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Surgeon General Calls for Warning Labels on Social Media Platforms
The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced on Monday that he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents that using the platforms might damage adolescents’ mental health. Warning labels — like those that appear on tobacco and alcohol products — are one of the most powerful tools available to the nation’s top health official, but Dr. Murthy cannot unilaterally require them; the action requires approval by Congress. No such legislation has yet been introduced in either chamber. A warning label would send a powerful message to parents “that social media has not been proved safe,” Dr. Murthy wrote in an essay published in The New York Times opinion section on Monday. Read more here.
Related: Inside Snapchat’s Teen Opioid Crisis
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NYS Youth Justice Institute Releases "Youth in New York State: A Snapshot"
When discussing youth, their needs, and what we know about them, we often take a siloed approach. Each of our systems, disciplines, and vantage points captures some fact about our young people, but fails to bring the whole picture into focus. That was the impetus for this tool: to curate a holistic, multidisciplinary collection of data and resources that aims at offering users a high-level, yet comprehensive snapshot of youth in New York and beyond. Our Snapshot contains information on key areas of youth well-being: demographics, education, health (physical, mental, and behavioral), community, family, and economic indicators. Read more here.
Related: Loneliness in teens predicts future use of psychiatric medications
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What to Know About Medetomidine and Drug Overdoses
Medetomidine, an animal tranquilizer more potent than xylazine recently appeared in drug overdoses in several states in combination with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, sparking concern among public health officials. Medetomidine is a synthetic alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonistopens in a new tab or window similar to dexmedetomidine and clonidine. It's approved by the FDA as a sedative and analgesic for dogs, but not for human use. While a more potent sedative than some other drugs, medetomidine doesn't appear to be more deadly. It causes deeper, more prolonged sedation and lower heart rate and blood pressure, rather than life-threatening effects like respiratory depression. Read more here.
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New York Task Force Calls for Expanded Drug Courts to Combat Overdose Crisis
A recent report from the New York State Interagency Taskforce on Overdose Prevention urges the state to reduce addiction stigma and expand drug court access to save lives. The report, issued by the Department of Health’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), highlights the rise in fatal overdoses due to COVID-19 and the prevalence of fentanyl and other potent substances in the drug market. OASAS Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham outlined the task force’s goal to identify ways to reduce overdoses across New York. Read more here.
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Opioid Use in N.Y. Hurts More People Than Ever. Can It Be Solved?
Opioid abuse, one of New York’s most intractable crises, has not waned. And four years after the pandemic fueled a spike in overdoses — and a decade since deadly synthetic opioids began ravaging communities — no one seems to know quite what to do about it. Public perception of the harm that the opioid crisis in New York has wrought is still pessimistic, according to new findings from the Siena Research Institute. The numbers illuminate what many already know: residents are still widely wrestling with an epidemic of addiction, one of the deadliest public health crises affecting Americans today. The epidemic has brought consequences that include thousands of lost lives, untold grief, and economic fallout from the billions of dollars spent on prevention, treatment and recovery. Read more here.
Related: Siena Poll: 68% of NYers Touched by Opioid Crisis, Up from 59% in 2020
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Emergency Rooms Emerge as Critical Entry Point for Substance Use Disorder Care
The emergency department (ED) can be the “first, and sometimes only” interaction that people with substance use disorders (SUDs) have with the health care system. Integrating SUD care into EDs can connect these patients to crucial long-term care. Still, co-occurring conditions, stigma and polysubstance use are among the main barriers preventing efficient integration. The ED is a crucial link to getting patients into long-term SUD care, Dr. Jarrett Burns, an emergency physician and a medical toxicologist at Tidelands Health, told Addiction Treatment Business. Burns approximates that 10% of the patients he encounters have a SUD. Read more here.
