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How 106 People Got Together to Stop a School Shooting Before It Happened
He was 16, bullied at school and living with his grandparents in a home stocked with firearms. Classmates called him “the next school shooter” and taunted him that he was going to be a drug addict like his parents. Finally, one winter morning on the school bus, he turned on his tormentors. Curling his fingers in the shape of a pistol, he said, “I hope you all die.” It was a situation that has become grimly familiar in recent years: an alienated young man with a festering grievance and access to guns. Too often, it has ended in horrifying bloodshed. But what happened next, in this small community in central New York, upended decades of thinking about how to prevent mass shootings. Read more here.
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DCSs Spotlight Competency Restoration Challenges on The Capitol Pressroom
Niagara County DCS Laura Kelemen and Monroe County DCS Dr. April Aycock represented the Conference on The Capitol Pressroom this week, discussing the challenges counties face in restoring defendants to competency to stand trial. The segment explores how the current process places significant financial and operational responsibility on counties, often leading to delays and resource strain, and highlights potential reforms aimed at improving efficiency and clarifying who should bear the costs. Drawing on their local experiences, Kelemen and Aycock share how these systemic issues affect both county mental health departments and the individuals involved, offering a grounded perspective on what’s needed for a more effective and equitable system. Listen to the interview here.
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Supreme Court To Weigh How Intellectual Disability Is Defined
Disability advocates are speaking out as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to take on a case that hinges on whether a diagnosis of intellectual disability should be based on more than an IQ score. The high court is expected to hear a case known as Hamm v. Smith during its current term, which kicked off this month. The case centers on whether Joseph Clifton Smith, who was convicted of capital murder, has intellectual disability. Smith has taken five IQ tests, with scores ranging from 72 to 78. The state of Alabama contends that Smith should be eligible for execution since his IQ scores are consistently over 70, but attorneys for Smith argue that given how low his scores are, the court should consider additional evidence. Read more here.
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A Comprehensive Analysis of the 2021 New York Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Data
The Suicide Prevention Center of New York (SPCNY) has released a new data profile, Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among New York High School Students: 2021 New York Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The report offers an in-depth analysis of data from the 2021 New York Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a key source of state-representative, self-reported information on adolescent mental health. It highlights the prevalence of prolonged sadness, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among high school students across demographic groups, and examines 29 associated risk factors related to school climate, violence, health and sexual behaviors, and substance use.
Related: Related: Suicide-related Behaviors among New York City Public High School and Middle School Students
In Their Own Words: Young Voices on Mental Health and the Future
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Instagram Will Limit Content for Teenagers Based on PG-13 Ratings
A year ago, Instagram made sweeping changes to the account settings of its teenage users after growing scrutiny from parents and lawmakers over child safety issues. On Tuesday, it took them a step further. Instagram, which is owned by Meta, said it would begin limiting the content its teenage users can see, based on the PG-13 ratings system used by the film industry. The policy, which will roll out by the end of the year, will also apply to conversations with the company’s artificial intelligence chatbots, which lawmakers are investigating for having inappropriate sexual chats with children. By choosing the PG-13 standard, Instagram aims to make its new policy familiar to parents, said Max Eulenstein, Instagram's head of product management. PG-13 movies are generally allowed to have some swear words, mild violence and partial nudity, although Meta said it would not recommend content with nudity to teen users. Read more here.
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Postvention: An Important Tool for Preventing Suicide Contagion
It is estimated that about half of the population will be exposed to the suicide of someone they know at some point in their lifetime. While those who have lost loved ones are vulnerable to grief and trauma, studies suggest they are also at a heightened risk of suicide themselves. To reduce this risk, many schools and universities are prioritizing postvention, a suicide prevention strategy that focuses on planning ahead for how to support a community after a suicide has occurred. From determining how to communicate about the suicide to mobilizing grief counseling and psychological first aid, postvention is an important tool for preventing contagion, or clusters of suicides that can happen among survivors. Preparing resources in advance can ensure the plan is as comprehensive and supportive as possible to those affected by the death. “In the midst of a crisis response, you don’t want to try to build the plane as you’re flying it,” said Monica Osburn, PhD, executive director of the Counseling Center and Prevention Services at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Read more here.
