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Governor Hochul Unveils Highlights of the Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget: A Stronger, Safer, More Affordable New York
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday laid out her plans for a stronger, safer, more affordable New York as she unveiled the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2027. Built to protect taxpayers and New York’s economic growth, while preparing for uncertainty from Washington, the Governor’s budget funds a path to universal child care and makes historic investments in health care, affordable housing and infrastructure without asking New Yorkers to pay more. The Governor’s fiscally responsible budget includes $14.6 billion in reserves and maintains the state’s AA+ credit rating—the best since 1972. Governor Hochul’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Executive Budget once again includes record investments to support New Yorkers — without raising income taxes. The Executive Budget projects State revenue collection to increase by 9.9 percent and FY27 all funds spending is projected at $260 billion, an increase of 0.7 percent. Read more here.
Related: NYSAC - SFY 2027 Executive Budget County Impact Report
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Laura Kelemen, CLMHD Chair, Elected to NACBHDD Board
We’re excited to share that Laura Kelemen, LCSW-R, Director of Community Services for Niagara County, and Chair of the NYS Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD). As a member of the NACBHDD Board, Laura will work alongside state and county leaders from across the country to help shape national advocacy, engagement, and priorities, with a focus on representing the needs of local authorities. She was elected to a three-year term. A full roster of Board Members can be found here. Congratulations, Laura!
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Inside the Behavioral Health Workforce Revival
Behavioral health leaders nationwide are exploring new strategies to recruit and retain staff after the pandemic sharply reduced workforce numbers. From loan repayment to career development, systems are rebuilding their teams from the inside out, aiming to retain talented clinicians and attract new ones. For leaders, the message is clear: Clinician well-being must be treated not only as a moral imperative, but also as a strategic one. “If the workforce successfully provides what a patient needs from our health systems, they must be at their personal best. That takes the purposefulness of the staff and support from the system,” stated Becky Stoll, senior vice president of crisis services at Centerstone in Nashville, Tennessee. Several systems are investing in peer support programs to address emotional distress and burnout — a proactive way of building resilience in the behavioral health workforce. Read more here.
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Judges' Guide to Adult Mental Health Jargon
Judges routinely encounter individuals whose cases are affected by mental illness, trauma, substance use, or limited access to behavioral health services. In civil, family, and criminal courts, mental health issues are the rule, not the exception, in court-involved adults. These factors can influence how individuals understand proceedings, communicate with the court, and comply with court orders. Awareness of how trauma and mental illness shape behavior is critical to understanding the underlying factors that influence risk, behavior, and long-term outcomes. The Judges' Guide to Adult Mental Health Jargon was developed to help judges better understand mental health, communicate more effectively with individuals who have mental health needs, and apply mental health knowledge to judicial decision-making and community-based initiatives.
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SAMHSA Reverses $2B in Grant Cuts, But Funding Fears Remain
The Trump administration and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restored billions in funding less than 24 hours after abruptly terminating $2 billion in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants. While the reversal allows providers to continue their initial programming, many are concerned about what the sudden policy shifts could mean for their programs’ long-term funding stability. “We can’t afford to do that in the middle of an addiction crisis, so we need to take steps to move towards more sustainable funding,” Dr. Stephen Taylor, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), told BHB. “That’s what we’re learning from this. We have to get more sustainable funding for addiction care services, because addiction is a chronic medical disease, so let’s treat it and cover it like other chronic medical diseases.” Read more here.
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Winter 2026 BHN Issue Released: "Behavioral Health Care Workforce Development and Innovation”
The Winter 2026 issue of Behavioral Health News centers on the growing workforce challenges shaping the behavioral health field, from burnout and turnover to recruitment and retention across diverse settings, populations, and levels of care. Contributors highlight practical, forward-looking solutions, including peer support, trauma-informed supervision, leadership development, telehealth, data-driven strategies, and sustainable financing. Together, these articles offer actionable insights to strengthen the behavioral health workforce and support a more resilient system of care.
Read more here.
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Assessing and Expanding the Capacity of the Pediatric Health Care Workforce
The population of children and youth with chronic and complex behavioral and health needs in the U.S. continues to rise, even as the overall child population decreases. States are simultaneously experiencing a reduced health workforce in many areas, including pediatric primary and subspecialty care physicians, nursing, therapists, and direct care professionals. Recent projections indicate the distribution of pediatric subspecialists does not align with need and demand. As states seek to understand the health care workforce shortages affecting children and families, they are actively addressing pediatric primary and subspecialty and other health care workforce challenges through a range of strategies. Read more here.
