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Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $300 Million to Strengthen Access to High-Quality Health Care Across New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday announced nearly $300 million in new state funding to support health care transformation projects across New York. The awards, made through the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program IV, will support more than 50 projects aimed at expanding access to inpatient, primary, behavioral health and long-term care services. “This targeted investment will help ensure that every New Yorker — regardless of ZIP code — can access safe, high-quality health care,” Governor Hochul said. “By supporting providers that serve vulnerable and underserved populations, we’re strengthening the foundation of our health care system and building a healthier future for all.” Read more here.
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Livingston County Welcomes New Director of Community Services
The Livingston County Community Services Board has named Sarah McCumiskey as the County’s director of community services, overseeing mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services across the County. McCumiskey brings more than two decades of experience in the mental health field to her new role, including work as a licensed mental health counselor for the last 15 years. She most recently served as an addiction therapist supervisor with Rochester Regional Health’s inpatient addiction services program. In that role, she led a multidisciplinary team of addiction therapists and behavioral health technicians, implemented program enhancements, improved patient satisfaction scores, and collaborated with senior leadership on operational and strategic initiatives. Read more here.
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This Little-Known Synthetic Opioid is Up to 43 times More Deadly than Fentanyl, Resistant to Narcan and Killing Young Americans
A pair of Texas friends died less than three months apart after ingesting pills laced with a dangerous new synthetic opioid, and now their mothers are begging US officials to sound the alarm on the little-known drug that’s up to 43 times more lethal than fentanyl. The young men both died this year after swallowing different pills secretly tainted with the deadly, often Narcan-resistant opioids known as nitazenes, which have begun seeping into the US at an alarming rate. Lucci Reyes-McCallister, 22, died January 26 near Houston, Texas, after taking a pill labeled as Xanax that was actually laced with N-pyrrolidino protonitazene, an emerging form of nitazene. The particular strain of the new synthetic narcotic that killed Lucci is 25 times more lethal than fentanyl, but other nitazenes are between five and 43 times stronger, depending on the type, according to the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission. Read more here.
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Breaking Down Barriers: Reentry 2030 States Meet to Tackle Employment-Related Collateral Consequences
On June 26, the CSG Justice Center convened state leaders in workforce development, education, and corrections from 7 Reentry 2030 states for the second session of the Reentry 2030 Workforce Development Peer Learning Cohort. The session focused on employment-related collateral consequences and policies and strategies for effectively navigating them.
Employment-related collateral consequences are state laws and regulations that prohibit people with certain convictions from accessing occupational and business licenses and limit employers’ ability to hire otherwise qualified candidates from the justice-involved population. While work has been done across the country to mitigate barriers to employment for people returning from incarceration, hundreds of these laws remain in state statutory and regulatory codes, some of which may have outdated provisions or unintended consequences. Cohort participants from Alabama, Arizona, California, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Washington learned about the scope and operation of this complex web of law and regulations and discussed how each state can better prepare the reentering population to navigate them. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Tours First-of-Its-Kind Children’s Specialty Hospital Aimed to Support Children With Complex Disabilities in New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday, along with President & CEO Dr. Terry Hamlin, VP of Development Gabby Scott, leadership staff attended the ceremonial ribbon cutting of The Center for Discovery’s Children's Specialty Hospital in Rock Hill, New York. Governor Hochul also toured the facility with Dr. Hamlin and facility staff where they met a 12-year-old program participant and his family. This innovative facility is dedicated to providing specialized short-term inpatient care to children and adolescents with complex disabilities, such as autism. Developed over the past decade by The Center for Discovery’s (TCFD) multidisciplinary team in close collaboration with the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), this facility introduces a new care model that focuses on proactive treatments to reduce the need for long-term residential placements. Read more here.
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Policy Outsider Podcast: Keeping Schools Safe with Behavioral Threat Assessment
As summer winds down, the perennial question of how to create a safe and equitable environment for students is on the minds of many school leaders, administrators, and teachers. This episode of Policy Outsider explores the practice of using multi-disciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams to evaluate students who are at risk and recommend holistic and programmatic pathways to make sure their needs are being met. Guests include Eric Madfis, Professor, Criminal Justice and Director, Violence Prevention and Transformation Research Collaborative, School of Social Work & Criminal Justice, University of Washington-Tacoma; and Jaclyn Schildkraut, Executive Director, Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium, Rockefeller Institute of Government Listen to the podcast here.
