Biden-Harris Administration Awards More than $230 Million for Suicide Prevention, Behavioral Health Care Programs for At-Risk Communities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), recently awarded $232.2 million in grants for suicide prevention and behavioral health care for at-risk communities, including more than $200 million in new funding for states, territories, and Tribal nations and organizations to build local capacity for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and related crisis services. Addressing the nation’s ongoing mental health crisis is a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration and a key pillar in President Biden’s Unity Agenda for the nation. Read more here.

Related: The Biden-Harris Administration Awards $131.7 Million to Support At-risk Youth and Families

Governor Hochul Announces Multi-Agency Collaboration to Raise School-Age Youth Mental Health Awareness

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced a multi-agency collaboration with New York PBS stations to equip prekindergarten-grade 12 educators with resources and strategies they can rely on to support the mental well-being of their students. Produced by The WNET Group with assistance from the state Office of Mental Health and the State Education, Student Mental Health Matters: A Toolkit for Educators is available free online and provides more than 50 digital videos addressing topics specific to youth mental health. Read more here.

Related: New York leaders say they are making gains on addressing teen mental health

Computer-Based Pilot Program on Staten Island Offers Hope for Opioid Epidemic

On Monday, the Health Department gave a grim update to the opioid crisis in the city: 3,026 overdose deaths occurred in 2022. It’s the highest number of fatalities since reporting began in 2000, but an experimental and computer-based program on Staten Island is offering a glimmer of hope. It’s called the Hotspotting Program, and according to Northwell Health, there was an 81% reduction in non-fatal overdoses for those involved. Read more here.

Related: After success of Staten Island AI overdose prevention program, what comes next?

Governor Hochul Announces $13 Million in Grants Awarded to Nonprofit Service Providers to Provide Career Training Opportunities for People With Developmental Disabilities

Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday announced that more than $13 million in grants have been awarded by the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities to seven nonprofit service providers statewide to fund career-specific vocational training opportunities for people with developmental disabilities over the next four years. New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Kerri Neifeld said, “With this targeted training initiative, we advance our understanding of what is possible for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. As we empower more people to work, we will demonstrate new, effective ways to support people and show the world the strength and success that results when employers fully embrace diversity and inclusion." Read more here.

Officials Agree: Use Settlement Funds to Curb Youth Addiction. But the ‘How’ Gets Hairy.

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director. Several schools began stocking naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Community organizations trained teens to use it. But county and school officials wanted to do more. That’s when they turned to opioid settlement funds — money coming from national deals with health care companies like Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, and CVS, which were accused of fueling the epidemic via prescription painkillers. The companies are paying out more than $50 billion to state and local governments over 18 years. Much of that money is slated for addiction treatment and efforts to reduce drug trafficking. But some is going to school-based prevention programs to reduce the possibility of addiction before it begins. Read more here.

Higher Suicide Risk in Nurses, Other Health Workers

Health workers had an increased risk for suicide compared with workers in other sectors, according to a nationally representative cohort study. Using data from 2008 to 2019, the risk of suicide was 32% higher among the 176,000 healthcare workers in the study and was highest among support staff followed by registered nurses and health technicians. No increased suicide risk was seen among physicians or other healthcare workers included in the study, reported researchers led by Mark Olfson, MD, MPH, of the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. Writing in JAMA, they noted that most prior studies examining suicide risk in healthcare have focused on physicians, who represent only about 5% of the workforce. Read more here.

Black People Are More Likely To Be Physically Restrained in Emergency Rooms, Study Finds

In the chaotic environment of an emergency room, hospital staffers sometimes face the question of whether to use physical restraints when a patient is experiencing a behavioral crisis. Using restraints is meant to be a last resort in the face of a patient’s agitation in order to keep health care workers and others around them safe. But restraints can also lead to severe adverse outcomes for patients, including physical and psychological trauma. A new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, highlights how restraint use can both arise from, and further contribute to, racial bias against patients. Read more here.

Police: Alcohol-Related Driving Deaths Up Nearly 30% in NY

Deaths that occur from alcohol-related traffic crashes are up nearly 30% in the state over the last several years, police said, driving lawmakers to explore how they can reverse the trend and make New York roads safer. Lawmakers are pursuing new solutions to end drunken and intoxicated driving, as the decades-long fight takes a new turn as substance use and incidents of intoxicated driving have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. During a legislative hearing Friday on intoxicated driving, New York State Police testified to lawmakers more than 7,000 alcohol-related traffic crashes took place in the state last year, resulting in 335 deaths. That's up from 262 deaths in 2019, or a nearly 30% increase. Read more here.

