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Governor Hochul Proclaims May ‘Mental Health Awareness Month’ Throughout New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday recognized May as Mental Health Awareness Month throughout New York State, issuing a proclamation, and directing that 15 state buildings and landmarks be illuminated in green at dusk this evening to raise awareness around mental and behavioral health care. The lighting highlights the Governor’s landmark $1 billion mental health plan, which adds capacity system-wide, expands existing programs with a record of success, funds new evidence-based initiatives and increases direct engagement at every stage of service over multiple years. Read more here.
Related: NACo - Commission co-chairs discuss how counties can better treat mental health
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Novel Study Quantifies Immense Economic Costs of Mental Illness in The U.S.
Mental illness costs the U.S. economy $282 billion annually, which is equivalent to the average economic recession, according to a new study co-authored by Yale economist Aleh Tsyvinski. The first-of-its-kind study integrates psychiatric scholarship with economic modeling to better understand the macroeconomic effects of mental illness in the United States. The study was prepared as a working paper of the National Bureau of Research, a private nonprofit organization that includes researchers from leading U.S. universities, economics professional organizations, and the business and labor communities. The $282 billion estimate — which amounts to about 1.7% of the country’s aggregate consumption — is about 30% larger than previous approximations of mental illness’s overall cost in epidemiological studies. Read more here.
Related: Mental Health Client-Level Data (MH-CLD) 2022: Data on Clients Receiving Mental Health Treatment Services Through State Mental Health Agencies
Share of Patients with Mental Health Diagnoses Rose 40 Percent Nationally from 2019 to 2023, according to New FAIR Health Study
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Governor Hochul Launches New York State Healthcare Workers for Our Future Scholarship Program
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced the New York State Healthcare Workers for Our Future Scholarship. This new scholarship program provides a two-year full cost of attendance scholarship to approximately 500 New York State students seeking to earn their associate or bachelor's degree as a Registered Nurse, Respiratory Therapist, Clinical Laboratory Technologist, Radiologic Technologist, or Surgical Technologist. The scholarship supports and empowers future healthcare workers who are committed to providing critical healthcare services in under and unserved communities throughout New York State. Read more here.
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Biden-Harris Administration Releases Data Recommendations to Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce
Last week, HHS and DOL released recommendations to improve data infrastructure on the workforce delivering home- and community-based services (HCBS) in response to President Biden’s Care Executive Order. The importance of these workers to the United States economy, combined with the increasing demand for services and persistent job quality, recruitment, and retention challenges in the sector make it critical that policymakers have data that can be used to support the HCBS workforce and track the impacts of policy changes over time. Improving Data on the Workforce Delivering Home and Community-Based Services summarizes the process that an HHS-DOL workgroup used to review data on the HCBS workforce and identifies five major recommendations that, if implemented, will significantly improve data and information on this workforce. Read more here.
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Mental Health Crisis Centers and Empath Units: Offering Care That Busy ERs Can’t
On a spring afternoon in Tucson, Ariz., about a half dozen children and teens hung out in the sunny common room of Pima County’s Crisis Response Center. Beyond the pastel-painted room stretched a long, wide hall where partitions separated individual beds, many left unmade with rumpled sheets. Wearing scrubs, the kids sat in rocking chairs, watched TV, talked and laughed. A pair of teen girls played a card game. Outside the large windows was a walled patio where they could play cornhole or have water balloon fights in the open air. Chalk drawings depicting stars and flowers covered the patio walls. On the other side of the building, adults in crisis rested in recliner chairs in a more subdued setting. Some patients slept, others watched TV. Like the kids, they could opt to attend daily group sessions on emotional processing, coping skills, and art expression. Read more here.
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‘A Broken System’: Affordability Is Worsening In the Hudson Valley
NEWBURGH — The Hudson Valley’s housing affordability crisis has led to fewer homes for a changing demographic, leaving would-be homeowners in rentals, seniors aging in place in homes they wish they could downsize, and a growing number of people without a home at all. For tenants, just staying in place has become a battle: Over the past four years, rents have outpaced wages by double in nearly every county in the region, according to Adam Bosch, president and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a research nonprofit. Bosch shared data from its 2023 “Out of Reach” report, which looks at economic and demographic data to assess affordability and livability in the region. In Dutchess County, from 2022 to 2023, wages for renters went up 5% and rent rose 12%. Rents roughly doubled wages year-over-year in Ulster, Orange and Columbia counties as well, extending a trend that goes back at least to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
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Justice Dept. Recommends Easing Restrictions on Marijuana
The Justice Department said on Tuesday that it had recommended easing restrictions on marijuana in what could amount to a major change in federal policy. Even though the move, which kicks off a lengthy rule-making process, does not end the criminalization of the drug, it is a significant shift in how the government views the safety and use of marijuana for medical purposes. It also reflects the Biden administration’s effort to liberalize marijuana policy in a way that puts it more in line with the public as increasingly more Americans favor legalizing the drug. It could also lead to the softening of other laws and regulations that account for the use or possession of cannabis, including sentencing guidelines, banking and access to public housing. Read more here.
