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New Survey Shows Governor Hochul’s Distraction-Free Schools Law is Delivering Outstanding Results for New York Students and Teachers
Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday announced new survey results showing that her nation-leading distraction-free schools law is already having a transformative impact for students and teachers at schools throughout New York State. The Governor’s Office distributed the survey in November and received over 350 responses from school administrators statewide that implemented bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions following Governor Hochul’s distraction-free schools law. “Our kids are finding greater success in the classroom when they’re focused on learning, not scrolling,” Governor Hochul said. “This year, I was proud to champion a statewide distraction-free schools initiative, working hand-in-hand with New York teachers, students, and parents to create a policy that works for each community across our state. These survey results are indicative of that effort, illustrating the effectiveness of our tailored approach to phone-free schools, and offer a glimpse of the success to come for our students.” Read more here.
Related: A Smartphone Before Age 12 Could Carry Health Risks, Study Says
Meta Researchers Privately Compared Instagram to Addictive Drug, Bombshell Court Filing Shows
Study Finds Mental Health Benefit to One-Week Social Media Break
| Rensselaer County Mental Health Commissioner/DCS Katherine Alonge-Coons provided testimony at the OMH statewide town hall on December 3. The statewide forum invited public feedback on emerging needs and opportunities across New York’s mental health system. | |
Intensive Care Coordination Using the Wraparound Approach for Children with Complex Behavioral Health Needs
In 2022, an estimated five to 13% of children were identified as having complex behavioral health needs — yet many lack access to needed services. Intensive care coordination provides a high level of support to children, youth, and their families, helping them navigate health and social services to address these needs. Wraparound is an evidence-based approach to intensive care coordination that is individualized, coordinates services across systems, is youth- and family-driven, and incorporates peer support. Implementing Wraparound is important for building a comprehensive array of services to better meet the needs of children and youth with more intensive challenges. Wraparound uses a strengths-based, team approach to care planning and coordination for children, youth, and their families, including those involved in multiple child and family-serving systems. It is a structured approach — not a discrete health care service — that includes four phases. Read more here.
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New York Leads Effort to Stop Plan That Could Cut Housing for 170,000
For the past two decades, Lena Carter has lived in a one-room apartment in a converted hotel near Times Square. It is where she found stability after being homeless, where she worked on her sobriety, where she wrote in her journals. Most of her $1,216 monthly rent is covered by a federal program called Continuum of Care. In less than two months, that program could be upended by a new set of rules that redefine which types of housing and programs are eligible for its $3.9 billion pot of funding, a change that many people who work with the homeless fear could leave thousands of New Yorkers like Ms. Carter with nowhere to live. On November 19, Attorney General Letitia James of New York joined 18 Democratic attorneys general and two governors in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in an attempt to stop the new rules. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces $125 Million Awarded to Create Homeless Housing Across New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul last week announced more than $125 million has been awarded to 13 projects that will create 645 units and nearly 1,000 beds of permanent supportive, transitional, and emergency housing in the Capital District, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Southern Tier, and Western New York for individuals and families who have experienced homelessness. The grants — awarded through a competitive process by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s (OTDA) Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) — are an important component of Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will help create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York State, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations. Read more here.
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State Approaches to Addressing Pediatric Behavioral Health-Related Emergency Department Boarding
The behavioral health needs of children and youth have been rising for over a decade, and roughly 1 in 5 have a diagnosed behavioral health disorder. An estimated 50 of these children and youth do not receive necessary treatment or services. Without access to appropriate programs, services, and supports, unaddressed behavioral health needs of children and youth may become more significant and require more intensive care. Pediatric behavioral health-related emergency department (ED) visits have risen in recent years, and ED staff report these settings are often ill-equipped to respond. States and hospitals also have reported increased “boarding,” in which children and youth stay in the ED beyond when medically necessary while waiting to be connected to appropriate treatment. Emergency department boarding is a complex issue driven by numerous factors and affecting many populations, including both children and adults with behavioral health needs and/or medical conditions. To address these challenges, many states are prioritizing efforts to improve the continuum of care for children and youth and address pediatric behavioral health-related ED boarding. Read more here.
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Reclassification of Counseling, Social Work Degrees Adds Pressure to Behavioral Health Shortages
Social work and some counseling degrees may no longer be classified as “professional” programs under a proposed change by the Department of Education, which would limit loan amounts and access for graduate students pursuing these fields. Loan amounts would be reduced to $20,500 per year and capped at $100,000 over a lifetime for graduate students pursuing degrees not recognized as “professional.” The changes would only affect future borrowing, not loans that have already been disbursed. It could also complicate eligibility for public service loan forgiveness. Research published by American University estimates that the changes could impact 370,000 students and chop access to $8 million in federal loans. Read more here.
