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CLMHD Launches Third Year of Mental Health First Aid in Higher Education/Harm Reduction Project, Expanding to Eight New York Colleges
The New York State Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors (“The Conference”), in partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), has launched the third year of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in Higher Education/Harm Reduction Project. Building on two years of OMH-funded efforts to expand MHFA training across New York State, the 2026 initiative focuses on vocational, technical, and profession-specific academic programs, with additional harm reduction education and support provided through OASAS. Developed by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, MHFA is an evidence-based training program that teaches individuals how to recognize, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges. This training provides the skills necessary to offer initial support until professional help is available. The Conference is grateful to OMH for its continued investment in Year 3, which makes it possible to expand the project’s reach and bring this training to students preparing for careers with well-documented elevated risks of suicide, trauma exposure, and substance use. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces $13.7 Million Awarded to Expand and Improve Inpatient Psychiatric Units
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the award of $13.7 million in capital funding to help community-based and psychiatric hospitals add inpatient capacity or upgrade existing units to better serve their patients. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the funding will help nine healthcare providers undertaking various projects, including three to increase bed capacity and 10 others to improve the patient experience. “Community-based hospitals and privately operated psychiatric facilities are important components in our effort to ensure all New Yorkers have access to the full continuum of mental health care,” Governor Hochul said. “This funding will help spur capital projects that increase bed capacity and improve the patient experience across New York State.” The funding will help two providers undertake three capital projects to increase inpatient psychiatric capacity, including adding six beds at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Monroe County, four beds at South Oaks Hospital in Suffolk County, and 24 beds at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens. The awards will also fund 10 smaller projects that will enhance the patient experience, including ones that will add space to common areas or expand access to outdoor areas. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces Launch of New 10-Year Statewide Effort to Assess Gambling Addiction and Behaviors in New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced the launch of a new, decade-long survey effort designed to assess gambling behaviors of New Yorkers and evaluate where additional problem gambling-related services and supports may be needed. New Yorkers in all areas of the state will be contacted to promote participation in the surveys, the results of which will be used to inform enhancements and expansions to gambling services across New York. The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) is administering and overseeing the survey effort. Read more here.
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Saving Lives by Changing Lives: The Next Frontier in Suicide Prevention
Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It’s that common. But not normal. Humans have evolved over centuries to survive. So when people try to kill themselves, something has gone wrong. Typically, the assumption is that something happened in the person’s mind — a mental illness. But in recent decades, there’s been a growing movement to ask a different question: What went wrong in the world around that person? For Chris Pawelski, it was a torrent of factors. His dad — one of his best friends, whom he worked with daily for decades — was diagnosed with renal cancer and died six months later. Pawelski was left as the primary caregiver for his mom, who had dementia. His family’s multigenerational onion farm in New York’s Orange County — where he first worked as a 5-year-old, collecting onions that fell out of crates — was hemorrhaging money. Pawelski said he was growing roughly $200,000 worth of crops some years but took home only about $20,000, unable to negotiate higher prices with wholesale buyers that dominated the market. Read more here.
Related: Study reveals century-long cycles in U.S. suicide rates and a long-term crisis among youth
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Justice Department Places FDA-Approved Marijuana Products and Products Containing Marijuana Subject to a Qualifying State-issued License in Schedule III, Strengthening Medical Research While Maintaining Strict Federal Controls
In accordance with President Trump’s December 18, 2025, Executive Order on Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research, the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last week announced the issuance of an order immediately placing both FDA-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, as well as the initiation of an expedited administrative hearing process to consider the broader rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The new hearing, beginning June 29, 2026, will provide a timely and legally compliant pathway to evaluate broader changes to marijuana’s status under federal law. Read more here.