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Study Looks At Teens Who Deny Suicidal Thoughts, But Later Die by Suicide
Nearly 1 in 3 teens with depression who deny having thoughts of suicide or self-harm on a commonly used mental health screening questionnaire go on to kill or harm themselves in the following months, a new analysis suggests. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, looked at 13-to-17-year-olds with depression diagnoses who answered Question 9 of the Personal Health Questionnaire (PHQ), which is used to screen for depression severity, before intentionally harming or killing themselves between 2009 and 2017. Read more here.
Related: Language that could be clues to suicide differ between men and women, study finds
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Homelessness Is Especially Hard on Children. Making Music Helps.
“We’re going to be making a beat,” Dannyele Crawford said as the kids settled noisily into their seats at a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. “I want you to imagine that you live on another planet. The beat is going to be based off that.” Six-year-old Bella Diaz and the other five children in a room lined with computers donned headphones and began choosing from hundreds of audio loops in the music software program GarageBand. The room filled with clashing, tinny riffs leaking from headsets as the pint-size producers danced and bobbed in their seats. What the children did not know this recent Monday afternoon was that Ms. Crawford, 27, is not just a teacher. She is a music therapist, there to help children deal with the stress of not having a permanent place to call home. Since 2015, therapists who work for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music have made regular visits to the 158-family shelter in the Brownsville neighborhood, run by the nonprofit Camba. Read more here.
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What You Need to Know About Medicaid Managed Care, Amid the New Federal Rules
New federal rules released last week strengthen managed care access standards, including establishing national maximum wait times for routine primary care, OB/GYN, and behavioral health appointments. Managed care is the most common delivery system for Medicaid. Most states (42, including DC) use comprehensive managed care plans to provide care to at least some of their Medicaid enrollees, according to KFF’s updated explainer. Historically, states have had broad flexibility in defining and enforcing network adequacy standards for managed care organizations. Under the new federal rules, states will be required to monitor and enforce key standards for improving access to care. The effects of these rule changes will be implemented over time and may have significant implications for states, plans and enrollees. Read more here.
Related: 10 Things to Know About Medicaid Managed Care
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Biden Plan to Reduce Medicaid Appointment Wait Times Faces Pushback
The Biden administration wants to make sure Medicaid enrollees don't have to wait too long to see a doctor, but state officials and health insurers that administer the program argue a new plan to speed up appointment wait times is unrealistic. Low-income patients and people with disabilities served by Medicaid historically have faced longer wait times for appointments, partly because providers are less willing to accept the program's typically lower reimbursement rates compared with private insurance. Read more here.
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National Forum Shows Overdose Fatality Review Community of Practice Growing, Influence and Impact Widening
The 2024 National Forum on Overdose Fatality Review (OFR), held March 5–6 in Atlanta, Georgia, showed OFRs at a new point in their evolution: as communities nationwide increasingly put them at the center of their substance use responses, the OFR Community of Practice is strengthening both its post-overdose support for children, youth, and other next of kin (NOK) and its capacity to address the needs of traditionally underserved populations, such as tribal groups, rural Americans, and the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly as the understanding of trauma grows and, with it, the definition of inclusive communities. And, as the forum made clear, OFRs—confidential death reviews conducted by multidisciplinary teams to improve overdose prevention strategies—are proactively enlisting the assistance of law enforcement partners to help guide those efforts. Read more here.
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OPWDD Wants To Hear From You: Register to Attend A 2024 Strategic Planning Forum!