BROOME: Broome County Health Department receives national grant

CAYUGA: Childhood trauma center looks to expand resources in Cayuga County

JEFFERSON: Samaritan Medical Center Announces Expansion of Emergency Department Behavioral Health Secure Unit

LIVINGSTON: Livingston County allocates opioid settlement funds to support youth peer advocacy

NIAGARA: Community Missions again marking Mental Illness Awareness week with annual prayer service

NYC: New opioid treatment in Staten Island program saves lives, offers hope to addicts

NYC: Health Department Issues Commissioner’s Advisory As Overdose Crisis Reaches Historic Levels

NYC: PAWS NY Launches Substance Use Recovery Program

NYC: Mental health services are coming to NYC’s family shelters, but staffing concerns loom

NYC: NYC health department publishes first guidelines for supervised injection sites

NYC: Governor Hochul Announces Request for Proposals to Transform Manhattan’s Former Bayview Correctional Facility Into Affordable and Supportive Housing

ONEIDA: Forums aim to lift up New York's youth

TIOGA: Tioga County Veterans’ Service Agency to raise awareness for suicide with 5k Ruck March

TOMPKINS: New response team supports [Cornell] students, reduces police intervention

TOMPKINS: Local non-profit invests in mobile van clinic to improve healthcare access

TUG HILL REGION: Results from Tri-County Residents Annual Health Survey released

The association between temperature and alcohol- and substance-related disorder hospital visits in New York State

RAISE-ing the Standard of Care for Schizophrenia: The Rapid Adoption of Coordinated Specialty Care in the United States

Medicare Advantage plans for dual-eligible enrollees set to get Senate scrutiny

An overdose drug is finally over-the-counter. Is that enough to stop the death toll?

Decriminalizing Drug Possession Not Linked to Higher Overdose Death Rates in Oregon or Washington

National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS) 2022: Data on Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Facilities

Seattle Tackles Drug Crisis Response but Struggles With Treatment

UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS

Healthy Families for a Healthy Workforce

September 28, 12 - 1 pm, MHANYS

Trauma-informed Cancer Care for Individuals with Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges

September 28, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Building Hope for Families Affected by Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders

September 28, 2 - 3 pm, NCSAC

Supporting Justice-Involved Individuals with SMI: From Arrest to Recovery

September 28, 3 - 4 pm, SMI Advisor

Equity-Centered Strategies to Improve Care for People Experiencing Homelessness: Lessons from Kings and Tulare Counties

September 29, 11 am - 12 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies

Understanding the Population of People with Frequent Jail Contact

September 29, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center

Navigating the Mainstreaming of Psychedelic Drugs in the United States

October 3, 1 - 2 pm, Manatt Health

988: It is NOT just a number- Webinar #3

October 3, 2 - 4:30 pm, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Tips for Teens

October 4, 7 - 8 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

The Legal, Regulatory and Market Trends Transforming Health Care

October 5, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, Manatt Health

Introduction to PSYCKES

October 5, 1 - 2 pm, OMH

Creating Accountability through Data: From Racism and Neglect to Accountability and Repair

October 10, 2 - 3:30 pm, National Health Equity Grand Rounds

Exploring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Trauma, Trends & Diagnostic Insights

October 16, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

Stepping Up and Elevating the Voices of People with Lived Experience

October 17, 1 - 2:30 pm, CSG Justice Center

PSYCKES for Health Homes and Care Management Agencies

October 17, 3 - 4:30 pm, OMH

Gun Violence Prevention and Medicaid: State of the Field

October 18, 3 - 4:30 pm, Center for Healthcare Strategies

Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT): An Evidence-Based Intervention Designed to Reduce Self-Stigma in Adults with Mental Health Challenges

October 19, 10 am - 12 pm, CTAC/MTAC

A Family-Centered Approach to Implementing Plans of Safe Care

October 19, 2 - 3 pm, NCSAC

Key Takeaways: Survey Of 4,000 Health Plans On Behavioral Health’s Future

October 24, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU

Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT): Adaptations for Youth and Caregivers Impacted by Mental Health Challenges

October 26, 10 am - 12 pm, CTAC/MCTAC

Emerging Care Models: The Transformative Potential of Sobering Centers

October 26, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Cost and Financing Strategies for Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis

October 30, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA

Using the PSYCKES Clinical Summary

November 1, 10 - 11:30 am, OMH

PSYCKES Mobile App for iPhones & iPads

November 14, 11 am - 12 pm, OMH

Navigating PSYCKES Recipient Search for Population Health

November 30, 3 - 4 pm, OMH

GRANTS/FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

HRSA Health Workforce

NYS Grants Gateway

NY Health Foundation

OASAS Procurements

OMH Procurements

OPWDD Procurements

Rural Health Information Hub - New York

SAMHSA Grants Dashboard

CLMHD CALENDAR

OCTOBER

CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting

October 4: 8 - 9 am

AOT Coordinators Call

October 6: 10 - 11:30 am

LGU Clinic Operators Call

October 10: 10 - 11:30 am

Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting

October 12: 11 am - 12 pm

Mental Health Committee Meeting

October 12: 3 - 4 pm

Children & Families Committee Meeting

October 17: 11:30 am - 1 pm

Membership Call

October 18: 9 - 10:30 am

Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting

October 19: 1 - 2:30 pm

Deputy DCS Call

October 24: 10 - 11 am

Fall 2023 Full Membership Meeting

October 25 - 27, Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel

Links to State Guidance and Updates on COVID-19

NYS Coronavirus Vaccination Information