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Attorney General James Wins Temporary Restraining Order Protecting Youth Mental Health Services
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday released the following statement after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from terminating federal funding supporting school-based mental health programs and providers: “For the second time, we stopped this administration from illegally stripping mental health care away from students who need it most. This order protects the counselors, social workers, and psychologists that schools across New York rely on to keep kids safe and supported. Children’s mental health should never be subject to political games. My office will keep fighting to make sure every student has access to the care they need and that Congress guaranteed.” Attorney General James and a coalition of 14 other attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month after the administration attempted to terminate grants that help schools hire mental health professionals, despite a permanent injunction entered in 2025, which blocked the policy underlying these terminations.
Related: Governor Hochul and Attorney General James Announce Final SAFE for Kids Act Rules to Protect Children Online
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Albany County's Street Psychiatry Program Aims to Curb Homelessness
A large unmarked van sat outside the Albany County Health Department Monday. It was there for the rollout of a new behavioral health care program to serve the unhoused community. Albany County Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Stephen Giordano says while the van is county property, the decision to leave it blank and its design was intentional. "The last thing we wanted was a van that said 'Street Psychiatry Program, Albany County,'" Giordano said. "It is seasonally heated and air conditioned. There's there's comfortable seats. There's telecommunication. We could contact back to our home base, to medical providers. We could do sessions in there, but most of the time, I think we'll be driving that, parking it, and walking." The vehicle is part of the county's Street Psychiatry pilot program. It will be used by mental health professionals to deliver mental and behavioral health care throughout the county. Read more here.
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SAMHSA Releases Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health
On July 27, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the results of the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the nation’s primary source of data on how people living in the United States report their experience with mental health conditions, substance use and addiction, pursuit of treatment and recovery status. “Today’s release represents the earliest release of NSDUH to the public in the survey’s history, reflecting SAMHSA’s commitment to advancing gold-standard science and data-driven policy, program, and practice innovation,” said SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Christopher D. Carroll. “Building on encouraging trends first reported in the 2024 NSDUH, in 2025, adolescents aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25 continued to show downward or stable trends in most behavioral health indicators over the past five years.” This year’s survey provides five years of data to examine trends among key substance use and mental health outcomes. The 2025 NSDUH provides a national snapshot of behavioral health in the United States based on self-reported responses from more than 60,000 people. A key focus of the annual report released today is examining trends in substance use and mental health among the U.S. population from 2021 to 2025. Read more here.
Related: 3 Takeaways from SAMHSA’s Annual Report for SUD Treatment Pros
Buprenorphine is associated with reduction in overdose risk, even in the era of fentanyl
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What To Do with Behavioral Health’s Paper Tiger Parity Laws
Since its inception in 2009, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) has often played the part of a paper tiger more than it has as an enforcement tool for reimbursement parity. On paper, the law has teeth. But actions to enforce it broadly have been few and far between. The Trump administration has not been keen on enforcing the law as it stands. In the last year, though, some states have taken the lead on large-scale parity enforcement actions. Last summer, the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire announced $20 million in fines against insurers over parity violations. Then in February, Nevada followed suit after investigations revealed multiple insurance carriers, including United Healthcare and Aetna, were in violation of federal parity law. The parity law was designed to prevent health plans and insurers from imposing less favorable benefit limits on mental health and addiction treatment services than those provided for medical and surgical care. Since then, these laws have not been heavily enforced. Read more here.
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4 Years Later, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Shows Successes and Opportunities for Improvement
July marks four years since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned from a 10-digit phone number to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, representing a major investment by the federal government in the nation’s crisis response systems. The three-digit number is a simpler, more accessible way for people experiencing suicidality and other mental health emergencies to reach a crisis counselor who can provide immediate support and resources. Since its launch, the 988 Lifeline has received more than 23 million contacts, including more than 15 million calls, 4 million texts, and 3 million chats. The number of total contacts increased 11.5% from the first quarter of 2025 to the first quarter of 2026, demonstrating substantial growth and demand for these services. The rise in use also underscores the continued unmet mental health needs in the United States, and the critical role that the crisis response system plays in suicide prevention. Read more here.
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The New Behavioral Health Patient - and the Systems Racing to Keep Up
Behavioral health leaders across the country are confronting a patient population that looks nothing like it did a decade ago: Emergency departments are seeing longer boarding times, inpatient units are treating more complex psychiatric and medical needs at once, and staff are being asked to manage crises that once would have been rare. Becker’s asked behavioral health executives from hospitals and health systems around the country how they’re redesigning care to meet rising acuity, and which project is making the biggest difference. Their answers point to a common thread: no one solution works in isolation. Leaders described building connected systems of care that stretch beyond hospital walls, investing heavily in workforce training and simulation, standardizing pathways for telepsychiatry and assessment, creating specialized crisis response teams, and rethinking the handoff between law enforcement, EDs and inpatient units. Read more here.