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Expanding Access to Integrated Medicare-Medicaid Programs in Rural Communities
Rural communities often face unique challenges when it comes to accessing coordinated Medicare and Medicaid services, leaving many residents without the integrated care they need. A new brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies explores strategies to expand these programs in rural areas, highlighting promising approaches from across the country. It examines how states can tailor services to meet local needs, strengthen partnerships, and improve outcomes for people who are dually eligible. The brief also shares lessons that can help inform policy and program design nationwide. Read more here.
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Binghamton University Study Uncovers Alarming Anxiety Rates Among Autistic College Students
As autism diagnoses continue to grow and remain a topic of nationwide debate, new research reveals that autistic individuals are facing mental health challenges at a major turning point in their lives – when they go to college. According to a new study led by researchers at Binghamton University, autistic college students face dramatically higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to their non-autistic peers. Psychologists at Binghamton examined data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which included 342 universities and 149,783 undergraduate student respondents. Of the questions posed, students can report being autistic and also whether or not they have a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. The researchers analyzed the data to determine the rate of anxiety and depression for those who also reported being autistic.
Read more here.
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How Behavioral Health Leaders Buy, Use and Struggle with EHR Technology
For a variety of reasons, behavioral health organizations are investing significant time, money and manpower into health IT systems. Yet too often, they still run into outdated tools, implementation hurdles and gaps in return on investment. That’s according to recently conducted research from Behavioral Health Business, which surveyed industry leaders on their electronic health record (EHR) and care coordination technology strategies earlier this year. In addition to asking about EHR adoption and must-have features, the initiative explored who holds the purchasing power, what drives spending and why tech upgrades often come with friction. The survey, conducted in early summer 2025, gathered responses from a broad cross-section of behavioral health leaders. The majority of respondents said they worked for for-profit organizations, with 58% describing their job title as one in executive leadership.
Read more here.
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Why Addiction Treatment Providers Are Writing a New Playbook for Coordinated, Whole-Person Care
Who leads addiction care from a clinical and coordination perspective has historically been a complicated question, partly because of how patients are referred into substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services and the nonlinear progression of recovery. The question of who “quarterbacks” addiction treatment is still a complicated and, sometimes, confusing one. But it doesn’t always have to be, according to industry leaders. To some degree, the clinical silos and lack of coordination reflect the varied nature of addiction and recovery itself, Dr. Ayesha Appa, assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said during the Behavioral Health Business Addiction Treatment Forum in July. Read more here.
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The Housing/Health Overlap
The path for addressing homelessness and housing insecurity appears to be on a new trajectory. An executive order issued last month shifts federal policy on homelessness and housing policy toward involuntary civil commitment. And last Sunday, August 10, in a social media post, President Trump wrote, “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY…We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital." And earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) signaled plans to reduce reimbursement for health-related social needs, including housing. The agency rescinded previous guidance regarding coverage of services and supports. The link between homelessness and health care utilization is well documented. In one of many analyses, in Maricopa County, Arizona, individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) who were also chronically homeless had overall average annual costs of $54,978—significantly more than the corresponding $37,402 for individuals in supported housing. People in supported housing also showed lower inpatient costs per person per year, at $11,992, compared with $17,778 for the chronically homeless. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Deepening Quality Improvement Efforts: Real-World Success Stories
August 14, 1 - 2 pm, Social Current
Stepping Up for Youth: Improving Behavioral Health Outcomes in the Juvenile Justice System
August 14, 2 - 3 pm, CSG Justice Center
The Science of Addiction and Recovery—A Father’s Perspective
August 14, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Strategies to Support Adults Experiencing Social Isolation and Loneliness
August 14, 2 - 4 pm, CTAC
From Crisis to Care: How CCBHCs are Revolutionizing MOUD Access
August 14, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Black Men’s Mental Health Conference: Heal Brother, Heal
August 16, 9 am - 3 pm, IN-PERSON at the ETEC Building, University at Albany
Peer Connections Office Hours - Co-Instruction Best Practices
August 18, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Substance Use and Psychiatric Care: Bridging the Divide for Whole-Person Treatment
August 18, 2:30 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Navigating the New Risk Environment: Top Compliance, Legal and Operational Challenges for Behavioral Health Providers
August 19, 12 - 1 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Workforce Solutions Jam | Provider Voices on AI: Real-World Insights for the Behavioral Health Workforce
August 19, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
AI In Behavioral Health: Ethics, Innovation, & Real-World Applications
August 19, 1 - 2 pm, OPEN MINDS/Core Solutions
Supporting Justice-Involved Service Members and Veterans through Early Interventions in Criminal Justice Settings
August 19, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
4th Annual School Mental Health Summer Academy
August 19 - 20, 8:30 am - 12 pm, School Mental Health Resource Training Center
Building Rural Recovery Ecosystems
August 20, 12 - 1:30 pm, NCROTAC
Suicide and Substance Use Disorders: A Current Epidemic
August 20, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
How States Can Leverage Medicaid to Reduce Recidivism and Improve Health Outcomes
August 20, 1 - 2 pm, CSG Justice Center
How Measurement-informed, Transdiagnostic Care Can Improve Behavioral Health Outcomes
August 20, 2 - 3 pm, CETA Global
Contracting to Provide Peer Services: Is Your Organization Ready?
