The network will be facilitated by the Central New York Behavioral Health Care Collaborative, a network of over 35 behavioral and physical health providers specializing in substance use, and, will serve Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, and Oneida counties. Read more here.

Additional article of interest: Treatment Centers Reeling from Record Addictions, Overdoses See Funding Boost from New York State

It’s been a year since New York City students experienced a normal day of school. As the pandemic abruptly turned life upside down around the world, roughly a million public school kids in NYC were thrust into a wildly inconsistent learning environment, with repeated openings and closings of school buildings and systemwide shifts to online learning as COVID-19 rates surge. The uncertainty amidst the pandemic has caused widespread reports of stress, anxiety and intense mental anguish among students -- with no definitive end in sight.

One second grader anxiously asks her mom every morning if she’s gotten a call from school about another case that shuts down the building. A teenager who enjoys remote learning has lost crucial engagement and socialization skills, preferring to tackle assignments alone in his bedroom and avoiding group projects. Another student said he has stopped commuting to Brooklyn Tech’s campus because his parents are worried about the rise in anti-Asian bias crimes and prefer to keep him home. Read more here.

Probation departments have used specialized caseloads for years as a way to tailor supervision and better address the specific needs of people at a high risk to reoffend or who belong to certain populations. With these focused caseloads, officers are able to

dedicate more time and attention to their cases while also applying targeted supervision and treatment strategies designed to reduce recidivism among their clients.

Many criminal justice leaders are now beginning to look to specialized caseloads as a tool for reducing recidivism among people who have mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders—referred

to in this brief as having co-occurring disorders. These individuals, who usually require extensive treatment and services to address their needs, also benefit from a combination of specially trained probation staff working with behavioral health professionals to apply evidence-based practices—a hallmark of specialized caseloads. Read more here.

This program provides funding for state, local, and tribal governments to enhance or implement performance-based and outcomes-based contracts with reentry, permanent supportive housing, or recovery housing providers to reduce recidivism and address the substance use disorders impacting formerly incarcerated people. Read more here.

Grants.gov Deadline: April 16, 2021

JustGrants Application Deadline: April 30, 2021

March 22, 1 - 2:30 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

March 23, 1 - 2 pm, The National Center for Complex and Social Needs

March 25, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

March 25, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

March 25, 3:30 - 5 pm, National Council for Behavioral Health

March 30, 1 - 1:30 pm, NIMH

April 6, 3 - 4:30 pm, OMH

April 7, 10 11 am, OMH

April 14, 2 - 3 pm, OMH

April 19, 2 - 3:30 pm, CCSI

April 20, 1 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

April 11, 10 - 11 am, OMH

April 27, 10 - 11:30 am, OMH

April 1: 2 - 3 pm, GTM

Bello was joined by Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services Corinda Crossdale, Undersheriff Korey Brown, Fairport Police Chief Sam Farina, and Office of Mental Health Director Dr. April Aycock. Read more here.

Additional articles of interest: FIT team's role often misunderstood

On Thursday, the Senate passed the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT). Sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar, this legislation (S.2836) limits the use of segregated confinement for all incarcerated persons to 15 days, implements alternative rehabilitative measures, including the creation of Residential Rehabilitation Units (RRU), expands the definition of segregated confinement, and eliminates the use of segregated confinement for vulnerable incarcerated populations. Additionally, this bill establishes guidelines for humane conditions in segregated confinement, outlines reporting requirements, and adds due process protections by prohibiting placement in segregated confinement prior to a disciplinary hearing and by allowing access to counsel. Read more here.

Additional article of interest: Halt, INSET, and Cahoots: A Mental Health Advocate’s Wishlist

Assemblyman Harry Bronson is sponsoring a bill that would give mental health counselors the ability to diagnose patients. Currently, all mental health counselors in New York state can’t legally diagnose patients without a psychiatrist or other provider signing off.

Bronson said this bill will make mental health in general more accessible and equitable. “If we are able to allow those folks to offer diagnosis in all parts of the state, that’s gonna address the mental health shortage that we currently have,” he said.

Deanna Ferguson is a lead therapist at the Rochester Mental Health Center. She said mental health counselors in NYS have been fighting for a bill like this for a long time. Read more here.

A groundbreaking new report from the Committee on Psychiatry and the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry and released by the National Council for Behavioral Health, outlines the steps we must take now – before the launch of 9-8-8 – to ensure people in crisis receive the high-quality behavioral health services they need. The report, “Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System,” provides a detailed vision for communities creating mental health crisis systems to guide this important work. Read the full report or the executive summary.

Eligible patients had received an OUD medication at least once and had at least 1 prior alcohol-related hospital admission. Patients entered the cohort at the first event subsequent to first initiation of OUD. Read more here.

Healthcare reformers try to convince us that transforming our giant healthcare system is achievable. A recent effort in Health Affairs starts by framing the magnitude – our $3.7 trillion healthcare system is larger than the total economy of all but three countries – and then suggests we chip away at the excess 1% at a time. This will hopefully add up to big change eventually.

While this may not reassure many people, it does reinforce an important point. Advocates for change must stay realistic. Strategic plans are essential but insufficient. Attend to practical issues. For instance, are all key players at the leadership table? This question has relevance in my work toward consolidation with primary care. Where are the psychiatrists? Can reform succeed without them? Read more here.

Based in New York State, Partners Health Plan is a managed care organization that is solely dedicated to providing support and services for persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Read more here.

Study data published in Psychiatric Services outline mental health care providers’ perspectives on telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a survey conducted at 18 mental health centers around the United States, a significant proportion of providers endorsed the use of telepsychiatry, citing flexible scheduling and timely start as advantages. Over half (64%) of survey participants indicated that they planned to continue using telepsychiatry in some capacity after the resolution of the pandemic. Read more here.

HELENA, Mont. — When the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation began offering telehealth services in Montana in early February, the nation’s largest nonprofit addiction treatment provider promised quality care for far-flung residents without their even having to leave home.

That promise was what Montana and more than 40 other states had in mind when they temporarily relaxed rules restricting telehealth services and allowed out-of-state providers to hold remote patient visits for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic.

A year into the pandemic, telehealth has become widely accepted. Some states are now looking to make permanent the measures that have fueled its growth. But with it have come some unintended consequences, such as a rise in fraud, potential access problems for vulnerable groups and conflicts between out-of-state and in-state health providers. Read more here.

With the impact of the pandemic, particularly on young people, deficiencies and lack of capacity in the mental health system have been brought to light. Like other aspects of the pandemic, this has disproportionally impacted communities of color. Youth with mental health concerns are brought to emergency departments (ED) as a last resort for mental health emergencies. As the number of children presenting with stress, anxiety, and depression has skyrocketed throughout the country, EDs are overwhelmed and struggling to adjust and cope with the need for psychiatric services. Many ED providers feel inadequately trained or prepared to manage this incredible demand. Read more here.

Additional article of interest: Study provides insight about development, mental health of underserved ethnically diverse children

Joe Dan Beavers, President and Chief Executive Officer of LifeSkills, Inc. and Carolyn Spence, Chief Information Officer of Alexander Youth Network (AYN) presented case studies of their organizations—and their current (and ongoing) journey from fee-for-service models to reimbursement based on value. Both executives outlined their path to success and their investments in technology—and both agreed that it’s not the technology per se, but the data that is the linchpin. Read more here.