improve the quality of and access to care.1 Tech‑enabled solutions include many different types of services or products such as data-sharing and analysis tools, telehealth solutions, electronic health records, and in-person care delivery models that incorporate technology.2 When used strategically, tech solutions can simplify a complicated care system for all stakeholders, including payers, health care providers, community-based organizations (CBOs), and patients. Drawing on the work of the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative, this brief provides an overview of how tech‑enabled solutions can help states achieve their goals to address health related social needs (HRSN). It also provides examples of how Medicaid agencies can create a policy environment conducive to supporting tech-enabled innovations that address HRSN.
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Xylazine Not Just a Problem in the Northeast, Study Finds
Problems with the veterinary sedative xylazine -- also known as "tranq" -- appeared to be concentrated in the eastern U.S. but were spread across the entire country, a cross-sectional study found. At least 43 states reported at least one xylazine-related overdose death from 2019 to 2022, Manuel Cano, PhD, of Arizona State University in Phoenix, and colleagues reported in JAMA Network Open. State forensic or overdose death reports involving xylazine increased over time, the researchers found. In 2019, 16 states had no xylazine forensic reports but by 2022, only two states had no such reports, Cano and colleagues found. By that year, xylazine in forensic reports had risen in all but three states, they reported. Read more here.
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Opportunities In The Crisis System & With High-Needs Consumers: The Most Read 2023 OPEN MINDS RFPs
Health and human service executives are looking for areas for diversification and expansion—and the crisis response system and the services for high-needs consumers are two areas of focus for growth strategies. That’s what our statistics on the 2023 government RFPs reflect—the highest RFP readership was in those two areas. That’s not a surprise. Demand for crisis services is being driven by continued demand—and there is a large influx of state and federal funding to pay for those services. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the suicide rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people was 1% higher than in 2021 and the highest rate since 1941. While the suicide rate increased more among females than males last year, men are four times more likely to die by suicide. Additionally, suicide rates increased for all age groups 35 and older from 2021 to 2022, with a 3% increase in ages 35–44 and ages 65–74 to an increase of 9% in ages 55–64. Read more here.
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Online Mental Health Provider Settles with State AG's Office
Over 16,000 New Yorkers who struggled to cancel their subscription to an online mental health provider will see some money back in their pockets after the company reached a settlement with the state Attorney General's Office last week. Cerebral, an online telehealth company that provides consumers with mental health treatment on a subscription fee basis, will have to pay more than $740,000 for "maintaining a long and burdensome cancellation process and continuing to charge consumers after they tried to cancel." Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Through Collaborative Care: A Roadmap from North Carolina
January 10, 1 - 2 pm, Manatt Health
Person-Centered Service Planning in HCBS: Requirements and Best Practices
January 10, 2 - 3:30 pm, CMS
Clinical Interventions for Harm Reduction Patients
January 10, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
HCBS Settings Best Practice Panel Discussion
January 11, 9 am - 12pm, OPWDD
Building a Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: The Role of Elected Officials and I/DD Directors
January 11, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
Innovations to Improve Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Access in Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace Insurance Plans
January 11, 2 - 3 pm, National Academies
Care Coordination for Improved Population Behavioral Health
January 16, 1 - 2 pm, NACo
Introduction to BJA’s Access and Recovery PRSS Training and Technical Assistance Center
January 18, 2 - 3 pm, COSSUP
Empowering Recovery: Exploring RCO Certification and the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services (CAPRSS)
January 18, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Transforming Communities: County-Level Solutions for Mental Health and System Challenges
January 22, 2 -3 pm, NACo
Insights from the Frontline—Police-led Deflection Programs
January 22, 2 - 3 pm, COSSUP
Rural Healthy People 2030: Charting a Course for Rural Health Over the Next Decade
January 22, 2 - 3 pm, Rural Health Research Gateway
Adopting Trauma-Informed Care in Rural Communities: Lessons from a Health Plan-Community Behavioral Health Partnership in Pennsylvania
January 23, 2 - 3:15 pm, Better Care Playbook Implementation Lab
FREE Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Specialty Providers in Capital Region
January 23 & 24, 1 - 4 pm, MHANYS
The Importance of Professionals and Community Members as Recovery Allies
January 24, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC
Policy and Regulatory Opportunities to Address the Opioid and Overdose Crisis in 2024
January 25, 3 - 4:15 pm, FORE
Responding to a Growing Demographic: Supporting Older Adult Populations within the Criminal Justice System
January 30, 12:30 - 2 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Using advances in technology to advance the understanding, prediction, and prevention of suicide
January 31, 3 - 4 pm
FREE Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Specialty Providers in Capital Region
February 6 & 8, 9 am - 12 pm, MHANYS
FREE Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Specialty Providers in Capital Region
March 13, 9 am - 3 pm, MHANYS
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CLMHD CALENDAR
JANUARY
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
January 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
January 11: 1 - 2:30 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
January 11: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
January 16: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
January 17: 9 - 10:30 am
Deputy DCS Call
January 23: 10 - 11 am
FEBRUARY
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
February 6: 11 am - 12 pm
Executive Committee Meeting
February 7: 8 - 9 am
LGU Clinic Operators Meeting
February 13: 10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
February 8: 11 am - 12 pm
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
February 8: 1 - 2:30 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
February 8: 3 - 4 pm
Quarterly AOT Coordinators Call
February 9: 10 - 11:30 am
Children & Families Committee Meeting
February 20: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
February 21: 9 - 10:30 am
Deputy DCS Call
February 27: 10 - 11 am
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