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Black Suicide Rates, Once Among the Nation's Lowest, Have Risen Dramatically Among Youths
As a kid, Kamesha Spates occasionally endured racial taunts or joking from other kids at school, knowing she could find comfort in the safety of home. But Spates, who is now a medical sociologist, worries that the rise of social media means the racism and discrimination children might experience is ever-present.
“When we were growing up there was bullying and teasing, but at the end of the school day when the bell rang you would go home and have a reprieve from those peer interactions,” said Spates, an associate professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. “Now, when kids are home, social media continues to find its way into their lives.” Read more here.
Related: Online Spaces: A Double-Edged Sword for LGBTQ Young People of Color
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Governor Hochul Announces Creation of the New York State Council on Community Justice to Further Improve Effectiveness and Fairness of the State's Criminal Justice System
Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced the creation of the New York State Council on Community Justice, an advisory group of state and local stakeholders that will recommend measures to further improve the effectiveness and fairness of the state's criminal justice system. Convened by Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado and Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado, the Council will review existing State policies and programs and propose new measures to strengthen the State's efforts to advance equity, reduce disparities, and decrease recidivism to make communities safer and stronger. The council includes local and state criminal justice practitioners, professionals from community-based organizations, and leaders in higher education. Read more here.
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NYS Bar Association Launches Task Force on Homelessness Admidst Ongoing Mental Health Crisis
As New York City grapples with an escalating mental health crisis, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is launching a new task force that will examine the intricate relationship between homelessness and the law. The task force aims to identify practical measures local, state, and federal governments can take to reduce homelessness, which currently affects over 74,000 New Yorkers, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Read more here.
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HHS Distributes $47.8 Million in Grant Funding for Programs Expanding Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, Addressing Other Facets of Overdose and Substance Use
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing awards in five grant programs devoted to combating multiple facets of substance misuse and the nation’s overdose epidemic. The grant awards total up to $47.8 million. The awards facilitate ongoing efforts throughout the nation in prevention, treatment, recovery support and harm reduction – the pillars of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy. Read more here.
Related: NACo Resource Hub: Post-Overdose Response Teams
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Giving People with Opioid Use Disorder a Bridge to Recovery in the Emergency Department
Overdose deaths from opioids continue to rise in the U.S. and it is challenging for many people with substance use disorder (SUD) to access lifesaving, evidence-based treatment. Emergency departments (EDs) are on the frontlines of the overdose crisis, providing 24/7 acute care for the needs of people experiencing overdose and other drug-related medical needs. New models housed in or adjacent to EDs — called “bridge clinics” — offer timely evidence-based treatment, including initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and linkages to ongoing care in the community. Read more here.
Related Webinar: Integrating Bridge Clinics into Emergency Departments to Facilitate Access to Opioid Use Disorder Care
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Substance Abuse Is Climbing Among Seniors
When Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician and addiction medicine specialist, meets new patients at the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, he talks with them about the usual health issues that older adults face: chronic conditions, functional ability, medications and how they’re working. He asks, too, about their use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other nonprescription drugs. “Patients tend to not want to disclose this, but I put it in a health context,” Dr. Han said. He tells them, “As you get older, there are physiological changes and your brain becomes much more sensitive. Your tolerance goes down as your body changes. It can put you at risk.” Read more here.
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Taking a Look at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Implementation One Year After Launch
On July 16, 2022, the federally mandated crisis number, 988, became available to all landline and cell phone users, providing a single three-digit number to access a network of over 200 local and state-funded crisis centers. 988 users who are suicidal or experiencing a behavioral health emergency are routed to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) and connected to a crisis counselor where they may receive crisis counseling, resources and referrals, and in some cases and where available, mobile crisis units may be dispatched. Over half a million lives (528,805) were lost to suicide between 2010 to 2021. Read more here.
Related: New York State Office of Mental Health reflects on one year of 988 Lifeline
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Adds Spanish Text and Chat Service Ahead of One-Year Anniversary
The 988 Geo-Location Question
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NYSIF Launches Campaign to Promote Mental Wellness in Workplace
The New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer and one of the 10 largest nationwide, today announced a new campaign to raise awareness of mental wellness as an essential component of workplace health. The campaign helps all employers, including those who are not NYSIF policyholders, create an employee mental wellness action plan, marshalling information from multiple sources. Read more here.
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If Loneliness Is an Epidemic, How Do We Treat It?