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The Loneliness Gap: Americans Seek Community but Struggle to Find It, Survey Finds
Thirty-eight percent of Americans have gone “no contact” with a friend or family member in the last year, according to a new study. The survey of 2,000 Americans revealed that young people are more likely than older groups to have gone “no contact” with a loved one in the last year (Gen Z 60%, millennials 50%, Gen X 38%, baby boomers 20%). Investigating the “why” behind this trend, survey respondents’ top reason for going “no contact” with someone was because that person was not respectful to them (36%). Other primary motivations for this cited in the study include that the relationship negatively impacted their mental health (29%), and that the other person was too negative in general (27%). Read more here.
Related: The Help That Many Older Americans Need Most
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Refocus and Renew: Moving Towards Health Technical Assistance Papers
The Technical Assistance Coalition series of 10 papers calls on state leaders to refocus on serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbances (SED) treatment and recovery— and to renew their commitment to system changes in improving whole-person health. The series focuses on providing updated information and guidance on SMI and SED and renewing efforts for systems-level changes. Beginning with the “umbrella paper” that covers leading policy themes related to each of the subsequent papers, together, these papers highlight key areas of consideration for refocusing on SMI and SED treatment and recovery, and renewing commitment to system changes and improving whole-person health. By refocusing attention on whole health, SMI and SED, further progress can be made to enhance the entire continuum of mental health, substance use and physical health care that is coordinated and meets people’s needs. Read more here.
Related: SAMHSA Publishes Dear Colleague Letters With Updated Agency Guidance for Grantees
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New Video Highlights Ways to Identify and Address Substance Use Coercion
Substance use coercion is a common but under-recognized form of intimate partner violence that affects a significant share of women with opioid use disorder (OUD), yet most clinicians are not trained to recognize these dynamics. They may interpret missed appointments, not taking medication, or returning to use as noncompliance without understanding that a partner may be sabotaging a patient’s care by withholding transportation, tampering with medication, or threatening harm. A new video released last week describes how the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health and clinicians at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) developed and tested the Beyond Screening Toolkit. The toolkit provides practical guidance for clinicians on how to screen for substance use coercion and integrate safety plans into clinical workflows so that patients can navigate treatment and recovery without risking retaliation from an abusive partner. Read more here.
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ALBANY: Thousands walk at University at Albany for suicide prevention awareness
BROOME: Binghamton University wellness event addresses Adderall misuse, mental health
CHAUTAUQUA: Program offers welcoming space at agency
CHAUTAUQUA: Championing Health, Connection, & Community in Chautauqua County
CORTLAND: CARE hosts first conference to promote addiction recovery
ERIE: Eco Serve Pest Services Partners with Compeer Buffalo to 'Rock' Mental Health Awareness Month
ERIE: Two Nonprofits Get Millions to Reduce Mental Health Case Strain On ECMC, Other Hospitals
ERIE: UB researchers find factors that encourage participation in health research
GENESEE: Share, connect and support at 2nd annual Community Mental Health Awareness event
MONROE: East House celebrates 60th anniversary with premiere of new PBS short film
MONROE: County Executive Bello Announces $4.5 Million Investment To Sustain 24/7 Walk-in Open Access Clinic At Delphi Rise
MONROE: More psychiatric beds, upgrades coming to Rochester-area hospitals with $13.7M funding
NIAGARA: Niagara County Family Opportunity Center, a support system for parents, is shutting down
NYC: Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on $61 Million Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in Central Brooklyn
NYC: Alumni Help Launch Jamaica's First Occupational Therapy Program
NYC: Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $38 Million Affordable and Supportive Housing Development in the Bronx
NYC: In Brooklyn, cognitive behavioral therapy is helping young men redefine masculinity
NYC: Brooklyn College Hosts Second Annual Perinatal Mental Health Summit in Brownsville
ST. LAWRENCE: City says no to stalling multi-residence development in split vote
SUFFOLK: Port Jefferson School District Partners with Stony Brook’s CARE Initiative
TOMPKINS: Local mental health care workers vote to unionize
ULSTER: Opioid Deaths Are Down in Ulster County. Commissioner of Mental Health Tara McDonald Explains Why
WESTCHESTER: Brightline Opens Pediatric Mental Health Clinic in White Plains, New York
WESTCHESTER: Westchester County Youth Bureau Joins My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliances for 2026 Youth Leadership Symposium
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FDA Accelerates Action on Treatments for Serious Mental Illness Following Executive Order
President Trump on April 18 issued an Executive Order directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate access to treatments for patients with serious mental illness, including devastating, complex, and treatment-resistant conditions. Building on this directive, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week announced a series of regulatory actions to support the development of serotonin-2A agonists and related products, a class of perception-altering psychedelic medications. Read more here.