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A Tiny Home for Good Fights Homelessness in Syracuse, One Small House at a Time
Jill Ceilly welcomes visitors to her tiny home on Rich Street in Syracuse with Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies and a choice of freshly brewed coffee, homemade iced tea or ginger ale. It’s a simple gesture, but one she treasures after living at the Rescue Mission shelter for many months following a mental health breakdown in 2022. “It takes a while for it to sink in that this is real,” Ceilly, 57, said of the 380-square-foot home she rents from A Tiny Home for Good for $310 a month, covered by her disability benefits. “I can wake up in the morning and make myself a cup of coffee. I don’t have to carry all my stuff around in a bag. I remember the first couple nights after I moved in, it felt too quiet. At the Mission it was always so loud.” Ceilly is among 44 people who have left homelessness behind for safe, affordable, permanent homes thanks to A Tiny Home for Good, a nonprofit that’s working to end homelessness in Syracuse. The nonprofit builds small rental units and creates a community that cares for tenants who are overcoming trauma, addiction, mental illness or other issues that left them without housing. Read more here.
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Going Local: Opportunities To Address The Opioid And Overdose Crisis In Communities
After many years of increasing opioid and drug overdose deaths, it appears the United States has turned a corner, with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicating fatal overdoses from March 2024 to March 2025 are approaching pre-pandemic levels. Even so, more than 75,000 people have experienced a fatal overdose over the same time period, and with competing policy priorities at the federal level, there are concerns that national attention to addressing this public health emergency is waning. There are also reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Chief among them is the potential for action by state and local policy makers and community leaders. With this article, we describe many of those opportunities. These descriptions are informed in part by efforts of grantees of the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE), a national philanthropy that we help lead and that has made more than 120 grants since our founding in 2018. What follows is an exploration of how state and local policy makers can act on recent successes and ongoing research to continue making progress in three key areas: access to treatment, supporting recovery, and improved data infrastructure. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Surviving and Thriving in the New SUD Landscape with AI
October 16, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, Elias
State Strategies to Lower Funding Barriers for Community-Based Organizations
October 16, 3 - 4 pm, NASHP
2025 On the Shoulders of Giants Scientific Symposium
October 16, 5 - 7:30 pm, Child Mind Institute
What Every Campus Needs to Know About Mental Health Now
October 21, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, The JED Foundation
Workforce Solutions Jam | Resilience in Action: Strategies for the Behavioral Health Workforce
October 21, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Behavioral Health and Justice: Helping Counties “Step Up” at Every Stage
October 21, 1 - 2 pm, CSG Justice Center
Putting Communities First: How Counties Leverage Tech to Improve Behavioral Health
October 21, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
Engaging Medicaid Members and Community-Based Organizations Through Beneficiary Advisory Councils
October 22, 1 - 2:15 pm, CHCS
2025 NYS Suicide Prevention Conference
October 22 - 23, OMH - IN-PERSON
AI in Action: Community Behavioral Health Providers Share Lessons Learned
October 23, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Partnering with Community Based Organizations and Coalitions to Connect Systems and Evaluate Efforts
October 23, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Beyond Patient Portals: The Future of Consumer Collaboration in Behavioral Health
October 24, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Co-creating Technology Solutions: The Power of Provider-Client-Developer Collaboration
October 28, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
H.R.1 Implementation Series – Home and Community Based Services Expansion Opportunities
October 28, 1 - 2 pm, Corporation for Supportive Housing
Transforming SUD Treatment: The Science, Policy, and Practice of Recovery Incentive Programs
October 30, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
How Assessment Centers Promote Youth Diversion and Public Safety
October 30, 1 - 2 pm, CSG Justice Center
Ethical Considerations in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment
November 5, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Supporting Families, Supporting Recovery: Overcoming Stigma in LGBTQIA2S+ SUD Treatment
November 6, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
From Insight to Action: Affirming Clinical Strategies for LGBTQ+ Clients with Co-Occurring Disorders
November 7, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Creating Brain-Friendly Environments: The Key to a Strong Workforce
November 13, 2 - 3:15 pm, Social Current
NAMI NYS 2025 Education Conference
November 14 - 16, NAMI NYS, IN-PERSON
Where Is All This AI Going for Behavioral Health Providers? A Look Into the (Not-so-distant) Future
November 18, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
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CLMHD CALENDAR
OCTOBER
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
October 16: 1 - 2 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
October 21, 11:30 am - 1 pm
CLMHD Fall 2025 Full Membership Meeting
October 22 - 24, Penn Yan, NY (Yates County)
NOVEMBER
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
November 5: 8 - 9 am
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
November 5: 11 am - 12 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Veterans Day
November 11
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
November 13: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
November 13: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
November 18: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
November 19: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
November 20: 1 - 2 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Thanksgiving
November 27 - 28
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