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Ambitious Federal Study Failed To Curb Opioid Deaths, NIH Announces
In 2019, amid an ever-worsening drug crisis, the federal government launched a research study with an ambitious goal: to lower opioid overdoses in participating communities by 40% using evidence-based interventions like distributing naloxone and providing access to addiction medications. But communities that implemented the public health strategies did not see a statistically significant reduction in opioid overdose deaths, according to data published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Given the study’s simple premise — that helping communities use proven strategies could help prevent deaths — the results came as a surprise. But its leaders warn against making too much of the disappointing data, citing the fast-changing drug supply and, critically, the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here.
Related: Federal Study Examines Care Following Nonfatal Overdose Among Medicare Beneficiaries; Identifies Effective Interventions and Gaps in Care
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Another $31.4 Million in Funding Opportunities for Priority Behavioral Health Needs
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced notices of funding opportunities aimed at improving behavioral health for racial and ethnic minorities, and other underserved populations, providing training and technical assistance to programs serving these populations, and integrating primary and behavioral health care. The funding totals $31.4 million and supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to address the mental health and overdose crises, two key pillars of the President’s Unity Agenda for the nation, as well as continuing efforts to advance heath equity and address the consistent and disproportionate impact of HIV on racial and ethnic minorities. Read more here.
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Exploring Medicaid Opportunities to Better Support LGBTQ+ Health
Each June, Pride Month celebrates the strength and resilience of the ever-growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) communities across the United States. LGBTQ+ people face well-documented health disparities and inequities compared to their cisgender, heterosexual peers, and are more likely to live below the poverty line and be enrolled in Medicaid. Federal agencies have begun prioritizing efforts to protect LGBTQ+ health care access and are encouraging Medicaid agencies to collect sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data. However, persistent homophobia and transphobia, as well as increasing political polarization around LGBTQ+ health issues, can make it challenging for Medicaid policymakers to effectively serve this community. Read more here.
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Adolescent Substance Use Treatment: How Can We Expand Access and Support PCPs?
Amidst an ongoing epidemic of drug overdose deaths in the United States, the demand for accessible and affordable adolescent substance use treatment in 2024 is likely to be greater than ever before. Yet, a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported study has confirmed what so many American families are already facing first-hand: adolescent access to essential substance use disorders (SUDs) treatment facilities is only getting more complex. According to the NIH study, only half (54%) of residential treatment facilities – live-in care centers that offer essential treatment for SUDs – have an available bed for adolescent patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Even when beds are available, costs are often prohibitive, with an average monthly reported cost of treatment of over $26,000. In the face of such scarce resources, alternative models are essential to expand care access and support earlier intervention for OUD and SUDs more broadly. Read more here.
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State Strategies for Preventing Substance Use and Overdose Among Youth and Adolescents
Rising rates of mental health challenges and overdoses among youth underscore the need for multi-faceted prevention strategies that can prevent drug use before it starts and support early intervention for youth that may be at risk of overdose or other opioid-related harms. Opioid settlement funds provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in prevention. Explore this brief that highlights evidence-based prevention activities that can be supported through state settlement funds.
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Substance Use Experts are Sounding the Alarm on Another Addiction: Gambling
LAS VEGAS — Downstairs was a sensory overload: Roulette wheels spun, slot-machine chimes rang, and dealers hurried to scoop up stacks of casino chips resting in front of busted blackjack hands. Many gamblers held a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It was perhaps a strange setting for a conference about substance use treatment. But there may have been no better venue than the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino for the stark warning being offered in a ballroom upstairs: America’s addiction professionals are ignoring gambling. The session on gambling constituted a sharp pivot from the rest of the conference, put on by the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, an advocacy group representing the nation’s more than 2,000 methadone clinics. But it underscored the growing unease across the public health world about harmful gambling behavior, which some surveys show has increased by 30% in the last six years. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities with an Intersectional Lens
