Advancing Public Policies for People with Mental Illness, Chemical Dependency or Developmental Disabilities
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Buffalo City Mission to Open 'One-Stop Community Center'
In June 2020, the Buffalo City Mission will open a new "one-stop community center" at 100 East Tupper St, Buffalo. To date, the "Next Century Capital Campaign" to fund the project has raised more than $13 million of the $15 million needed.
During a ceremonial event on Dec. 19, the Buffalo City Mission accepted a $500,000 donation from Delaware North, the food service and hospitality giant head-quartered in Buffalo. The new building will be named after the company: "the Delaware North Opportunity Center."
The new, 75,000-square-foot building will be divided into four primary spaces: emergency shelter space, transitional housing, a recuperative care unit and "The Center," a community space that will serve the homeless - "and especially those on the brink of homelessness," according to the BCM website - by offering such services as legal and medical aid, mental health care, hot meals and a food and clothing pantry. Read more
here.
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As health care stakeholders across the nation seek to improve patient outcomes in cost-effective ways, much attention has turned toward the time that patients spend outside of the health care setting and the role that individuals with lived experience can potentially play to support their needs. Community-based organizations, health care systems, and payers are increasingly supporting staff whose most powerful credentials are their own personal knowledge and experiences. These workers have a variety of titles - community health worker, promotora, health navigator, health coach, and community outreach worker, among others - but the common threads that link them are their close ties to the communities where they both live and work, and the experiences that they share with the people they serve. By leveraging their personal experiences and ties to their communities, this workforce is recognized for its unique ability to forge trusting relationships - making them invaluable for engaging a wide range of populations and building critical connections between health care systems and communities.
This brief explores how this workforce - referred to in this brief as "community health workers and promotores" (CHW/Ps) - is currently contributing to the health care system both in California and around the country. It highlights examples demonstrating how CHW/Ps add value to organizations and how their work is financed, as well as emerging opportunities to scale and sustain that work within California. Although the profiles within the brief are of California sites, the insights are applicable to any state seeking to strengthen its health care workforce.
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UPCOMING EVENTS &
TRAININGS
A Value-Based Payment Approach to Address Housing-Related Health Factors
January 14, 11 am - 12 pm, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Health Management Associates
Redesigning Your Operational & Business Model For Value-Based Reimbursement
January 14, 1 - 2:30 pm, EHR Best Practices
Jail-Community Partnerships to Prevent Opioid Overdose at Reentry
January 14, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
January 15, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Using PSYCKES for Clinicians
January 16, 10 - 11 am, OMH
Screening and Assessment across the Sequential Intercept Model Webinar Series
January 21, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Using PSYCKES Recipient Search
January 22, 11 am - 12 pm, OMH
Innovations in Mental Health Service Delivery and Implications for Providers
January 28, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Capital Financing 101 for Behavioral Health Agencies
January 28, 1 - 2 pm, Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC)
Using PSYCKES Quality Indicator Reports
January 29, 11 am - 12 pm, OMH
The Future of CCBHCs: Opportunities for Expansion and Lessons Learned from the Field
January 29, 2 - 3 pm, RELIAS
Social Media and Ethical Dilemmas for Behavioral Health Clinicians
January 29, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC
How to Interpret, Utilize and Present Data in a Meaningful Way
January 30, 12 - 1 pm, Suicide Prevention Center of New York
PSYCKES Mobile App for iPhones & iPads
February 5, 3 - 4 pm, OMH
Peer Support: State Credentials, Continuing Education, and Retention/Recruitment Strategies
February 6, 1 - 2 pm, Rutgers University |
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January 15: 9 - 10:30 am, GTM
Children & Families Committee Meeting
January 21: 11:30 - 1 pm, GTM
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
January 23: 1 - 2 pm, GTM
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
January 27: 1 - 3 pm, GTM / In-Person in Albany
Contact CLMHD for all Call In and Go To Meeting information, 518.462.9422
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Governor Cuomo Announces 35th Proposal of 2020 State of the State: Addressing Veteran and Law Enforcement Suicides and Homelessness
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday announced the 35th proposal of his 2020 State of the State Agenda - addressing veteran and law enforcement suicides and homelessness. Under the proposal, the Governor will direct funding within the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program to be used to close the gap in veterans housing across the state. The Governor will also direct the State Office of Mental Health to partner with veterans and law enforcement organizations to coordinate on suicide prevention initiatives including new efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Additionally, the Governor is announcing a new partnership between SUNY and the nonprofit Modern States to further extend the Freshman Year for Free program to veterans and active duty military families.
