As part of his annual tour of all 62 counties in New York, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer visited Madison County on Tuesday, which he said was taking “a lead on mental health issues.”

Senator Schumer touted the American Rescue Plan’s $5 billion dedicated to mental health and addiction programs.

“I worked very hard to get these funds in,” Schumer told NewsChannel 9 at his event. “Now we want to see them distributed. The funds on the shelf in Washington or in Albany do no good. The funds here in Madison County and Central New York and at all our clinics is where we need them.” Read more here.

Additional article of interest: Senators Push to Expand Mental-Health Crisis Funding to Cities

During the final days of Mental Health Awareness Month, the New York State Office of Mental Health announced that it has presented St. Lawrence County Director of Services Jay Ulrich with the annual OMH Commissioner’s Community Care Award.

Ulrich also serves as the director of the St. Lawrence County Mental Health Clinic.

According to the OMH, this award is presented each year in May to recognize achievements of individuals and organizations who have furthered the mission of the Office of Mental Health. Read more here.

A new report by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing illustrates that CCBHCs are one of the most effective strategies to eliminate barriers to access and provide more comprehensive care and coordination services in hundreds of communities across the country. Key highlights from the report include: i) Adopting the CCBHC model gives clinics the ability to serve more people and reduce wait times; ii) CCBHCs improve collaboration with criminal justice agencies and bolster crisis care coordination with hospitals; iii) CCBHCs provide expanded access to substance use disorder treatment, helping communities make inroads against the opioid crisis.

June 8, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

June 9, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC

June 10, 10 - 11 am, OMH

June 10, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

June 10, 2 - 3:30 pm, COSSAP

June 15, 12:30 - 2 pm, National Institute of Mental Health

June 16, 1 - 2 pm, OMH

June 16, 1 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

June 16, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC

June 17, 2 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

June 24, 1 - 2:30 pm, OMH

June 29, 2 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

June 30, 10 - 11 am, OMH

June 30, 1 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

June 3: 3 - 4 pm

June 8: 10 - 11:30 am

June 10: 11 am - 12 pm

June 10: 1 - 2:30 pm

June 11: 10 - 11:30 am

June 15: 11:30 am - 1 pm

June 16: 10 - 11:30 am

June 16: 2 - 3:30 pm

June 18

June 22, 10 - 11:30 am

June 22, 1 - 3 pm

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has appointed Dr. Chinazo O. Cunningham to serve as the Executive Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She joins the agency from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she is a Professor of Medicine, Family and Social Medicine, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Director of Diversity Affairs for the Department of Medicine.

“After having collaborated with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for many years, I am very excited to join it,” said Deputy Commissioner Dr. Chinazo O. Cunningham. “I look forward to implementing innovative, equity-driven, evidence-based initiatives to improve the lives of people with mental health and substance use issues.” Read more here.

The state Assembly has passed legislation that requires every county jail and state prison in New York to make medication assisted treatment available to incarcerated individuals suffering from addiction.

The legislation passed Wednesday, one week after the Senate passed a companion bill, and now heads to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s desk for approval or veto. If approved, it would bring New York in line with only seven other states that make the lifesaving, evidence-based treatment available to people who’ve been imprisoned. Read more here.

State lawmakers on Tuesday approved a package of four bills meant to combat substance abuse issues in New York, providing a better path for funding and boosting research efforts.

The measures come amid concerns of rising substance abuse and addiction issues in New York more than a year into the upheaval and crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose deaths over the last year are on the rise in the state and around the country. Read more here.

A new national public opinion poll of U.S. adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), finds that expansion of telehealth is welcomed by most Americans. A large portion of the population have used telehealth services; more than half say they would use telehealth for mental health services; and more than one in three say they prefer telehealth.

Nearly four in ten Americans (38%) have used telehealth services to meet with a medical or mental health professional, up from 31% in the fall of 2020. Among those using telehealth services, the vast majority have used the services since the start of the pandemic (82%). Most survey respondents are using telehealth through a video format (69%), while 38% have used phone calls only. Read more here.

Alkermes is currently accepting applications for its Alkermes Inspiration Grants® program. Now in its fifth year, this competitive grants program will provide up to a total of $500,000 in grants to assist nonprofit organizations in their work to address the needs of people living with addiction, serious mental illness or cancer.

Eligible U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations may submit a grant application clicking here. The 2021 application period will run from May 20, 2021 through June 17, 2021.

This critical report highlights the results of a three-year Quality Collaborative involving nine residential treatment facilities from across the U.S. The Collaborative facilitated the development of site-specific quality improvement goals to assure appropriate utilization of psychotropic medication during residential interventions. The outcomes of this study provide best practices for the field. 

In his first month as a pediatric intern at the University of California San Francisco, Alexander Hartman saw his first patient with an eating disorder. The same night, he saw a dozen more.

His first rotation of his first year of residency was in the general pediatrics ward, and on nights, Hartman and the other interns covered the adolescent service, seeing teens starting from puberty. One night in June 2020, there were around a dozen patients in the ward, all with eating disorders. It was double the usual caseload.

Some patients had been there for weeks, Hartman said, and were well known to the service due to their long-term eating disorders, while others were new. All of them found that the pandemic had exacerbated their stress. Hartman found himself running between the ward and the adolescents, intercepting pages. Read more here.

It’s no surprise that Medicaid enrollment increased significantly in the last year. Medicaid enrollment rose by 8%, from 65.4 million consumers in January 2019 to 70.6 million consumers in September 2020. In Medicaid expansion states, Medicaid enrollment increased 7.5%, from 48.2 million consumers in January 2019 to 51.8 million consumers in September 2020. In non-expansion states, Medicaid enrollment increased 9.3%, from 17.2 million to 18.8 million individuals. Analysts attribute the growth in numbers to factors other than job loss—people newly eligible due to reduced working hours, rather than unemployment; greater awareness of need for health coverage during COVID-19; and a pause on re-eligibility determinations during the pandemic.

With all this new enrollment, the question is how are states going to finance the increase. The unknown is what state budgets will look like post-pandemic. Between the various ARPA supports ending (many wrapping up by April of 2022) and reports of increasing state revenues due to the recovery, the budget projections may not be as dire as we initially thought. Read more here.