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Attorney General James and Multistate Coalition Sue Meta for Harming Youth
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 32 attorneys general on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against Meta for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram, Facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit also charges that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent, in violation of federal law. In coordination with Attorney General James and the coalition of 32 attorneys general, nine additional attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of attorneys general taking action against Meta to 42. Read more here.
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ER Visits Tied to Mental Health More Common Among Girls, Older Kids
Children and adolescents averaged more than 1 million emergency department visits a year from 2018 to 2021 related to mental health disorders, according to estimates in a new study that sheds additional light on the mental health challenges facing America's youth. The analysis of data from that four-year period, released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, found the overall emergency department visit rate for young people who received a mental health disorder diagnosis was 14 visits per 1,000 children and adolescents. On average, ED visits among this group of young people represented 3.5% of all children and adolescent emergency department visits each year from 2018 through 2021. Read more here.
Related: Uptick in pediatric mental health ER visits persists through pandemic
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Current State Priorities for Opioid Settlements and Beyond: Emerging Themes from the #NASHPCONF23 Opioid Preconference
States are currently in the process of distributing settlements from various opioid-related lawsuits, with the funding intended to abate ongoing harms of the opioid epidemic through investment in substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction infrastructure. NASHP works to support states and facilitate collaboration as they implement processes for opioid settlement decision-making through NASHP’s State Opioid Settlement (SOS) Learning Network. The SOS Learning Network brings together leaders from over 34 states to facilitate state-to-state learning and discussion of emerging challenges related to opioid settlement administration. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces New State Guidance for Law Enforcement Agencies When Responding to Domestic Incidents
Governor Kathy Hochul announced new state guidance for police departments and sheriffs’ offices when responding to domestic incidents. The state’s Law Enforcement Domestic Incident Model Policy outlines trauma-informed and survivor-centered best practices and procedures for police officers and supervisors to follow, with the goal of promoting safety for victims and officers, connecting individuals to services and support, and preserve evidence of a crime, among other topics. The Governor has secured $1 million to further expand the use of the state’s Red Flag Law in situations of intimate partner and gender-based violence by providing training and technical assistance to community-based organizations so they can facilitate the filing of these potentially life-saving orders. Read more here.
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BHN Fall 2023 Issue Now Online!
Click here to read the latest issue of Behavioral Health News, which is focused on "Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment, Recovery, and Harm Reduction".
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Paying Undergrad Mental Health Workers
As colleges continue to struggle to meet students’ psychological needs, some are beginning to outsource mental health education and support duties to an unlikely contingent: undergraduates. Students interested in counseling have long provided informal peer support through clubs and organizations, including campus chapters of Active Minds or the National Alliance on Mental Illness. But now, some universities are backing such work in more formal ways, paying students to administer mental health education and programming and even peer counseling and coaching. At California State University, Fullerton, eight undergraduate students, called mental health peer educators, are responsible for delivering workshops to fellow students on several mental health–related topics. That responsibility used to fall to clinical staff in Counseling and Psychological Services, but in 2021 officials decided instead to hire and train students to lead the hourlong workshops, which cover common mental health issues, such as stress, sleep and mood. Read more here.
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Behavioral Health Urgent Care Models Can ‘Save a Lot of Dollars’ While Helping Patients in Crisis
The emergency department is often the first point of care for patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis. However, a trip to the ED is expensive for patients and payers and often isn’t the most appropriate place for patients. New models of behavioral health urgent care have begun to emerge. These models don’t replace EDs but offer an alternative way to stabilize patients and prevent avoidable inpatient behavioral health stays. “You would never have an idea that you say, ‘Oh, we just opened up a medical urgent care next door to the Walgreens. Therefore, we can close the trauma center,'” Dr. Scott Zeller, VP of acute psychiatry at Vituity, said at Behavioral Health Business’ INVEST. Read more here.
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The Fight for Control of Methadone, Addiction Treatment's 'Miracle Molecule'
A doctor, a patient advocate, and the most powerful figure in the methadone treatment industry presented competing visions for the future of American addiction medicine — a conversation that touched on stigma, patients’ rights, and a stark divide in health provider attitudes toward patients with addiction. The debate centered on a single question: whether U.S. doctors should be able to prescribe methadone, a medication used to treat addiction to drugs like fentanyl and heroin, directly to patients. While methadone is easily the most effective drug currently approved to treat opioid addiction, it’s accessible only at specialized clinics that require patients to participate in counseling, submit to frequent drug tests, and show up in person each day to receive a single dose. Read more here.