Related: American Psychiatric Association Responds to Executive Order on Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Hospital and Community Transitions: Webinar for MHOTRS Providers
May 5, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, MCTAC
Innovations in Substance Use Care Delivery for Medicaid Members: A No Wrong Door Approach
May 6, 2 - 3:30 pm, CHCS
Stronger Together: Elevating the Family Peer Role in Multidisciplinary Teams Part 2: Strength Based Collaboration
May 6, 3 - 4:30 pm, CTAC
9th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium
May 7, 10 am - 5 pm, National Council on Aging
Responding to High Acuity Challenges in Supportive Housing (Part 2)
May 7, 1:30 - 2:30 pm, CSH
Beyond the Court Order: New Long-Term Evidence from Mobile County’s AOT Program
May 7, 2 - 3 pm, Policy Research Associates
Responding to Serious Behavioral Health Symptoms in the Courtroom: The Role of Each Court Partner
May 7, 3 - 4 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Update from the Field: Crisis Response and Co-response to Support Individuals Experiencing Mental and Substance Use Disorders
May 13, 12 - 1:30 pm, SAMHSA's GAINS Center
Supporting Individuals Engaged in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Peers
May 13, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
Train Your AI for Your Future: How Behavioral Health Organizations Are Teaching AI Their Operational DNA
May 18, 1 - 2 pm, Clinically AI
Best Practices to Provide Integrated Care for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) & Neurodevelopmental Needs
May 18, 1 - 2:30 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Brain Injury: Practical Strategies for Engagement
May 19, 10 - 11 am, DOH/OMH/OASAS
Improving Access to Specialty Care in Rural Communities Through Project ECHO
May 21, 2 - 3 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies
Case-Based Discussion: Gambling and Alcohol Use Disorder
May 21, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, PCSS-MOUD
Integrated Care in MHOTRS Webinar
May 28, 2 - 3 pm, MCTAC
Beyond Dual Diagnosis: Understanding the Relationship Between Personality Disorders and Substance Use Disorders Among Adults
June 10, 12 - 1:30 pm, CTAC
Balancing Public Meeting and Records Transparency Amid Rising Threats and Public Pressure
June 11, 2 - 3 pm, NACo
Essential Clinical and Peer Supervision Practices in Substance Use Disorder Services
June 17, 12 - 1:30 pm, NAADAC
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CLMHD CALENDAR
May
Quarterly LGU Billing Staff Call
May 5: 10 - 11 am
Executive Committee Meeting
May 6: 8 - 9 am
CLMHD Spring Full Membership Meeting
May 11 - 13, Albany, NY
Children & Families Committee Meeting
May 19: 12 - 1:30 pm
Membership Call
May 20: 9 - 10:30 am
June
Executive Committee Meeting
June 3: 8 - 9 am
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
June 4: 1 - 3 pm
Quarterly AOT Coordinators Call
June 5, 10 - 11:30 am
LGU Clinic Operators Call
June 9, 10 - 11 am
Addiction Services & Recovery Committee Meeting
June 11: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
June 11: 3 - 4 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
June 16: 12 - 1:30 pm
Membership Call
June 17: 9 - 10:30 am
Developmental Disabilities Committee Meeting
June 18: 1 - 2 pm
CLMHD Offices Closed - Juneteenth
June 19
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