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Who Launches New Guidance to Promote Mental Health Across All Government Sectors
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance on policy and strategic actions to protect and promote mental health across government sectors, marking a major step toward a “mental health in all policies” approach. The guidance sets out, for the first time, what different government sectors can do, individually and collaboratively, to promote and protect population-wide mental health and well-being. Building on WHO’s Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plans launched earlier this year, which defines the essential components of rights-based and good-quality mental health systems and services, the new sectoral guidance expands the focus beyond the mental health sector. It provides clear guidance for ministries and agencies across government to integrate mental health considerations into their core policies, strategies, and programs. Read more here.
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Inside The One Life Project: How a Young New Yorker Built a Multi-State Youth Movement Transforming Mental Health Advocacy
When a young person decides to change the world, the catalyst is rarely loud. It is usually a quiet moment: a realization, a feeling, a spark that grows slowly until it becomes impossible to ignore. For Alexander Kovarovic, a young New Yorker who spent his formative years growing up in upstate New York, that spark emerged during high school when he began noticing the quiet suffering happening all around him—the same suffering he once battled himself. He was navigating mental health challenges in silence: depression hidden behind a smile, anxiety masked by forced confidence, trauma pushed into the background, and pressures from school and home felt but never voiced. Kovarovic realized that countless young people were trying to survive their hardest moments without adequate support or even a safe space to talk. That realization would eventually grow into the One Life Project, a youth-led mental health nonprofit that is now expanding across several states and redefining what student-centered advocacy looks like across the East Coast. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
From Numbers to Narratives: The Art of Data Storytelling
December 4, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Workforce Development Series Part 3
December 4, 1 - 2 pm, MTM Services
Overdose Prevention and Response in Crisis Care
December 4, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA
SUD in Transition: 2026 Policy and Operational Priorities
December 9, 12 - 1 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Inside healthcare: A live panel on legal and legislative issues
December 9, 12 - 1 pm, HANYS
Meeting Kids Where They Are: How Minecraft Therapy Is Transforming Child and Teen Mental Health Care
December 9, 1 - 2 pm, MindSite News
Gambling & Youth-Talking About Risks and Healthy Choices
December 9, 1 - 2 pm, NCPG
Structuring Measurement-Based Care for Success: Implementation Strategies to Drive Adoption, Engagement, and Outcomes
December 9, 1 - 2 pm, greenspace
Strategies for Rural Providers in a Post-OBBBA Landscape
December 9, 3 - 4 pm, NHRA Services Corporation
Navigating Insurance and Risk Mitigation
December 9, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Social Current
2025 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium: “Saving Young Lives, Reaching Every Community“
December 9, 5 - 7:30 pm, Child Mind Institute
Thriving in the AI Era: Rural Healthcare Leaders Share Real-World Results
December 10, 3 - 4 pm, NRHA Services Corporation
Educator Café: Developing Suicide Prevention Programs in Schools
December 10, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, School Mental Health Resource Training Center
State & Local Policy Engagement
December 11, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Statewide Aggregate Rural Health Needs Assessment (SARHNA) Findings
December 11, 1 - 2 pm, NYSARH
Strategies to Optimize Patient Outcomes in Bipolar I Disorder
December 11, 1 - 3 pm, PsychU
Partnering with Emergency and First Responders: Dispatch Call Center Diversion
December 11, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Ask the Expert: Facts, Myths and Misconceptions About AI
December 11, 2 - 3:30 pm, NAMI
Bipolar Disorder Care on the Frontlines: Bridging Gaps and Optimizing Outcomes
December 12, 2 - 3 pm, Prime
Information Session: Introducing NABITA Credentialing to Elevate Standards for Behavioral Intervention Professionals
December 12, 3 - 4 pm, NABITA
Express Yourself For Public Health: A Discussion Series about the Stress and Uncertainty Facing Public Health
December 16, 12 - 1 pm, NYSPHA
Eliminating Operational and Clinical Burnout in IOP/PHP Settings
December 16, 2 - 3 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Addressing Unresolved Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder
December 17, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Substance Use Trends: The Effects on Child Safety and Family Risk Factors
December 17, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
2025-26 GAINS SIM/TTT Informational Webinar
December 17, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Investigation Topics Series: Trauma Informed Approach
December 18, 11 am - 12 pm, NYS Justice Center
Workforce Development Series 4
December 18, 1 - 2 pm, MTM Services
From Awareness to Action: Igniting Ideas for Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Clinical Practice
January 14, 2026, 12 - 1 pm, CCSMH
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CLMHD CALENDAR
DECEMBER
LGU Clinic Operators Call
December 9: 10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
December 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
December 11: 3 - 4 pm
Membership Call
December 17: 9 - 10:30 am
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
December 18: 1 - 2 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Christmas
December 25
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