Stephanie Cacioppo thought she would be single forever. “I was an only child,” says Dr. Cacioppo. “I always thought that was my fate to be alone.” Despite that, Dr. Cacioppo, a behavioral neuroscientist, dedicated herself to studying the science of romance. In 2011, when least expecting it, she met the love of her life. His name was John Cacioppo, a twice-divorced neuroscientist and one of the world’s leading researchers on loneliness. After they married, in a joyfully spontaneous ceremony in Paris, they were hardly ever apart and even conducted research together at the University of Chicago. They were known among their academic peers by complementary monikers: She was Dr. Love; he was Dr. Loneliness. But in 2018, at age 66, he died, very likely from complications of salivary gland cancer. She was only 43. “They not only shared the same office (the sign on the door said ‘The Cacioppos’),” his New York Times obituary read, “but also the same desk.” Read more here.
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The Simple Power of Communicating with Kindness
I believe that in every interpersonal communication, leaders should err on the side of kindness. This pronouncement is seemingly simple but it takes courage to live — especially now. We live in a world in which a host of issues are eating away at our connections with each other. Take lack of focus: When was the last time you had a conversation without one of the people involved checking their phone or multitasking? Or speed: We run from one thing to the next without reflecting on the human implications of what we just did. But the challenge becomes harder when you consider that people may not want to be kind. Of those who felt strongly about a particular social or political issue, only 30% of people said they would help someone who held a different point of view on the latest Edelman Trust Barometer survey. Read more here.
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BHN's Summer 2023 Issue Now Online! "Serious Mental Illness: History and Challenges Ahead"
Click here to read the issue.
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NYS Office of Mental Health and Mental Health Association in New York State Partner to Launch Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) have partnered to provide free Youth Mental Health First Aid training to adults who regularly interact with young people, including parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, teachers and others. The trainings help adults recognize and assist young people ages 12 to 18 who are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Read more here.
Related: Youth Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health Increased During Pandemic
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Patients Who Stay Against Medical Advice
July 20, 2 - 3 pm, HANYS
Identification and Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Long COVID
July 20, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
More Than a Number: The Impact of 988 on Reimagining Mental Health Crisis Care
July 20, 4 - 5 pm, NAMI
Cultural Humility, Trauma-Informed Care and Resiliency
July 25, 12 - 1:30 pm, NYS Office for New Americans
Addressing the Criminalization of People with Disabilities
July 25, 1 - 3 pm, US Justice Department
Adult MHFA for Higher Education - Overview
July 25, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Combating Fatal Overdoses: A Data-Driven and Multidisciplinary Approach to Addiction Response
July 25, 3 - 4 pm, Camden Coalition
Medicaid and CHIP Renewals: What to Know and How to Prepare, A Partner Education Monthly Series
July 26, 12 - 1 pm, CMS
Crucial Conversations in Mutual Support
July 26, 1 - 4 pm, Mental Health Empowerment Project
How Mental Health Can Help (and Hurt) Student Success
July 26, 2 - 3 pm, Inside Higher Ed
From Crisis to Care: Integrating Health Care with Public Crisis Response Systems
July 26, 2 - 3:15 pm, Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy
Improving Behavioral Health Services in Rural Communities through Medicaid
July 26, 3 - 4 pm, NASHP
Providing Comprehensive Care in Opioid Treatment Programs : A Policy and Provider Perspective
July 26, 3 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Improving Treatment Outcomes for People With Cognitive Impairment
July 26, 3 - 5 pm, NAADAC
Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Quality Improvement Tools
July 27, 3 - 4 pm, CMS Division of Quality and Health Outcomes (DQHO)
Professional Development for Peers - Progress, Not Peerfection
July 27, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Youth MHFA for Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples - Overview
August 8, 2:30 - 3:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Supporting Veterans in the Criminal Justice System (Part 1): Enhancing Services in Treatment Court
August 8, 2:30 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Partnering with Law Enforcement
August 16, 2 - 3 pm, HANYS
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CLMHD CALENDAR
JULY
Deputy DCS Call
July 25: 10 - 11 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
July 27: 1 - 2:30 pm
AUGUST
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
August 1: 11 am - 12 pm
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
August 2: 8 - 9 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
August 8: 10 - 11:30 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
August 10: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
August 10: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
August 15: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
August 16: 9 - 10:30 am
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
August 17: 1 - 3 pm
Deputy DCS Call
August 22: 10 - 11 am
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