Governor Hochul Highlights Availability of Narcan at New York Pharmacies as FDA Expands Access Nationwide

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday highlighted the availability of naloxone, known widely by the commercial brand name Narcan, a medication that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose from heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioids, at New York State pharmacies. Major pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Rite Aid are expected to begin carrying the medication both online and in stores beginning this month. The drug has been available for usage by non-medical personnel to prevent overdoses in New York State since 2006, and has been easier to obtain in New York state since August 2022 due to a statewide pharmacy standing order. While it is likely that not all naloxone administrations are reported, over 35,000 naloxone administrations have been reported to the NYSDOH this time. Read more here.

Recovery Tied to Solid Housing and Transportation Access, Mental Health Official Says

It’s hard enough battling mental health issues and opioid addiction, let alone trying to do so without a solid and safe place to live or a way to get around for wellness appointments and necessary travel, Lynda Battaglia says. The Genesee County Mental Health director talked about those obstacles as she made some related requests for funding to the county’s Human Services Committee Tuesday. The number of deaths from opioid overdoses has risen from 15.6 per 100,000 in 2021 to 27.8 per 100,000 in Genesee County, she said. “We’re just seeing this increased pattern,” she said during Tuesday’s committee meeting. “And they’re highly addictive. You have the pharmaceutical ones that are prescribed and approved by the FDA, like oxycontin, and then you have the ones that are created on the streets and are illegal, and the overdose rate is just increasing across the state. Housing is one of those areas that if you can have stable housing, that is a social determinant of health. Read more here.

Related: New SAMHSA Resource - Best Practices for Recovery Housing

Bolstering the Health Workforce Starts With Good Data, Strong Incentives

Ask a roomful of legislators and staff to name the top three problems with the health care workforce in their states, and the answers are clear: recruiting new health care professionals, retaining those already on the job and ensuring health care access in the communities that need it most. “We’re all aware that these are longstanding challenges,” says Hannah Maxey, an associate professor of family medicine at Indiana University. “In fact, it is very easy to find headlines from nearly any decade that discussed health workforce shortages in the United States.” Maxey told a session at the 2023 NCSL Legislative Summit that expanded health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid is just a first step. “Once you have the golden ticket of insurance, if there are no professionals or health care providers or workers for you to see, having that insurance does not make a difference,” she says. Read more here.

Biden Administration Announces $450M for Drug Overdose Treatment, Prevention

The Biden administration announced last Thursday that it would spend an additional $450 million to address drug overdoses and said that its efforts in this area so far have been working.

"The Biden-Harris administration is taking action to beat the overdose epidemic, and more importantly, to save lives," Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff said on a Zoom call with reporters, which was timed to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day. "We know the overdose epidemic is a national crisis... We're investing billions to address addiction and the overdose epidemic and to keep communities healthy and safe." Read more here.

Related: N.Y. Officials Weigh Response as OD Deaths Hit 'All-Time High'

Death rates for people under 40 have skyrocketed. Blame fentanyl.

Feds Warn Medicaid Programs Against Wrongly Dropping Beneficiaries

Federal Medicaid officials say that multiple states may be improperly removing individuals from Medicaid, a program many people with disabilities rely on for everything from health care to home and community-based services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent a letter to state Medicaid directors last week calling out practices that they say could be leading some people who should remain eligible to lose their coverage. Read more here.

OIG Strengthens Oversight Strategy for Managed Care Organizations

Managed care organizations (MCOs) require the same kind of oversight that fee-for-service programs receive from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), so OIG released a four-phase life cycle to align its oversight efforts. A growing number of enrollees are covered through MCOs. Over eight in ten Medicaid beneficiaries have coverage through MCOs for one or more facets of care (81%). Spending on managed care is also increasing. In 2022, $403 billion—or 50%—of all Medicare’s federal funds went into Medicare Advantage plans, up from 19% in 2007. Additionally, the federal government spent $254 billion on Medicaid managed care in 2021. With so much money and so many lives tied up in managed care, OIG recognized the need for more alignment and oversight of these plans. The Office designed a four-phase strategy, called the managed care life cycle, that will govern Medicare Advantage organization (MAOs) and MCO oversight. Read more here.

Leveling the Playing Field for Rural Health Providers

Virtually every problem that exists in healthcare today is exacerbated for rural providers due to lack of resources and funding, a smaller talent pool, and fewer points of access. What can be done? Can the problems facing rural healthcare be solved? Rural healthcare executives share ways that can help alleviate specialty care access, staffing issues, and financial challenges.

Telehealth Can Conquer Rural Access Challenges for both Patients and Specialists

Access To Primary Care In Rural And Remote Parts Of The Country Is Tough Enough, But What About When Someone Needs To See A Specialist? Read more here.