"America's veterans risk their lives to defend our freedom, and in this state we honor them by expanding the resources and opportunities they need to lead a healthy, dignified life," Governor Cuomo said. "This year we are going to work to expand affordable housing investments, mental health services and college education opportunities to ensure we have the backs of our veterans just as they had ours." Read more
here
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Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health and New Rochelle Police Join Forces to Improve Community Outreach
In a partnership that will better connect individuals struggling with substance use or mental health illness with the treatment they need, the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, New Rochelle City Manager Chuck Strome and New Rochelle Police Commissioner Joseph Schaller announced the expansion of the County's DCMH Co-Response Program. The purpose of the Co-Response Program is to unite a New Rochelle Police Officer with a treatment professional while they are out on patrol, improving the overall response to substance use, mental health issues, homelessness and other needs in the community.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: "The DCMH Co-Response Program has already proven to be tremendously successful in other communities like Yonkers, White Plains and Greenburgh, and we believe expanding to the City of New Rochelle is the next logical step towards improving our response County-wide. By having one of our DCMH professionals working in tandem with New Rochelle Police, we will improve our ability to get people who want help off the streets and connected with the appropriate support services or treatment in a more efficient way."
Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health Michael Orth said: "The goal of the Department of Community Mental Health is to work with each and every community in Westchester to ensure that people's needs are being met. This co-location model has been an extremely effective tool in serving communities, and we are happy to be able to expand this to another major city. This model furthers the goal of meeting people where they are and connecting them to the services they need." Read more here.
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NYS OASAS Announces Availability of Up to $900,000 to Expand Prevention Services
The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports today announced the availability of up to $900,000 in funding for prevention providers to expand the "Triple P" Positive Parenting Program, an evidence-based practice shown to reduce risky behaviors among youth. Up to nine awards of a maximum of $100,000 each will be issued through a request for applications (RFA) process overseen by OASAS. Funding for this initiative is being provided through the federal State Opioid Response Grant.
The 'Triple P' Positive Parenting Program addresses youth risk factors such as substance use and juvenile offending, as well as pro-social behavior and emotional wellbeing. The Program has also delivered positive results in reducing parental depression, stress, anxiety, and family conflict, and increases positive family interactions.
The goal of this award is to build a collaborative infrastructure between prevention providers and non-traditional community partners that focuses on caregivers of at-risk young children aged 12 and younger, as well as to provide effective parent-centered prevention services through training and implementation oversight, especially for families who have been impacted by the opioid crisis. The full RFA is available to view
here.
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To Battle Opioid Crisis, Some Track Overdoses in Real Time
 Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York's
Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too.
The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides near real-time glimpses into the ravages of the opioid-fueled drug crisis. The Hudson Valley Interlink Analytic System is among a number of surveillance systems being adopted around the country by police, government agencies and community groups. While the number of drug overdose deaths appears to have fallen nationally in 2018 for the first time in nearly three decades, the overdose death rate remains about seven times higher than a generation ago.
If there's a spike in overdoses, the system will send text alerts to health administrators and community workers. And system users can see what drugs are being abused for faster and focused responses to the ever-evolving problem. Read more
here.
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Advocates Decry Veto of Medicaid Addiction Treatment Bill
Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week signed a bill into law that prohibits commercial insurers from requiring prior authorization for medication-assisted treatment drugs for the treatment of substance-use disorders. However, he vetoed legislation that would allow Medicaid beneficiaries the ability to access the MAT drug most beneficial to them without mandated prior authorizations.
Previously, commercial insurance was more restrictive, so the signed bill is a "significant improvement in terms of access and coverage and something that really puts our state ahead of other states," said Allegra Schorr, president of the Coalition of Medication-Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates of New York State. "But the veto is really disappointing."
Access is now more restrictive for the most vulnerable population, Schorr said, adding that's where the disparity exists. "We want to make sure everybody gets everything." Read more
here.
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Free Medication-Assisted Treatment Training Resources Help Clinicians Secure Loan Repayment Awards
Opioid-related drug overdoses claim more than 130 lives every day in the United States. Prevention and access to treatment for opioid addiction and overdose reversal drugs are critical to fighting this epidemic. This includes increasing the number of clinicians who are eligible to prescribe or dispense buprenorphine, a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid dependency.
Eligible clinicians who are passionate about treating opioid and substance use disorders can receive free medication-assisted treatment (MAT) training through the
Providers Clinical Support System
(PCCS). Read more
here
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Millennium Health Donates Data to Help Fight the Drug Overdose Crisis
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today is announcing an agreement with Millennium Health to provide near real-time drug testing data that will enhance efforts and targeted approaches in fighting the overdose crisis in the U.S. This donation will improve HHS' work with state and local officials on drug trends in their areas to target coordination of preventive healthcare resources to avoid overdoses.
The data donated from Millennium Health's Emerging Threat Intelligence Program will include regular reporting of drug use trends from definitive urine drug-test results obtained from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and multiple medical practice types with a unique capability to identify community level indicators of illicit drug use. This de-identified and aggregate data allow for enhanced surveillance and analysis of emerging drug use trends, providing a more timely estimation of these changes prior to the reporting of drug overdose deaths. Read more
here.
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