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Will ‘Psychiatry’s Bible’ Add a Postpartum Psychosis Diagnosis?
Emily Sliwinski got home from the hospital after giving birth to her first child three years ago, and almost immediately began spiraling. Her thoughts raced; she was unable to sleep; she began hallucinating that her dog was speaking to her. She became obsessed with solving the national shortage of infant formula, covering a corkboard with notes and ideas. About a week later, Ms. Sliwinski, of Greensboro, N.C., went to a hospital emergency room, thinking she would be given medication to help her sleep, she said. She had no history of mental health issues. When doctors decided to commit her for inpatient psychiatric treatment, she became so agitated and fearful that she slapped her mother and her husband. She spent 11 days in the psychiatric hospital, but it didn’t help. “Every day I was trying to figure out where I was and what was happening,” Ms. Sliwinski, 33, recalled. Read more here.
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LA Metro Launches Care-Based Public Safety Division
The Los Angeles Metro’s Department of Public Safety recently launched its Care-Based Services Division, focused on a holistic approach to public safety that prioritizes safety, dignity, and the right response in every situation. The new division unites the metro’s care-centered public safety programs within the Department of Public Safety, including Metro Ambassadors, Homeless Outreach Management and Engagement (HOME), and Community Intervention Specialists. According to an agency release, LA Metro’s Care-Based Services Division will work in close coordination with the department’s other divisions that oversee law enforcement, code of conduct enforcement, physical security, and emergency management, resulting in “enhanced coordination and improved response times to ensure all riders and employees feel safe and are safe.” Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
The Operational Reality Check of Value-Based Care Contracting
January 28, 2 - 3 pm, Behavioral Health Business
The Purpose and Utility of Neuropsychological Evaluations for Children and Adolescents
January 29, 11 am - 12 pm, The Baker Center for Children & Families
Educator Café - School Mental Health & Resilience: An Action Guide
January 31, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, School Mental Health Resource Center
Transitional-Aged Youth (TAY) Services
January 22, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
CFRI Integrating SUD Prevention with Physical Health Care: Progress in States Webinar
January 28, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA/CFRI
Centering Families in Outpatient Treatment
January 29, 2 - 2:30 pm, NCSACW
Family Education Webinar - Supporting School Mental Health in 2026: A Conversation with the SMHRTCenter's New Director
January 29, 7 - 8 pm, SMHRTCenter
Data Management: Person-Directed Approaches and Perspectives
February 4, 1 - 2:30 pm, CSH
Introduction to Family Therapy with Adolescents
February 5, 12 - 2 pm, CTAC
Treating People who Use Meth or other Stimulants: Leveraging Contingency Management in Criminal Justice Settings
February 5, 2:30 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Advancing Brain-Based Therapeutics to the Forefront of Addiction Care
February 10, 2 - 3 pm, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Navigating Ethical Boundaries: Decision Making for Peer Support Specialists and Addiction Counselors
February 11, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Ensuring People’s Rights, Choice, and Control in the Person-Centered Service Planning Process
February 11, 1:30 - 3 pm, CMS
Becoming a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor
February 12, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Toolkit for Trauma-Informed Care
February 12, 2 - 2:30 pm, NCSACW
Integration Under the Microscope: Proving Outcomes as Behavioral Health Enters a New Era of Accountability
February 17, 2 - 3 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Integrated Safety Planning (Suicide Safety Plans & Overdose Safety Plans)
February 19, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, Zero Overdose/Zero Suicide
Older Adults Behavioral Health Services
February 19, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Process Addictions: Maladaptive Coping Across the Ages
February 25, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Getting Ready for Medicaid Work Requirements: Strategies for Supportive Housing Providers
February 26, 1 - 2 pm, CSH
Transforming Futures: Education, Law, and Youth Wellbeing - IN PERSON
February 27, 9:30 am - 3 pm, Albany Law School Government Law Center
Strengthening Helping Professionals: Ethics, Resilience, & Attachment-Informed Approaches
March 11, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Means Reduction Counseling and Overdose Prevention Strategies
March 12, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, Zero Overdose/Zero Suicide
Understanding The Role of Toxic Shame in Substance Use Disorders
March 25, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
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CLMHD CALENDAR
February
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
February 4: 8 - 9 am
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
February 3: 11 am - 12 pm
LGU Clinic Operators Call
February 10: 10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
February 12: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
February 12: 3 - 4 pm
CLMHD Office Closed - Presidents Day
February 16
Children & Families Committee Meeting
February 17: 12 - 1:30 pm
Membership Call
February 18: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
February 19: 1 - 2 pm
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