Proposed Legislation Designed to Move Us Toward a “Stage 0 System”

As we move out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we also must begin to assess the status of our current behavioral healthcare crisis and the steps that will be necessary to address it. It is noticeably clear that this effort must confront our workforce shortage and also extend parity to all types of health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. In the past several months, I have written about the steps that will be necessary in each of these domains. Through a truly fortunate circumstance, we also have the opportunity to bring important innovations to the solution of our behavioral healthcare crisis. In close collaboration with the public health field, we can introduce community-level programs to address stress and trauma, while also promoting resilience and improved community and personal wellbeing. This can have the effect of reducing some of the burden on our behavioral healthcare providers. Read more here.

5 Behavioral Health Providers Tailoring Care to Specific Populations

It’s no secret that behavioral health is personal. Now, some providers are taking that one step further and catering their care to a specific group of patients. There’s been a rise in providers caring for a targeted population, including the BIPOC community, seniors, LGBTQ+ individuals and Gen Zers. These providers have prioritized tailoring programs to a particular community by hiring clinicians representative of the patients served or offering specific services, such as gender identity therapy. Many of these providers have caught investor attention. For example, LBGTQ+ provider Folx landed $30 million in funding last year, and Gen Z women’s health company Caraway scored over $16 million. Read more here.

ALBANY: Pharmaceutical students distribute Narcan to heighten overdose awareness

BROOME: Broome County Suicide Prevention Coalition plans to create more awareness during National Suicide Prevention Month

CAPITAL REGION: Capital Region officials tout overdose awareness, prevention amid overdose spike

CAPITAL REGION: Drug treatment expands in Capital Region as deaths spike

ERIE: Personnel changes, new programs announced at Board of Education meeting

ERIE: New funding coming for victims of Buffalo mass shooting

ESSEX: Essex Co. students weigh in on preventative services

GENESEE/ORLEANS: GCASA's new women and children's residence in Albion to serve Genesee County needs

LIVINGSTON: Livingston County sees reduction in overdoses

NYC: Mental health workers reach out to NYC hard hats for Construction Suicide Prevention Week

ONEIDA: Oneida County announces Anti-Stigma Campaign

ONEIDA/HERKIMER: Oneida and Herkimer Counties Exploring 911 Consolidation

ONONDAGA: Syracuse cops’ compassionate panhandling crackdown: What do you need to get off the corner?

ONONDAGA: Senator Mannion Announces Launch Of Inclusive Entrepreneurship And Employment Pilot Program For Persons With Disabilities

ONONDAGA: SU’s NVRC hosts US Army veteran to discuss mental health, suicide prevention

ONONDAGA: Onondaga County Suicide Prevention Coalition to host ‘Chalk the Walk’

OTSEGO: Otsego County offers $5K signing bonus to social workers

RENSSELAER: Troy announces formation of citizen police academy

ST. LAWRENCE: United Helpers Appearing On WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories on Sept. 12

ST. LAWRENCE: Grant money expands mental health access in Canton

ST. LAWRENCE: St. Lawrence County receives funds for mental health and substance abuse services

SUFFOLK: Suffolk County opens application portal for second round of opioid settlement

SULLIVAN: Risky business - Opioid use and dealing with the consequences

SULLIVAN: Addressing mental health and substance use disorders topic of Sullivan roundtable

TOMPKINS: Ithaca, Corning mental health service organizations to receive Guthrie grants

WESTCHESTER: Westchester DA Miriam E. Rocah Announces New Diversion Program to ‘OPT-In’ to Drug Treatment

NIH awards 5-year, $16.6M grant to advance cebranopadol for opioid use disorder

Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Receive NIH Support for Project Addressing Postpartum Maternal Health in Underserved Communities

Ketamine can be transformative for people with suicidal thoughts — if they can access it

Moving beyond ChatGPT: How generative AI is inspiring dreams of a health data revolution

How behavioral health app BeMe is aiming to connect with teens

Special Report: How Companion Animals Can Participate in Treatment of Mental Illness

SUU 'wellness' van to hit the road, offer help in Utah's rural communities

Even in the Most Depressed County in America, Stigma Around Mental Illness Persists

New Camden County (NJ) school program aims to keep students in mental health crisis out of hospital ERs

UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS

Alternative First Responder Models Can Support Youth in Crisis

September 7, 1 - 2 pm, CSG Justice Center

Getting Candid: Practical Guidance for Framing the Conversation Around Youth Substance Use Prevention

September 7, 1:30 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Addressing Americans with Disabilities Act Obligations and Access to Care in the Justice System

September 7, 1:30 - 3 pm, CSG Justice Center

State Medicaid programs breaking new ground to address the social drivers of health: A discussion on opportunities for states and implications for community-based care

