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Benchmarks' Webinars This Week
Foster, Adoption, Residential (FAR): Legislative Agenda Development Webinar
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020
Time: 8:00 am
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Date: Thursday, October 23, 2020
Time: 8:30 am
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COVID-19 Stakeholder Updates
PRESS RELEASES since the last update include:
NEW resources since the last update include:
UPDATED guidance since the last update include:
UPDATED reports since the last update include:
HCBS Stakeholder Updates
Stakeholder Meetings
- Reminder: HCBS updates will be provided via email and the DHHS HCBS Internal Team will schedule face-to-face meetings as needed.
HCBS Internal Team Staffing Updates
- The IDD & TBI Team within the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services is excited to welcome Tara Heasley, IDD Consultant to the team
- Tara will be assisting with all HCBS efforts on a part-time, temporary basis
- Danielle Leon, IDD Consultant for HCBS will be going on maternity leave around the first week of December
HCBS Validation
- On July 14, 2020, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an extended timeframe for states to demonstrate compliance with HCBS settings requirements. This extension allows states an additional year, through March 17, 2023, to demonstrate that their existing HCBS settings comply with the settings rule.
- North Carolina believes it is critical that person-centered planning, individual choice, and efforts to comply with the HCB settings rule continue to be at the forefront of our service delivery system and therefore will be extending the validation period until July 30, 2021 due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. All dates are subject to change dependent upon the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 4th quarter Validation Quarterly Reports were submitted to DHHS at the end of September. The DHHS HCBS Internal Team will be reconciling these reports to gain a better understanding of the statewide progress with validation.
- The DHHS internal look-behind process was completed for 1st quarter and 2nd quarter, and LME-MCO follow-up is pending.
- The DHHS Internal Team is currently completing reviews on 3rd quarter look-behind sites and will request 4th quarter documentation once 4th quarter Validation Quarterly Reports are reconciled and returned to the LME-MCOs.
HCBS Database
- The COVID-19 pandemic delayed our HCBS Database uplift roll-out, which is now scheduled to occur by the end of October 2020.
- Database uplift testing began in April and is currently occurring in three phases; Phase 1- HCBS Provider Self-Assessments, Phase 2- MIE Surveys, and Phase 3- Heightened Scrutiny Assessments.
- Phase 1 testing for HCBS Provider Self-Assessments was completed 7/2/2020.
- Phase 2 testing for MIE Surveys was completed in 8/14/2020.
- Phase 3 testing for Heightened Scrutiny Assessments began 9/14/2020 and was completed 10/2/2020.
- Following feedback from our HCBS Stakeholders and LME-MCOs, the removal of the follow-up information/plan of action section within the HCBS Provider Self-Assessment will be a permanent change with uplift.
Vaccine Plan
On Friday, North Carolina submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention its COVID-19 Vaccination Plan. The goal of the plan is to immunize everyone who is eligible for and wants a COVID-19 vaccine.
North Carolina's vaccine plan reflects five principles that guide the planning for and distribution of one or more COVID-19 vaccines in the state. The principles include:
- All North Carolinians have equitable access to vaccines.
- Vaccine planning and distribution is inclusive; actively engages state and local government, public and private partners; and draws upon the experience and expertise of leaders from historically marginalized populations.
- Transparent, accurate, and frequent public communications is essential to building trust.
- Data is used to promote equity, track progress and guide decision-making.
- Appropriate stewardship of resources and continuous evaluation and improvement drive successful implementation.
Additional information about the release is included in our press release.
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Meck County leaders to meet with Cardinal Innovations' CEO after 2 local counties sever ties
UNION COUNTY, N.C. - The CEO of mental health provider Cardinal Innovations Healthcare will meet with Mecklenburg County leaders on Tuesday, just 24 hours after two other local counties dropped his company.
Union County announced Monday that it is ending its partnership with Cardinal Innovations and will team up with a new company to provide behavioral and mental health services.
The board of commissioners unanimously approved the new partnership on Monday afternoon with Partners Behavioral Health Management. Commissioners said Partners Behavioral Health Management aligns with the county's vision and strategic planning more than Cardinal Innovations.
"I think it's very obvious that if we were happy with them, we wouldn't be looking for this change," said Michelle Lancaster, Union County Deputy Manager.
Union County commissioners adopted the resolution, saying it wanted out. Cabarrus County commissioners followed the same action a couple of hours later.
"It's in no one's interest to take our eye off what's important here, and that's the members and their care," said Trey Sutton, Cardinal Innovations' CEO.
Critics said Cardinal Innovations has not helped enough, in particular, when it comes to the mental health needs of foster children.
"I would say there have been times they have fallen short in authorizing what we believe are necessary and appropriate services," Lancaster said.
After several discussions, Cardinal Innovations thought it was close to patching things up.
"We had hoped we were heading in the right direction and really believed we were," Sutton said.
Both counties decided to work with Partners Behavioral Health Management, which is based in Gastonia.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see (other counties) take different steps or similar steps," Lancaster said.
The official transition date has not been announced.