August 20, 2 - 3 pm, SAMHSA
Part 1: Creating a Trauma-Informed Recovery Oriented System of Care (TI-ROSC)
August 20, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Legal Challenges and Alcohol Use Among Rural Youth
August 20, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, PCSS
2025 Suicide Prevention Summit - VIRTUAL
August 23 - 24, 9 am - 4:30 pm, Mental Health Academy
Part 2: Creating a Trauma-Informed Recovery Oriented System of Care (TI-ROSC)
August 25, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Safeguarding New York’s Efforts to Address the Opioid Overdose Epidemic
August 25, 1 - 2 pm, NY Health Foundation
Behind the Curtain - A Discussion of Lessons Learned through Integrated Care Concept Planning
August 26, 1 - 2 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Beyond Depression and Anxiety: Scaling CoCM for Serious Mental Illness and Opioid Use Disorder
August 26, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Practical Strategies to Expand the Rural Behavioral Health Workforce
August 27, 10 - 11:30 am, NCROTAC
Breaking the Cycle: Interrupting Intergenerational Trauma in Substance Use Disorders
August 27, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Solving the EHR Puzzle: Exclusive Data on Pain Points, Priorities & Platforms
August 28, 12 - 1 pm, Behavioral Health Business
Crisis Systems for All: Leveraging Data to Assess Outcomes Across Populations and Plan Your Community Crisis System Approach
August 28, 1 - 2 pm, SAMHSA
Partnering With Crisis Services in Early Serious Mental Illness Programs
September 3, 12 - 1 pm, SAMHSA
Creating Optimal Access for OUD Services Utilizing Stages of Change
September 4, 3 - 4 pm, PCSS
Toward Whole-Person Care: Integrated Substance Use and Primary Care Integration
September 8, 2:30 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Runaway & Homeless Youth in NYS: Services, Referrals, and Mental Health Intersections Part 2
September 8, 2:30 - 4 pm, CTAC
Mental Health Awareness: Shedding Light on the Interplay between Suicide & Stigma
September 10, 12 - 1 pm, PsychU
National Recovery Month Virtual Event: Recovery Ready, Set, Go!
September 16, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Supporting Older Adults with Behavioral Health Needs
September 18, 10 am - 12 pm, SPOP
The Essentials for Contracting: Models, Contract Negotiation, and Compliance for Peer Organizations
September 18, 2 - 3:30 pm, SAMHSA
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CLMHD CALENDAR
AUGUST
Mental Health Committee Meeting
August 14: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
August 19: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Membership Call
August 20: 9 - 10:30 am
SEPTEMBER
CLMHD Office Closed - Labor Day
September 1
CLMHD Executive Committee Meeting
September 3: 8 - 9 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
September 9: 10 - 11:00 am
Addiction Services & Supports (ASR) Committee Meeting
September 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
September 11: 3 - 4 pm
Membership Call
September 17: 9 - 10:30 am
IOCC Meeting
September 18: 1 - 3 pm
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
September 25: 1 - 2 pm
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