September 7, 3 - 4 pm, Camden Coalition

Views From the Field: Enhancing Care for Black and African American Health Disparities in Rural Areas

September 7, 3 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Insomnia, Hyperarousal, and Suicide in Psychosis

September 8, 12 - 1 pm, SMI Advisor

NY Council on Problem Gambling: Shine a Light Recovery Picnic

September 9, 11 am - 5 pm, Bowdoin Park, Wappingers Falls, NY (Dutchess County)

New Data: State of the Healthcare Employee Experience 2023

September 11, 11 am - 12 pm, Becker's Hospital Review

How Criminal Justice Can Work Better with Therapists and Psychologists in Youth and Family Cases

September 12, 1 - 2:15 pm,

Coming Face To Face With Suicide in American Farming

September 12, 2:30 - 4 pm, NIH

Defining, Clarifying, & Implementing Digital Tools For Mental Health

September 13, 12 - 1 pm PsychU

Promising Practices for Promoting Person-Centered Communication and Care Coordination

September 13, 12 - 1 pm, Resources for Integrated Care

Behavioral Health Town Hall: Best Practices to Support the County Workforce

September 13, 1 - 2 pm, NACo

988’s Role in Supporting Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

September 13, 2 - 3 pm, Vibrant/ National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) 

Recovery Capital: Assets, Not Abstinence

September 13, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC

Opioid Use and OUD Treatment: Epidemiology, Trends and Resources

September 14, 12 - 1 pm, HANYS

Building and Supporting Comprehensive Behavioral Health Crisis Response

September 14, 2 - 3 pm, NACo

Maximizing Public Funding Streams to Expand Access to Evidence-Based Substance Use Disorder Services

September 18, 2 - 3:15 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies

Care Coordination Coming (Or Changing) In A State Near You

September 19, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

Mental Health Parity Update: Key Takeaways From the Newest Regulatory Guidance and Litigation Trends

September 19, 1 - 2 pm, Manatt Health

Enhancing Harm Reduction Services in Health Departments: Harm Reduction Vending Machines

September 19, 1:30 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

The Poison Center’s Role in Suicide Prevention: Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications and the Risk for Harm

September 20, 10 - 11 am, NYC and Upstate NY Poison Centers and the NYS OMH Suicide Prevention Center

Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services for Underrepresented Communities

September 20, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Transforming the Criminal Justice System with Peer Support

September 20, 1 - 2:30 pm, CSG Justice Center

Engaging Community Stakeholders to Reduce Mental Health Inequities in the Hispanic Community

September 21, 12:30 - 2 pm, NIH

Peer Recovery Support Series, Part 8: Ethics, Confidentiality, and Boundaries in Peer Recovery

September 21, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC

CoE-IHS Webinar: Partnering with Schools to Improve Youth Mental Health

September 26, 11 am - 12 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Using Progressive Practices to Promote Wellness & Recovery for Veterans

September 26, 12 - 2 pm, NASW-NYS

Lessons from the Field in Reducing Child Abuse through Community-Based Collaboration

September 26, 12:30 - 2 pm, Social Current

Harm Reduction, Limited Gambling and Countertransference

September 27, 12 - 1:30 pm, NY Council on Problem Gambling

Teachable Moment: Helping Students (and Adults) Address Mental Health Challenges

September 27, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Behavioral Health: Leveraging Person-Centered Approaches

September 27, 2:30 - 4 pm, Resources for Integrated Care

Healthy Families for a Healthy Workforce

September 28, 12 - 1 pm, MHANYS

Understanding the Population of People with Frequent Jail Contact

September 29, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

Key Takeaways: Survey Of 4,000 Health Plans On Behavioral Health’s Future

October 24, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

GRANTS/FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

HRSA Health Workforce

NYS Grants Gateway

NY Health Foundation

OASAS Procurements

OMH Procurements

OPWDD Procurements

Rural Health Information Hub - New York

SAMHSA Grants Dashboard

CLMHD CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER

LGU Clinic Operators Call

September 12: 10 - 11:30 am

Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting

September 14: 11 am - 12 pm

Mental Health Committee Meeting

September 14: 3 - 4 pm

Children & Families Committee Meeting

September 19: 11:30 am - 1 pm

Membership Call

September 20: 9 - 10:30 am

Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting

September 21: 1 - 2:30 pm

Deputy DCS Call

September 26: 10 - 11 am

Mentoring Workshop: Steps to Developing a Threat Assessment Group in Your County

September 27: 11:30 am - 1 pm

SAVE THE DATE: Fall 2023 Full Membership Meeting

October 25 - 27, Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel

Links to State Guidance and Updates on COVID-19

NYS Coronavirus Vaccination Information