SPOTLIGHT
Implementation Status of Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems in State Psychiatric Hospitals
Electronic health records continue to be a driver for operational change at providers. The uptake of EHRs at state psychiatric hospitals was recently investigated by NRI researchers. Forty-one states have an EHR in their state operated psychiatric hospitals, although no state has an EHR that was all-inclusive in terms of components. A consumer report based on a survey of all states is available now on the NRI website. Read the full report.
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House Passes 5-Year Extension of Money Follows the Person, 2-Year Extension of CCBHC Demo
The House of Representatives late on June 18 passed a five-year extension of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Program and a two-year extension of the Certified Behavioral Health Center Centers (CCBHC) Demonstration Program. Read more.
CBO Projects Annual Federal Medicaid Spending Growth of 5.5 Percent Between 2020 and 2029
In a report on mandatory spending on Federal means-tested programs released June 17, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects Medicaid will grow by about 5.5 percent annually between 2020 and 2029, with states hitting $694 billion in yearly Federal match by 2029. Read more.
NASBO Releases Spring 2019 Fiscal Survey of States Report
The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) has issued their Spring 2019 Fiscal Survey of States report, which examines state fiscal conditions, revenue, expenditures, and balances of governors’ FY 2019 proposed budgets. Read the report.
CDC and the U.S. Public Health Service Launch Opioid Rapid Response Teams to Assist State and Local Agencies with Spikes in Overdoses, Closures of Treatment Clinics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps are working together to support state and local agencies where there is a spike in opioid-related overdoses or closure of an opioid abuse treatment clinic. Read more.
Medicaid Participation by Psychiatrists Drops Significantly Despite Program Expansion
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry finds that, from 2010 to 2018, there was a significant decline in the likelihood of psychiatrists accepting new patients with Medicaid coverage. Read more.
Kentucky to Expand Treatment, Recovery Services for Substance Abuse
A new Medicaid waiver will be added beginning July 1 for those battling substance abuse in Kentucky. The Department for Medicaid Services is implementing new standards for substance use treatment through the expanded services. This will expand coverage and increase access to care for Kentuckians seeking recovery. Read more.
Medicaid Report Highlights Ways to Reduce Health Care Costs in Montana for Homelessness
A report conducted in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing suggests ways the state can reduce Medicaid costs associated with homelessness, including better use of available funds, education, and connecting the homeless to Medicaid services. Read the report.
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Experts Identify 7 Key Elements of Suicide Care
Suicide prevention experts identify seven evidence-based elements (based on standards of care recommendations from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention) for effectively treating patients at imminent risk of suicide, in an article published online in JAMA Network Insights. Read more.
Chronic Physical Conditions in Youth May Raise Risk for Mental Health Conditions
Young people with chronic physical conditions such as asthma or diabetes are more likely to be at risk for later mental health conditions, according to a report released in Pediatrics. Read more.
U.S. Death Rates from Suicides, Alcohol and Drug Overdoses Reach All-Time High
The 2019 Scorecard on State Health System Performance released by the Commonwealth Fund on June 11 finds that rates of deaths from suicides, drug overdoses, and alcohol have reached an all-time high in the United States. Read the report.
Children Whose Parents Have SMI Face Greater Risk of Self-Harm, Somatic Illness, Death
Children who have a parent with a serious mental illness (SMI) are at a greater risk of physical illnesses and death, according to a report in Schizophrenia Bulletin, highlighting the need for greater support of these children by the mental health community. Read more.
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FREE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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JUNE 28: NIJ-Sponsored Course or Event: Research for the Real World- Law Enforcement Stress & Trauma
At this Research for the Real World online seminar, the NIJ will bring together law enforcement practitioners and leading researchers in the field of stress to discuss the current research evidence and practical benefits of targeted stress management interventions and how they can promote officer mental wellness. In addition, this gathering can provide an exploration into what additional research is needed to best support officer health and wellness, potentially highlighting priority areas for future research. Register now.
JULY 9: Disaster Preparedness Training for Community Organizations Webinar
SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) invites you to join a training webinar designed to assist community organizations* in building long-term capacity to meet the needs of the people they support before, during, and after a disaster. Register now.
July 10: Integrated Care Needs of Older Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Implications for Effective Care Transitions
This webinar, the second in the three-part series, will provide state mental health policymakers, local mental health systems, and treatment providers with an overview of strategies used to transition older adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI) from inpatient to community-based settings. The session will also include a discussion of barriers to effective community transitions and methods used in states to mitigate such barriers to ensure permanent community living. Register now.
AUGUST 8: Organizational and Systems Readiness for Ensuring Access to Appropriate Care Levels
This webinar, the third in the three-part series, will provide state mental health policymakers, local mental health systems, and treatment providers with an introduction to a proposed Older Adult System of Care Framework. The session will also introduce a tool designed to assess system and organizational readiness across domains within the proposed System of Care Framework and identify support needs to prepare states to develop effective services. Register now.
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CMS Invites Extension, Expansion of Medicaid-Medicare Duals Demonstrations
In an April 24 State Medicaid Director Letter entitled Three New Opportunities to Test Innovative Models of Integrated Care for Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has invited states not currently participating in the Medicare-Medicaid duals demonstration projects begun in 2013 to launch their own versions, through the existing capitated financial alignment model being utilized in nine states, the managed fee-for-service model considered but never implemented in a handful of states, or some other state-specific model worked out with the agency. Learn more
Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has extended the window in which it is accepting applications for the FY 2019 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). JMHCP grants support cross-system collaboration to improve responses to and outcomes for people with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental illnesses and substance addictions who come into contact with the justice system. Application is open to states, units of local government, and Indian tribes that demonstrate that the project will be administered jointly with a criminal or juvenile justice agency and a mental health agency. Learn more.
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HELPFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES
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June is PTSD Awareness Month Join the PTSD Consultation Program for a free monthly webinar every third Wednesday at 2 p.m. E.T. on topics about treating Veterans with PTSD. Register and earn free CEUs for attending.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) virtual learning lab contains information, in-depth activities, worksheets, and examples from other states to help leaders and coordinators move forward, overcome challenges, and prevent suicide in their communities. Learn more.
SAMHSA Publishes Updated Toolkit to Help Prevent Opioid Overdoses The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published an update to its Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, which is designed to help healthcare providers, families and other community members prevent overdose deaths related to opioid use. Read more.
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David Shern, Ph.D., President
Lynda Zeller, Vice President
Lisa Clements, Ph.D., Treasurer
Ann Marie Sullivan, M.D., Secretary
Members At Large
Lorrie Jones, Ph.D., Past President, Joyce Allen, M.S.W., Barbara Bazron, Ph.D., Sheri Dawson, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., Judy Fitzgerald, Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., Joe Parks, M.D., Matthew Salo, Dena Stoner, Katherine Warburton, M.D.
Executive Leadership
Tim Knettler, M.B.A., CAE, Executive Director/CEO, Board Member, Ex-Officio
Ted Lutterman, Government & Commercial Research
Lucille Schacht, Ph.D., Performance & Quality Improvement
Vera Hollen, M.A., Research and Consulting |
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