Governor Hochul and Common Sense Media Announce Endorsement on Behalf of 80,000 Parents, Kids and Educators for ‘Bell-to-Bell’ Distraction-Free Schools Proposal

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday joined Common Sense Media to announce a letter to State lawmakers calling for the Governor’s “bell-to-bell” distraction-free schools proposal on behalf of Common Sense Media’s network of 80,000 parents, kids and educators across New York. The full letter can be found here. In the letter, Common Sense Media specifically called for passage of the Governor’s full proposal, which will put commonsense “bell-to-bell” restrictions on smartphones and other internet-enabled personal devices throughout the entire school day. The announcement came after a roundtable hosted by the Governor with a group of New York moms, kids and educators on Common Sense Media’s Day of Action. Following the roundtable, the organization’s representatives are meeting with State lawmakers to deliver their new letter in support of distraction-free schools and support the Governor’s proposals to outlaw AI-generated sexual abuse material and regulate “AI companion” services that have tragically led to self-harm among youth. Read more here.

Related: Rockefeller Institute of Government - School Cell Phone Bans & Restrictions

Excessive phone and screen use tied to manic symptoms in pre-teens, study finds

Governor Hochul Announces Awards for ‘Step-Down’ Programs for Hospitalized New Yorkers Living With Mental Illness and Developmental Disabilities

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced awards to establish five ‘step-down’ programs to help adults living with co-occurring mental illness and intellectual or developmental disabilities safely transition back into their community following care within an inpatient setting. Administered by the State Office of Mental Health, the $85 million in conditional funding over five years will help service providers develop enhanced ‘step-down’ programs that couple critical time intervention teams with transitional housing to ensure these individuals can live in independent settings once they are discharged from a hospital or other inpatient settings. The providers in New York City and Long Island will receive $2.1 million in operating funding and $652,216 state aid annually over five years to run the programs. The providers from the Western New York, Central New York and Hudson River Valley regions will receive awards of up to $1.9 million in operating funding and $604,042 in state aid annually over five years. Read more here.

Federal Agency Dedicated to Mental Illness and Addiction Faces Huge Cuts

Every day, Dora Dantzler-Wright and her colleagues distribute overdose reversal drugs on the streets of Chicago. They hold training sessions on using them and help people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction return to their jobs and families. They work closely with the federal government through an agency that monitors their productivity, connects them with other like-minded groups and dispenses critical funds that keep their work going. But over the last few weeks, Ms. Wright’s phone calls and emails to Washington have gone unanswered. Federal advisers from the agency’s local office — who supervise her group, the Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition, as well as addiction programs throughout six Midwestern states and 34 tribes — are gone. “We just continue to do the work without any updates from the feds at all,” Ms. Wright said. “But we’re lost.” Read more here.

Related: Tonko, Salinas Call for Administration to Halt Reckless Staffing Cuts at SAMHSA

‘Deliberate trauma’: SAMHSA employees detail a federal agency in shambles

Five Years of Covid Exacted a Terrible Toll. Another Epidemic Has Claimed Even More Lives

The 2020s have inarguably been Covid-19’s decade. 

Since the coronavirus outbreak was acknowledged as a pandemic exactly five years ago, the pandemic has killed well over 1 million Americans, derailed the global economy, and sparked political upheaval that continues today. It also yielded what many hail as the greatest scientific accomplishment in human history: the development of effective vaccines in under a year. Yet in dominating the early 2020s, Covid-19 also distracted from what is arguably a more significant public health emergency. Even at the height of the pandemic, more young Americans died of drug overdose than Covid. And in the last year, the overall death toll from the country’s drug crisis has exceeded the Covid-19 pandemic as the deadliest health event this generation. Read more here.

Deadliest Phase of Fentanyl Crisis Eases, As All States See Recovery

The deadliest phase of the street fentanyl crisis appears to have ended, as drug deaths continue to drop at an unprecedented pace. For the first time, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have now seen at least some recovery. A new analysis of U.S. overdose data  conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also found that the decline in deaths began much earlier than once understood, suggesting improvements may be sustainable. "This is not a blip. We are on track to return to levels of [fatal] overdose before fentanyl emerged," said Nabarun Dasgupta, lead researcher on the project, which examined overdose records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dasgupta's team found deaths linked to fentanyl and other street drugs have already plunged in many states to levels not seen since 2020. That's when the spread of fentanyl and the COVID pandemic dealt a one-two punch, triggering a catastrophic surge of fatal overdoses. Read more here.

Telehealth Prescribing Ups SUD Risk Among Some ADHD Patients

Though telehealth prescribing of controlled substances for attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder treatment did not increase the risk of substance use disorder (SUD) in most cases, adults between the ages of 26 and 34 were at higher risk of SUD when starting treatment via telehealth, new research reveals. Published in Health Affairs, the study aimed to evaluate whether starting ADHD medications via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a greater risk for newly diagnosed SUDs compared with in-person medication initiation. During the pandemic, the DEA waived a requirement of the Ryan Haight Act stating that healthcare practitioners providing virtual prescriptions for controlled substances must have previously conducted at least one in-person medical evaluation of the patient. Read more here.

New CHAMP Website Helps New Yorkers Navigate Behavioral Health Insurance

The Community Health Access to Addiction and Mental Healthcare Project (CHAMP) has a new website to help New Yorkers understand their behavioral health insurance rights! CHAMP provides direct services to help people access mental health and substance use disorder treatment through their health insurance. They help those with Medicare, Medicaid, commercial, or no insurance at all. They can assist with understanding what is covered by insurance, requesting necessary documents from health plans, advocating with plans, and filing appeals or complaints against denials. As a joint program between the New York State Office for Addiction Services and Supports and the Office of Mental Health, the CHAMP helpline is free and confidential. Anyone can call 888-614-5400, Monday-Wednesday (9am-7pm) and Thursday-Friday (9am-4pm). Visit their new website to learn more about how CHAMP can help: www.champny.org.