OPWDD recently announced the schedule for its 2024 Strategic Planning Forums, where agency staff will be traveling across New York State to hear feedback on OPWDD's Strategic Plan and work to date. Forums will focus on providing a brief update on work on the 2023 – 2027 OPWDD Strategic Plan. This year a question-and-answer period has been added, where the OPWDD team will answer pre-submitted by participants and, as in past years, the session will end with a public comment period where attendees can share thoughts with OPWDD leadership and staff. To join a forum visit the OPWDD website to register, submit questions, and sign up for public comment. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $25 Million in Capital Awards to Support Delivery of Critical Services to New Yorkers
Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday announced an initial round of nearly $25 million in capital grants to 70 nonprofit human services organizations through the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP). Administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, NICIP provides capital grants of up to $500,000 to empower nonprofits across the state to undertake projects that improve the delivery of critical services to New Yorkers. Additional NICIP awards will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming months. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Implicit Bias: Using Brain Science To Understand, Recognize and Counter It
May 2, 2 - 3:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Connecting Services for Improved Outcomes: Riverside County’s Integrated Services Delivery Initiative
May 8, 1 - 2 pm, NACo
Screens and Young Children: Strengths-Based Approaches to Support Early Mental and Relational Health
May 8, 2 - 3:30 pm, TTAC
Consumer Perspectives on the Camden Coalition care Management RCT Study Findings
May 9, 12 - 1 pm, Camden Coalition
Beyond Stigma: Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors in Teens
May 9, 12 - 1 pm, The JED Foundation
Rapid Social Care Delivery System Evolution: The Partners In Care Foundation Case Study
May 9, 1 - 2 pm, OPEN MINDS
OMH, OASAS, and NYS Education Department Office of Professions Joint Presentation on Professional Scope of Practice FAQs
May 9, 1:30 - 3 pm, OMH, OASAS, NYSED
Rehabilitation Through Innovation - Practices Related to Addiction and Recovery that Lead to Hope and Resiliency
May 14, 1 - 3 pm, Opioid Affected Youth Initiative
Final Medicaid Rules, Part One: Access, Enrollee Engagement, and Provider Payment Transparency
May 14, 3 - 4 pm, Manatt Health
2024 System of Care Virtual Summit
May 14 - 16, 12 - 5 pm, NCCTAC
Advancing Equity in Adoption Through Innovative Provider Payments and Data-Driven Policy Changes
May 15, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Connecting the Continuum: How Prevention and Harm Reduction Connect
May 15, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC
Innovative Approaches for Improving the Transition from Hospitals to Schools: Supporting Youth During and Following a Suicide-Related Crisis
May 16, 12 - 1 pm, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Workforce Strategies That Drive Financial Sustainability: The New Vista Case Study
May 16, 1 - 2 pm, OPEN MINDS
Identifying Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in a Death Investigation
May 16, 2 - 3 pm, OMH SPCNY
Starting the Conversation About Teen Social Media Use with Help from the Family Media Plan
May 17, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS) Utilization Review (UR) Webinar
May 20, 2 - 3 pm, MCTAC
Call-to-Action for Building the Home-and Community-Based Services Workforce Data Infrastructure
May 21, 1 - 2 pm, National Council on Aging
Final Medicaid Rules, Part Two: Managed Care Payments, Quality, and Oversight
May 21, 3 - 4 pm, Manatt Health
Unifying Vision, Unifying Mission: The Data-Driven Future Of Behavioral Health
May 21, 3 - 4 pm, OPEN MINDS
Care Coordination For Adult Patients With SMI – From Inpatient To Outpatient
May 22, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Combating Self-Stigma In Persons With Serious Mental Illness (SMI) With Narrative Enhancement & Cognitive Therapy (NECT)
May 22, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Peer Recovery Support Series: Taking the First Steps Together — Best Practices for Supporting Peer-Staff and Parents in Recovery
May 23, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Utilizing Trauma-Informed Approaches to Support Transition-Age Youth (TAY) in the Criminal Justice System
May 30, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Final Medicaid Rules, Part Three: Home and Community Based Services
June 4, 1 - 4 pm, Manatt Health
Translating EDI Practice Into Action: Cultural Humility
June 6, 12 - 1 pm, Social Current
4th Annual Ask a Medicaid Managed Care Plan (MMCP): Billing Event
June 11, 10 am - 3 pm, Albany Capital Center
Meeting the Needs: Aging Patients Facing Long-term Homelessness
June 12, 2 - 3:30 pm, Corporation for Supportive Housing
Introduction to Psychedelics for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder
June 13, 1 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Transitions of Care in Mental Health
June 18, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
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CLMHD CALENDAR
MAY
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
May 7: 11 am - 12 pm
CLMHD Spring Full Membership Meeting
May 8 - 10, Lake George, NY
LGU Clinic Operators Meeting
May 14: 10 - 11:30 am
Membership Call
May 15: 9 - 10:30 am
Children & Families Committee Meeting
May 21: 11:30 am - 1 pm
LSP Support Session
May 23: 1 - 2:30 pm
JUNE
Executive Committee Meeting
June 5: 8 - 9 am
AOT Coordinators Meeting
June 7: 10 - 11:30 am
LGU Clinic Operators Meeting
June 11: 10 - 11:00 am
Membership Call
June 12: 9 - 10:30 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
June 13: 11 am - 12 pm
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
June 13: 1 - 2:30 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
June 13: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
June 18: 11:30 am - 1 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Juneteenth
June 19
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
June 20: 1 - 3 pm
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