June 20, 12 - 1 pm, SJLA
Care and Concern Interventions to Address Substance Use and Mental Health in Rural Communities
June 20, 1 - 3 pm, NCROTAC
Breaking the Hold: Addressing Racialized Trauma and Menthol Inequities
June 20, 3 - 5 pm, National Behavioral Health Network
Warmlines, Helplines, and Crisis Lines Offer the Help You Need When You Need It
June 20, 4 - 5:30 pm, NAMI
Recovery Ready Workplace Workshop - IN-PERSON in Johnstown, NY
June 21, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, FOR-NY
The Living Room: Leveraging the Peer Workforce in Crisis Stabilization
June 24, 1:30 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Strengthening the Workforce through New York State’s Public Health Corps
June 25, 2 - 3 pm, NY Health Foundation
Youth Cannabis Education and Prevention Providers and Mentors Workshop
June 25, 2 - 3:30 pm, OASAS
Ask the Expert: Community Response and Its Place in the Crisis Continuum
June 25, 2 - 3:30 pm, CSG Justice Center
Georouting vs. Geolocation and the Next Steps in Strengthening the 988 Suicide And Crisis Lifeline
June 26, 11 - 11:45 am, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients with Liver Disease: Leveraging an Underutilized Tool
June 26, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
The RED Tool: Identifying and Rectifying Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Treatment Court Programming and Outcomes
June 26, 2:30 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Addressing Racial Bias in AI for Equitable Substance Use Recovery
June 26, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Promising Practices for Collaboration on State and Local Opioid Settlement Spending
June 26, 3:30 - 5 pm, NASHP
Delivering Comprehensive, Integrated Care for Pregnant and Postpartum People
June 27, 11:30 am - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Nine Years of Stepping Up: Reflections on County Progress and Pathways toward Success
June 27, 12 - 1:30 pm, CSG Justice Center
Building a Behavioral Health Continuum of Care: The Role of Rural Leaders and Behavioral Health Directors
June 27, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
Start with Hope: How Providers Can Navigate Culturally Responsive Substance Use Treatment and Care
June 27, 3 - 4:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Psychiatric Advance Directives to Promote Community Living
June 28, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA
MOUD in Recovery Housing: An Exemplary Case Study of Implementing Holistic Care in Indiana
July 8, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Justice-Involved Veterans: Causes and Solutions
July 9, 11 am - 12 pm, NY Health Foundation
Ask the Expert: Specialized Mental Health Caseloads in Probation
July 9, 2 - 3:30 pm, CSG Justice Center
Continuous and Collaborative: Best Practices for Family Treatment Court Screening and Assessment
July 16, 1:30 - 3 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Evidence Meets Innovation: The Crucial Role of Clinical Research in AI Development for Behavioral Health
July 16, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
The Intentional SUD Clinical Supervisor
July 17, 3 - 4:30 pm, NAADAC
Promoting Social Equity for Underrepresented Individuals in the Workforce
July 18, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Understanding the Adolescent Behavioral Health Crisis
July 18, 1 - 2 pm, United Hospital Fund
Clinical Community Partnerships to Support Behavioral Health in Service Members, Veterans and their Families
July 30, 1 - 2:30 pm, SAMHSA
Navigating the Suicidal Crisis with your Outpatient Client
August 8, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
What Is Harm Reduction for Alcohol?
August 14, 3 - 4 pm, NAADAC
Ask the Expert: Collaborative Approaches to Providing Mental Health and Law Enforcement Services
August 20, 2 - 3:30 pm, CSG Justice Center
Barriers to Care: Solutions for Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment Provision in Rural Communities
August 21, 12 - 1 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Ask the Expert: Family-Centered Reentry Programming
September 25, 2 - 3:30 pm, CSG Justice Center
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CLMHD CALENDAR
JUNE
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
June 20: 1 - 3 pm
LSP Support Session #4
June 27: 1 - 2:30 pm
JULY
IOCC Pre-Meeting - VIRTUAL
July 1: 11 am - 12:30 pm
IOCC Meeting - VIRTUAL
July 1: 1 - 3 pm
Executive Committee Meeting
July 3: 8 - 9 am
CLMHD Office Closed - Independence Day
July 4
LGU Clinic Operators Meeting
July 9: 10 - 11:00 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
July 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
July 11: 1 - 2:30 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
July 11: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
July 16: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
July 17: 9 - 10:30 am
CLMHD Office Closed - Juneteenth
June 19
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
June 20: 1 - 3 pm
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