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Recognizing Self-Harm Behaviors Among Youth
Sometimes the ways people deal with pain are harmful to themselves; that’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They say there are more than 616,000 emergency department visits for self-harm injuries each year. Suicide, they say, is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. According to the New York State Department of Health’s Community Health Indicator Dashboard, between 2022 and 2023, suicide mortality for youth ages 15 to 19 rose. The CDC offers suggestions to help handle difficult, common emotions such as deep breathing and writing in a journal when feeling anxious, joining clubs with shared interests to address loneliness, and seeking counseling when experiencing grief. “I started cutting myself when I was 11," Emily Crumb said. Crumb said that’s when it all started. “I remember just being angry, and I felt really isolated, and I felt like there was no outlet," Crumb said. "After I attempted suicide, I was admitted to the behavioral unit, and I was 17 or 18. They only had adult behavioral unit there. So, I had to go to the adult behavioral unit. And it was terrifying.” Read more here.
Related: Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts
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Can Rock Climbing, Weight Lifting and Free Lattes Keep People Sober?
When Kylie Corbitt got out of a 30-day addiction treatment center, a familiar problem was waiting outside. “My entire network was all people who used,” she said. “I didn’t even know what it meant to be truly sober.” Her methamphetamine use had intensified slowly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as she lost a job she had held for a decade, grieved the death of the grandmother who helped raise her and grappled with depression. With little structure to her days, each one felt like “Groundhog Day,” Ms. Corbitt said; she would tell herself that she’d get high one last time and then seek help. “And it just never ended,” she added. Treatment interrupted this cycle, but her life wasn’t set up to support her sobriety. Ms. Corbitt, who is 37 and lives in Milton, Mass., tried Alcoholics Anonymous but struggled to feel a sense of fellowship, finding some meetings “a little judgy.” Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
From Workforce Gaps to Workforce Growth
August 4, 12:30 - 1:15 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Abuse Prevention Webinar Series: Corrective Action Plan Guidance
August 5, 11 am - 12 pm, NYS Justice Center
The “Fourth Trimester”: Postpartum Care in Rural New York and the Health of Birthing People
August 6, 2 - 3 pm, NYSARH
Peer Support and Recovery at the Intersection of Reentry
August 6, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
5th Annual School Mental Health Summer Academy
August 11 - 12, 9 am - 12:30 pm, SMHRTC
The Changing Gambling Landscape: Risks, Harms, and Opportunities for Prevention
August 11, 12 - 1:30 pm, NEATTC
Update from the Field: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Implementation within the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry and the Nevada Department of Corrections
August 11, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Motivational Interviewing in Peer Support: Practical Skills for Meaningful Conversations
August 11, 3 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Clinical Strategies to Reduce HIV Acquisition and Promote Recovery among People with Stimulant Use Disorder
August 12, 1 - 2:30 pm, MPATTC
Anticipating Policy Change
August 13, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Centralizing Training for Scalable Compliance
August 13, 2 - 2:45 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
From Paperwork Burden to Collaborative Care
August 14, 2 - 2:45 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Creating a Trauma-Informed, Recovery-Oriented System of Care Series
August 19, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Doing More With Less: How Counties Can Successfully Address Behavioral Health Crisis Response Needs
August 20, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
Building Integrated Care Teams for Co Occurring Behavioral Health and Substance Use Conditions
August 25, 4 - 5:30 pm, MPATTC
Using PSYCKES for ACT Teams
August 26, 10 - 11:30 am, OMH
From Hire to Licensed: Accelerating Your Workforce Pipeline
August 27, 3 - 3:45 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Elevating Peers and Community Health Workers within Integrated Care Teams
September 10, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Using PSYCKES for FQHCs
September 15, 1 - 2 pm, OMH
Chasing Other Dragons – Atypical Intoxicants
September 16, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Final Coaching Call: Integrated Systems Care for Opioid Use and Co-Occurring/Co-Morbid Disorders
September 21, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Creating a Trauma-Informed, Recovery-Oriented System of Care Series
September 24, 3 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
REGISTRATION OPEN - The 2026 New York State Suicide Prevention Conference
September 29 - 30, Ithaca, NY
Transforming Documentation: From Pitfalls to Best Practices
September 30, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
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CLMHD CALENDAR
August
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
August 4: 11 am - 12 pm
Executive Committee Meeting
August 5: 8 - 9 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
August 11:10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Recovery Committee Meeting
August 13: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
August 13: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
August 18: 12 - 1:30 pm
Membership Call
August 19: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
August 20: 1 - 2 pm
CLMHD Offices Closed - Juneteenth
June 19
September
Executive Committee Meeting
September 2: 8 - 9 am
CLMHD Office Closed - Labor Day
September 7
LGU Clinic Operators Call
September 8:10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Recovery Committee Meeting
September 10: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
September 10: 3 - 4 pm
Membership Call
September 16: 9 - 10:30 am
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