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OPWDD: Dare to Celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
This year, for National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM), OPWDD is daring New Yorkers to celebrate inclusion throughout our communities. In honor of DDAM, New York State will light its landmark buildings orange on March 7 to commemorate the importance of recognizing the contributions and talent that the developmental disabilities community adds to the overall diversity of the state. Throughout the month of March, OPWDD will introduce people with developmental disabilities who are daring to dispel ableist stereotypes by achieving their personal goals and contributing to their communities. These people “dare” to be homeowners and taxpayers, they “dare” to be students or advocates, or they “dare” to participate in their community or compete in a sport. People with developmental disabilities face barriers to inclusion every day, including the barriers of stigma, discrimination, lack of understanding from the community, inaccessible transportation and physical barriers. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Recognizes March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month
Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday issued a proclamation designating March 2025 as Problem Gambling Awareness Month in New York State. The Governor’s proclamation outlined the collaborative efforts of stakeholders to provide resources and build awareness of an often undetected addiction. In recognition of March as problem gambling awareness month, 14 landmarks across the state will be illuminated yellow on March 3. National Problem Gambling Awareness Month was created by the National Council on Problem Gambling. This year’s theme, “Seeking Understanding,” focuses on increasing awareness of problem gambling as a serious but often misunderstood mental health condition. By fostering a deeper understanding of the issue, we can encourage empathy, reduce barriers to treatment, and provide support to those affected by gambling-related harm.” Read more here.
Related: JAMA - Sports Gambling and Drinking Behaviors Over Time
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This Popular Drug Can Be a 'Gateway' to More Serious Addictions, Experts Say
Research has long found that one extremely popular drug can lead to further substance use — and experts are now saying that that this popular item might be acting as a "gateway drug." According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than 84% of all Americans have consumed alcohol at some point in their life. Researchers say that while many of them drink without too much incident, alcohol use can still alter the brain's behavior centers, and drinkers may become more susceptible to drug abuse. "Studies indicate that alcohol alters brain chemistry in ways that increase susceptibility to drug addiction," Chris Tuell, a clinical psychotherapist and a chemical and behavioral addiction specialist at the Lindner Center told Fox News in an interview published Sunday, March 2. Read more here.
Related: GLP-1 Medications Could Be Game-Changer for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment
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69% of Eating Disorder Patients Seek Care for Mental Health Concerns
Eating disorders commonly overlap with mental health issues. New research shows that patients are acutely aware of the need to treat both concerns. One of the top motivating factors for people with eating disorders to seek treatment is concern over mental health, according to new data from digital eating disorder treatment provider Equip. Sixty-nine percent of patients cited mental health concerns as a reason to seek treatment. That is higher than even patients’ desire for recovery, which 64% of patients cited as a motivating factor. Read more here.
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Music as Medicine: Could Doctors Prescribe Music to Treat Anxiety and Other Mental Health Issues?
It’s a common belief that music soothes the soul. But some researchers and healthcare companies say it can be used to heal the mind — and maybe the body. Several popular apps claim to help relieve anxiety through music, meditations and mindfulness. A company in Los Angeles takes that idea further: It’s seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to prescribe music treatments for specific mental health conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder. A recent study out of UC Irvine found that listening mindfully to improvisational jazz was linked to a decrease in pain and anxiety for some patients. Sean Young, lead author of the study, told LAist that just as doctors prescribe opioids for chronic pain, “you could imagine that prescribing something like jazz or certain sounds might be in the future of what we can do in helping patients with pain or other kinds of clinical, mental, behavioral health issues.” Read more here.
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Prescribing Buprenorphine By Telehealth: Lessons From San Francisco Amidst A Changing Regulatory Landscape
As he endured another night experiencing homelessness in San Francisco, California, “John” was feeling the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, with chills, vomiting, and body aches. These symptoms were all too familiar as he had become accustomed to the cycling in and out of withdrawal after years of using opioids, first heroin and, more recently, fentanyl.
On this night, he was just starting to think about using a small amount of fentanyl to relieve his symptoms when he was approached by a street outreach team from Code Tenderloin, a community-based organization headquartered in the city’s epicenter for drug overdoses. Although nearly midnight, the team members, known as “Night Navigators,” connected him via telephone to the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s (SFDPH) telehealth buprenorphine program, where he spoke with a clinician who prescribed him the medication and connected him with follow-up care. We’ve changed John’s name to protect his identity, but his encounter with the SFDPH’s assertive Navigation-to-Telehealth program could not have been more real. In fact, his was just one of more than 2,900 telehealth encounters conducted in San Francisco since the program began in March 2024. Read more here.