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To Advance Health Equity For Patients With Limited English Proficiency, Go Beyond Interpreter Services
In 2023, the US witnessed the most considerable upsurge in refugee arrivals since 2017. Notably, major urban areas such as New York City and Chicago have experienced a recent influx of asylum seekers, straining city resources to provide adequate care. This has, in turn, inflamed existing debates among policy makers regarding the extension of health care coverage to undocumented migrants. Nevertheless, even if undocumented migrants were granted health care coverage, they would still face an uphill battle familiar to many non-native English speakers already settled in the country: navigating a health care system ill-suited for the care of patients with limited English proficiency. In this era of increased migration and globalization, the US health care system must adopt a more proactive approach to caring for all Americans, irrespective of their languages. Read more here.
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Apply to SAMHSA’s GAINS Center Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Workshop
SAMHSA’s GAINS Center is now accepting applications for their Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) Mapping Workshop. Counties that are interested in transforming their community’s response to criminal justice and behavioral health through the application of SIM Mapping to their work are encouraged to apply. Selected applicants will have the opportunity to engage in one of two workshop series options: Traditional SIM Mapping Workshops or SIM Mapping Workshops to Develop Comprehensive, Community-Wide Strategic Plans for Addressing Opioid and Other Substance Use. Counties interested in applying should select the one workshop option that is most relevant to their work and submit a completed application by Nov. 21, 2023.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Overview of Harm Reduction - for Rural Communities
October 26, 9 - 11 am, NCROTAC
Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT): Adaptations for Youth and Caregivers Impacted by Mental Health Challenges
October 26, 10 am - 12 pm, CTAC/MCTAC
Emerging Care Models: The Transformative Potential of Sobering Centers
October 26, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
How to Use Data for Change: Improving Outcomes for Families Affected by Substance Use
October 26, 2 - 3 pm, NCSACW
Free Learning Collaborative: How SAMHSA Block Grants Can Support Older Adult Behavioral Health
October 26, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Peer Recovery Support Series, Part 9: Supporting Recovery - Who’s Who at the Zoo?
October 26, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC
Utilizing Family Engagement to Improve Outcomes in Drug Treatment Courts: In Research and Practice
October 30, 12:30 - 2 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Person-Centered Care: Applications in Methadone Maintenance Treatment and Outpatient Program Settings
October 30, 1 - 3 pm, NCROTAC
Cost and Financing Strategies for Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis
October 30, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Systematic Pathway to Integrated Care: General Health Integration Framework Learning Collaborative Evaluation Findings
October 31, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Using the PSYCKES Clinical Summary
November 1, 10 - 11:30 am, OMH
Behavioral Health Parity and State Legislative Efforts
November 1, 12 - 1 pm, National Conference of State Legislators
Advancing EDI for a More Perfect Union
Nov. 1, 8, and 15 from 12 - 4 pm, Social Current
Moving from Data Collection to Action: Improving Patient Access to SDOH Resources
November 2, 3 - 4:30 pm, SDOH Academy
Optimizing Treatment for Youth Anxiety and Related Disorders Over Telehealth
November 8, 12 - 1:30 pm, CTAC/MCTAC
Leveraging Medicaid to Support Children and Youth Living With Complex Behavioral Health Needs
November 8, 1 - 2 pm, Manatt Health
Tipping the Scales: Supporting the Intergenerational Needs of Families Impacted by Substance Use Disorders
November 8, 1:30 - 3 pm, TTAC
Walking The Tight Rope: A Discussion Of Striking The Right Balance In Depression, With A Focus On Norepinephrine
November 9, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Lived Expertise and Data Management: Trauma-Informed Approaches and Perspectives
November 9, 2 - 3 pm, CSH
Exploring Value-based Payment for Substance Use Disorder Services
November 13, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Tele-Transformation in North Carolina: Telehealth Policy Lessons Learned During COVID-19 and Beyond
November 13, 3 - 4 pm, Manatt Health
PSYCKES Mobile App for iPhones & iPads
November 14, 11 am - 12 pm, OMH
Transforming Behavioral Health: Embracing Generative AI Technology to Drive Better Outcomes
November 14, 11 am - 12 pm, OPEN MINDS
Exploring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Disease Burden
November 15, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
Peers and Clinicians Together (PACT)
November 16, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, NTTAC
Navigating PSYCKES Recipient Search for Population Health
November 30, 3 - 4 pm, OMH
Recovery Ready Workplace New York Symposium
December 4 - 5, Crowne Plaza, Albany, FOR-NY
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CLMHD CALENDAR
NOVEMBER
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
November 1: 8 - 9 am
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
November 8: 11 am - 12 pm
LGU Clinic Operators Call
November 14: 10 - 11:30 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
November 9: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
November 9: 3 - 4 pm
IOCC Meeting - Albany, in-person
November 14: 1 - 3:30 pm
Membership Call
November 15: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
November 16, 1 - 3 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
November 21: 11:30 am - 1 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Thanksgiving
November 23 - 24
Deputy DCS Call
November 28: 10 - 11 am
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