Sutton told Channel 9 that Tuesday's meeting with Mecklenburg County was previously scheduled and doesn't have anything to do with the decisions made on Monday.
Eyewitness News has reported that leaders in Mecklenburg County have expressed concerns about Cardinal Innovations in the past. In February, commissioners complained about delays in treatment for children and cuts in crisis team funding.
Cardinal told Channel 9 they have been working with the county and have already added almost 100 therapeutic foster care homes this year alone.
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NHSC and Nurse Corps Build Healthy Communities 2020 Health Workforce Field Strength Numbers Increase Access to Primary and Substance Use Disorder Care
There are now more than 16,000 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) members providing care to more than 17 million Americans. An additional 1.8 million patients are cared for by over 1,700 Nurse Corps clinicians. Nurse Corps also added 135 faculty to its rolls.
NHSC and Nurse Corps programs support the recruitment and retention of dedicated primary care, dental, and behavioral health providers who care for underserved patients daily in high-need areas of the U.S. and its territories.
As part of our commitment to recruiting clinicians interested in serving in underserved areas, we take an active role in connecting clinicians with employment opportunities at approved sites. After a pause this spring and summer, we recently resumed hosting Virtual Job Fairs -a live interactive platform that provides students and clinicians the opportunity to meet with hundreds of recruiters hiring in underserved communities across the country.
Share how we're making strides to impact health equity and increase access to care for those who need it most. Forward this email and use the graphics below to share with your audiences. Follow and tag us on our NHSCand Nurse Corps Facebook, NHSC and Nurse Corps LinkedIn, and NHSC Twitter accounts.
Thank you all for the hard work you do. Your dedication and support throughout 2020 has helped communities all over the nation get through a very difficult year
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Federal Response on Human Trafficking
The United States has made the global fight against human trafficking a policy priority and employs a whole-of-government approach to stop human traffickers, protect victims, and prevent this crime.
Combating human trafficking requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary effort. Within government, this means the participation and coordination among agencies with a range of responsibilities, including criminal enforcement, labor enforcement, victim outreach and services, public awareness, education, trade policy and promotion, international development and programs, customs and immigration, intelligence, and diplomacy. Coordinated federal efforts that incorporate state, local, and tribal entities; the private sector; civil society; survivors; religious communities; and academia are essential to an integrated response to human trafficking that leverages resources and amplifies results.
Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to:- GET HELP and connect with a service provider in your area;
- REPORT A TIP with information on potential human trafficking activity; or
- LEARN MORE by requesting training, technical assistance, or resources.
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NIH study tests a comprehensive model intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths in hard-hit communities
National Institutes of Health and other federal leaders outlined their vision for a groundbreaking study that will aim to address gaps in reaching communities most heavily affected by the opioid epidemic with proven, evidence-based interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD).
This approach is detailed in a paper published in a special issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and also describes the early impact of COVID-19 on its goals, and the potential for uncovering insights at the intersection of COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic. An estimated 1.6 million people had OUD in 2019; of these, only 18.1% received medication treatment for opioid misuse. To address this gap, in May 2019, the NIH announced plans to invest more than $350 million to support the multi-year HEALing Communities Study, a multi-site research study that will test the impact of an integrated set of evidence-based practices on reducing opioid-related overdose deaths by 40% in three years in communities hard-hit by the opioid crisis.
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New data on young people in foster care and their young adult outcomes
Since 2015, Child Trends has served as the data and evaluation partner to the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Jim Casey Initiative works to ensure that all young people ages 14 to 26 with foster care experience have the resources, opportunities, and relationships they need to thrive in young adulthood.
Through this partnership, Child Trends supports the administration of the Opportunity Passport Participant® Survey (OPPS), which collects information from 3,000 young people twice a year across the 17 Jim Casey Initiative sites. OPPS contains a wide array of information on young people with foster care experience, including demographics, parenting, foster care history (and justice system involvement, if applicable), and young adult outcomes (e.g., education, employment, physical and mental health, and housing), as well as youth engagement, permanent relationships, financial capability, and social capital. In addition to OPPS, Child Trends manages the Opportunity Passport® Data System (OPDS), which allows sites to record youth-level information on asset purchasing behavior, as well as administrative data on leveraged funding and policies and practice changes related to youth with foster care experience. The two datasets can be linked to allow for important analyses to examine how financial education is related to young adult outcomes (including subpopulations of young people who are parenting or identify as LGBTQ), how asset development is associated with outcomes in those asset development domains, and how different foster care experiences may influence asset development among youth with foster care experience.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday: October 21, 2020
NIMH Livestream Event: Managing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Time: 1:00 pm thru 1:30 pm
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Wednesday: October 21, 2020
A Building Accessible for All: Equity and Inclusion Principles that Assure Participation and Positive Outcomes for Everyone in the Community
Time: 11:00 am thru 12:15 pm
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Wednesday: October 21, 2020
Telehealth Hack - Telehealth Technology Trends
Time: 2:00 pm
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Thursday: October 22, 2020
Benchmarks FAR Meeting-Legislative Agenda Planning
Time: 8:00 am thru 10:00 am
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Thursday: October 22, 2020
Management of Alcohol Use Disorder
The HRSA-funded National Clinician Consultation Center presents an interactive webinar for health center clinicians. Unhealthy alcohol use remains a growing public health issue in the U.S., contributing significantly to the global burden of disease and posing challenges to the everyday practice of primary care. In this webinar, speakers will define the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol use and compare therapeutic approaches, focusing on pharmacological treatment options. They will also provide strategies for managing withdrawal, an especially important issue during COVID-19. Participants will be able to more confidently assess and care for patients with unhealthy alcohol use.
Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm
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Thursday: October 22, 2020
COVID-19 Q&A Webinar for Behavioral Health Care
Time: 1:30 pm thru 3:00 pm
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Thursday: October 22, 2020
New Certificates of Achievement: Professional Development Plans for DSPs and Other Staff in IDD Organizations
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Thursday: October 22, 2020
Mental Health First Aid: A Primer for Public Health Professional and Communities
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New: Friday: October 23, 2020
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
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New: Friday: October 23, 2020
Friday Office Hours for Providers
Time: 12:30 pm thru 1:30 pm
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Monday: October 26, 2020
Triangle: Regional Policy Institutes
Time: 9:00 am thru 11:30 am
Keynotes: Youth Transition Program Director, NC Families United - Lacy Flintall
MomsRising - Sheila Arias
Advocacy 101: Beth Messersmith, MomsRising
Legislative Panelists:
Senator Valerie Foushee - Chatham/Orange
Senator Natalie Murdock - Durham
Representative Verla Insko - Orange
Counties Include: Wake, Johnston, Chatham, Orange, Durham, Franklin, Granville
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Monday: October 26, 2020
Telehealth Hack - Building Accessible Telehealth for Patients with Disabilities from the Ground Up
Time: 2:00 pm
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Tuesday: October 27, 2020
Incorporating Youth Leadership into Treatment
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Tuesday: October 27, 2020
Provider Recruitment and Retention Training for Health Centers
Staffing-related shortages are a common barrier identified by health centers-especially in light of the pandemic. Join a session featuring HRSA, HRSA-funded NTTAPs (Community Health Center, Inc., and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved), and a health center. Speakers will discuss recruitment and retention promising practices and provide resources.
Time: 3:00 pm thru 4:30 pm
Call-in: 888-323-9689
Passcode: 7945934
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New: Tuesday: October 27, 2020
NC AHEC and CCNC Navigating COVID-19 Webinar Series
Time: 6:00 pm thru 7:00 pm
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Wednesday: October 28, 2020
Independent Living Initiative
Time: 10:00 am thru 12:00 pm
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Wednesday: October 28, 2020
A Building of Warmth and Light: Strategies to Support Rural Leaders Facing Challenging Conditions
Time: 11:00 am thru 12:15 pm
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Wednesday: October 28, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm thru 5:00 pm
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Wednesday: October 28, 2020
North Carolina's TBI Pilot Waiver
Time: 4:00 pm thru 5:00 pm
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Thursday: October 29, 2020
Benchmarks' Medicaid Forum-Legislative Agenda Development
Time: 8:00 am thru 9:30 am
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Thursday: October 29, 2020
Continuing Medicaid & CHIP Outreach During COVID-19 to Keep Kids Covered
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
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Monday: November 2, 2020
Time: 11:30 am thru 12:30 pm
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New: Thursday: November 2, 2020
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Webinar Series-Advanced Medical Home
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Friday: November 6, 2020
NC AHEC Annual Rural Nursing Conference
Time: 8:30 am thru 12:30 pm
There is a small fee of $25 to attend that includes 3.0 Nursing Contact Hours/3.0 Contact Hours/.3 CEUS
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Monday: November 9, 2020
Bridging the Gap: Behavioral Health and Oral Health in Public Housing
The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) will join the National Center for Health in Public Housing (both HRSA-funded NTTAPs) to host a webinar to review behavioral health data and resources from a recent survey of residents of public housing. Speakers will highlight how a health center dental program located in public housing integrates behavioral health screenings and referrals into oral health care. 1.0 Continuing Dental Education (CDE) credit will be offered.
Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm
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Tuesday: November 10, 2020
A Virtual Discussion on New Jersey's Direct Care Workforce
Time: 11:00 am thru 12:30 pm
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Tuesday: November 10, 2020
When IDD Co-Occurs with Mental Illness Training
Time: 1:30 pm thru 4:30 pm
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Tuesday: November 17, 2020
Social Determinants of Health in Rural Populations
Time: 1:00 pm
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New: Thursday, December 13, 2020
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Webinar Series-Beneficiary Attribution
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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New: Thursday, December 17, 2020
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-Behavioral Health
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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New: Thursday, January 7, 2021
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Webinar Series-Policy Approvals, Process Changes & Appeals
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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New: Thursday, January 21, 2021
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-TBD
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Please click on each of the following links to view details sent out from each LME/MCO.
Benchmarks' wants to be sure to make the following list handy for our members to visit and suggests a peek at least once per week to find information that may be pertinent to your agency and contracts.
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