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2024 Annual Report from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium
In its second annual report released on Tuesday, the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium (RGVRC) at the Rockefeller Institute of Government highlighted an expanded network of gun violence researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, expert media appearances in high-profile media outlets, and an extensive list of new publications. While some preliminary data indicate that gun violence in the United States decreased in 2024, deaths and injuries from firearms remain elevated far outside the range of comparable nations. Further, federal funding for gun violence research is incommensurate with funding for research into other significant public health crises. The severity of this public health challenge combined with a lack of government investment in understanding and solving it elevates the importance of research networks that provide interdisciplinary, evidence-based solutions to many aspects of the American gun violence issue. Read more here.
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The Trevor Project Publishes New 50 State Report on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health, Suicide Risk & Access to Support
On Wednesday, The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, released new research that captures the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-24 across the United States, segmented across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. The report utilizes data collected through The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People to provide state-level analyses of mental health and suicide risk, access to care, impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and policies, and methods to support LGBTQ+ youth – as described by LGBTQ+ young people themselves. Findings underscore that LGBTQ+ young people continue to report high rates of mental health challenges, suicidality, and associated experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization such as bullying, discrimination, threats of physical violence, and conversion therapy. Read more here.
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CAYUGA: Chancellor King Joins Cayuga Community College to Celebrate Healthcare Workforce Funding, Highlight Initiatives Geared Toward Attracting Adult Learners
CHAUTAUQUA: Gateway Lofts Project Presents To Planning Commission, Receives Variance Approval
DUTCHESS: Mental health crisis center opens in Poughkeepsie
ERIE: UB and Kaleida Health name Beth Smith chair of psychiatry and chief of service, psychiatry and behavioral medicine
MADISON: Governor Hochul Announces Launch of First Mobile Medication Unit (MMU) in Central New York Region
MID-HUDSON: Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster ending addiction programs
MONROE: Monroe County's JEDS program reports 3.4% re-offense rate, increased funding
MONROE: Struggle with mental health remains an issue for some in law enforcement
NASSAU: Nassau County establishes opioid portal to distribute settlement funds, but critics say action coming too slow
NYC: Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Health + Hospitals CEO Dr. Katz Announce Expansion of Innovative Program to Keep More Medically-Vulnerable Homeless New Yorkers Out of Shelters
NYC: ‘It takes a toll’: New York’s first responders plagued by anxiety, depression, PTSD
ONEIDA: Neighborhood Center Offers Emotional Resources After New Hartford Mall Shooting
ONONDAGA: Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Awards Le Moyne Healthcare Advancement Resource Center $1.275 Million
PUTNAM: Astor Services Home Care Expands into Putnam
ST. LAWRENCE: SUNY Canton to Offer No-Cost Peer Support Microcredentials
SUFFOLK: Sheriff’s Addiction Treatment Program in Suffolk is expanding
SULLIVAN: Supporting youth mental health in Sullivan County
SULLIVAN: Children’s specialty hospital now open
TOMPKINS: Tompkins County adds second CARE team
ULSTER: Ulster County seeks public input on Behavioral Health Services
WESTCHESTER: Westchester County Breaks Ground on New Mental Health Safety Net Clinic
WESTCHESTER: Pleasantville Forum Tackles Mental Health Access
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Supporting the Uptake of Behavioral Health Apps and Technology
March 6, 2 - 3 pm, College for Behavioral Health Leadership
Building a Peer Support Team That Your People Will Actually Talk To
March 6, 3 - 4:15 pm, Justice Clearinghouse
Core Principles of Addiction Counselor Ethics
March 7, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, NCATTC
Effective Sharing of 'Lived Experience' While Maintaining Boundaries
March 7, 1 - 3 pm, NCATTC
Understanding Interstate Licensure and Its Impact on the Behavioral Health Workforce
March 8, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Leveraging Leadership to Develop and Deliver a Plan for Transformative Care Design and Delivery
March 11, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Collaborative Documentation & AI: Reducing Administrative Burden and Enhancing Care
March 12, 12 - 1 pm, Eleos Health
Youth and the Legalization of Marijuana
March 12, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Mental Health Care in Crisis: What Clinicians and Leaders Need to Know
March 13, 12 - 1:45 pm, NEJM Group
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
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
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
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CLMHD CALENDAR
MARCH
LGU Clinic Operators Call
March 11: 10 - 11 am
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
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