ALBANY: Albany police and schools launch community forums for safer neighborhoods

ERIE: People Inc.'s Advocacy Department gives a voice to Western New Yorkers

FULTON: Farnham Family Services Expands Fulton Office to Support Continued Growth

GENESEE/ORLEANS/WYOMING: GOW CARES Alliance to meet on April 1st at Grace Baptist in Batavia with a new coordinator

NYC: More Black teens are in mental health crisis. This church tries to help them heal

NYC: Rate of self-harm hospitalizations on Staten Island among highest in city

NYC: Grant for NYJTL after-school program expands mental health support in Brooklyn schools

ONONDAGA: Caring Gene Program Offers Financial Support to New York State Residents Seeking a M.S.W. Degree or M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Syracuse University

ONONDAGA: AccessCNY set to receive millions in funding to aid adults with mental health issues

ORANGE: New York State Announces Start of Construction on 11 Units of Permanent Supportive Housing in Newburgh

RENSSELAER: Averill Park schools launch access to mental health app

STEUBEN: Steuben County Highlights First Responders Life Saving Teamwork

STEUBEN: Steuben County Introduces Opioid Awareness & Education PSA Campaign

ULSTER: Ulster County 911 center gets therapy dog

JAMA: Implementing Social Determinants of Health Screening in US Emergency Departments

The Jed Foundation Joins National Convening on College Student Mental Health and Well-being

A growing medical field looks at how skin and mental health are connected

Brookings: The impact of Medicaid work requirements on access to substance use disorder treatment

Why the News Feels Overwhelming—And How to Cope

UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS

Enhancing Eating Disorder Treatment: The Value and Impact of Measurement-Based Care

March 13, 1 - 2 pm, Greenspace

Equity as a Foundation for Leadership 

March 13, 3 - 4 pm, College for Behavioral Health Leadership

The Rise of Clozapine: Breaking Barriers and Improving Outcomes

March 13, 4 - 5:30 pm, NAMI

Not Being Jaded: Talking to Youth Who Might Be Getting Faded - Unpacking Youth Substance Use with Strategies to Support Care Teams

March 14, 12 - 1:30 pm, Grayken Center for Addiction TTA

Enhancing and Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce: How to Meet the Needs of Rural and Frontier Communities

March 17, 2 - 3 pm, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Professional Boundaries Training

March 19, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs

Comics for the Brain, the Mind, and Everything Else

March 20, 12 - 1 pm, NYSPHA

Building Digital Trust: The Role of Healthcare Professionals on Social Media

March 20, 5:30 - 7 pm, NYAM

New Research on Mental Health & Construction

March 25, 2 - 3 pm, CPWR

Managing New York’s behavioral health resource challenges

March 26, 12 - 1 pm, HANYS

The Workforce Crisis: Innovative Strategies to Strengthen and Support Healthcare Teams

March 26, 12 - 1 pm, Becker's Hospital Review

Justice Center Code of Conduct Train-the-Trainer Session

March 26, 1 - 4 pm, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs

Workforce Well-Being and Resilience During Times of Change

March 26, 2 - 3:15 pm, Social Current

Medicaid’s Ongoing Critical Role in the U.S. Response to the Opioid and Overdose Crisis

March 26, 2 - 3:30 pm, Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts

Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) of Peer Support in Criminal Justice

March 26, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC

How GE Appliances Approaches Alcohol Use & Employee Health

March 27, 12 - 1 pm, Behavioral Health Business

Group Facilitation Skills for Alcohol & Other Substance Use Counselors

March 28, 10 am - 12 pm, NCATTC

New York State Behavioral Health Tobacco Summit

April 2, 9 - 4:30 pm, NYSOMH/NAMI-NYS

Advocacy in Action: Behavioral Health Integration and Systems Change

April 22, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current

Navigating VBC Negotiations: Turning Complexity Into Opportunity

April 30, 1 - 2 pm, Onecare Population Health Academy

Collaborative Care: Strengthening Provider Relationships with Autistic and Neurodivergent Population

May 7, 1:30 - 3 pm, School Mental Health Resource Training Center

Redefining Recovery: Insights into Gambling and Substance Use Disorders

May 7, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC

GRANTS/FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

NEW: Fidelis Care Behavioral Health Grant Program

HRSA Health Workforce

NYS Grants Gateway

NY Health Foundation

OASAS Procurements

OMH Procurements

OPWDD Procurements

Rural Health Information Hub - New York

Better Grants Better Service (BGBS) | Rural Development (usda.gov)

SAMHSA Grants Dashboard

Veterans Affairs

CLMHD CALENDAR

MARCH

Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting

March 13: 11 am - 12 pm

Mental Health Committee Meeting

March 13: 3 - 4 pm

Children & Families Committee Meeting

March 18: 11:30 am - 1 pm

Membership Call

March 19: 9 - 10:30 am

Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting

March 20: 1 - 3 pm

APRIL

CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting

April 2: 8 - 9 am

LGU Clinic Operators Call

April 8: 10 - 11 am

Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting

April 10: 11 am - 12 pm

Mental Health Committee Meeting

April 10: 3 - 4 pm

Children & Families Committee Meeting

April 15: 11:30 am - 1 pm

Membership Call

April 16: 9 - 10:30 am

Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting

April 17: 1 - 2 pm

CLMHD Spring 2025 Full Membership Meeting

April 30 - May 2, Albany

Links to State Guidance and Updates on COVID-19

NYS Coronavirus Vaccination Information