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A Surprising Remedy For Teens in Mental Health Crises
RAMSEY, N.J. — Last spring, Jamie Gorman had a panic attack at the mall. The then-high school sophomore was with a group of friends at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, when she began to feel overwhelmed. Her fingers were tingling. She couldn’t catch her breath. She felt shaky and dizzy.
Her teenage friends sprang into action.
“They were like, ‘Jamie, sit down.’ ‘Jamie, give me your phone — unlock it,’” Gorman recalled in a recent interview at her high school.
“They immediately called my dad so he could talk to me. They found a water bottle for me. They sat with me; they were just there for me.” She said her friends were “very comforting because they were very calm and they were like, okay, we know what to do.” Read more here.
Related: What Students Are Saying About the C.D.C. Report on Teen Sadness
TikTok to limit the time teens can be on the app. Will safeguards help protect them?
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Mental Health Safety Net for Youth: Adams Outlines Vision to Catch Kids in Crisis
As New York City continues to grapple with youth mental health challenges, Mayor Eric Adams laid out a sweeping vision on Thursday to help schools better recognize student mental health needs and create a safety net for kids in crisis.
The needs are high: About a fifth of children ages 3 to 13 had one or more mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral problems in 2021, according to health department data provided in the mayor’s new plan, called Care, Community, Action: A Mental Health Plan for New York City. Read more here.
Related: Street Teams and Clubhouses: A New Plan to Help Mentally Ill New Yorkers
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Counties Host Mental Health First Aid Training at Annual Conference
At last week's annual NYSAC Legislative Conference in Albany, county officials from across the state took part in a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, an evidence-based course that teaches participants how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. NYSAC partnered with the Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors (CLMHD) and instructors from Montgomery and Tioga counties to provide county officials with the opportunity to become certified in Adult MHFA. Read more here.
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Governor Hochul Announces $3.2M to Support Outreach and Engagement Services for Addiction
Governor Kathy Hochul last Friday announced the availability of $3.2 million to expand outreach and engagement services in high-need areas of New York State. Administered by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the grants through the Opioid Settlement Fund will expand harm-reduction and other healthcare services to engage New Yorkers unable to access care due to a variety of factors. Read more here.
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OPWDD Announces Initiative to Help Improve Recruitment & Retention of Direct Support Professionals
The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) on Wednesday announced a new partnership with the NY Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation to help reverse the impact of the workforce crisis on nonprofit service providers through a technical assistance project in partnership with the McSilver Institute for Poverty, Policy and Research at New York University. Read more here.
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Steuben County is Hiring: Director of Community Mental Health Services
Steuben County is seeking a client-first, empathetic, creative leader to serve as the County’s next Director of Community Mental Health Services. Reporting to the County Manager, the Director has responsibility for a ~$15MM budget and oversees a staff of 75 FTEs. Read more here.
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Black Adults More Likely to Seek Mental Health Treatment at EDs, pre-pandemic data show
Non-Hispanic Black adults were almost twice as likely to visit an emergency department for a mental health disorder than non-Hispanic white adults and nearly three times more likely than Hispanic adults during the years leading up to the pandemic, according to new National Center for Health Statistics data released this week. The rates of emergency mental health care for Black Americans were also higher for each specific disorder studied by the federal researchers, including anxiety-related disorder, mood disorder, schizophrenia and several different types of substance use disorder. Read more here.
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OMH Secures Federal Grant To Help Increase Employment Opportunities For People Living With Mental Illness
New York State has been awarded a technical assistance grant from the federal Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that will help the State to increase employment opportunities and outcomes for people living with mental illness. New York was one of just seven states to secure the Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment(ASPIRE) grant, which provides states with expert consultation and technical assistance to develop and implement strategic plans to support and expand programs that help people living with disabilities find employment. Read more here.
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64% of Medicaid Enrollees Are Unaware of Redeterminations. How Can the Industry Help?
On April 1, the regular renewal process for Medicaid will return. But after about three years of not having to renew coverage, 64.3% of Americans are unaware that redeterminations will start up again, a recent Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report found. The risk is that if the message is not delivered loudly and often, millions of people will simply lose coverage. So the key to improving this stat is constant outreach and repetition. Read more here.
Related: How can states keep people insured after Medicaid protections lapse? Connecticut has an idea
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Planning for CCBHC Program Sustainability: Lessons from State Medicaid Leaders
Many people in the U.S. struggle to access mental health and substance use care. In response, the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model was created to improve access to evidence-based, person-centered, and integrated care. Beginning in 2017, CCBHC Medicaid demonstrations have included time-limited enhanced federal funding for states, encouraging state participation in this model. Yet, with initial CCBHC demonstrations ending in 2023, states are now considering how to sustain these programs, or begin participating in the demonstration through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.
Read more here.
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Are You a Veteran Suffering from Posttraumatic Stress? You May Qualify for a Research Study
If you are a veteran or first responder who has experienced symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress you may qualify for a research study investigating the effectiveness of meditation and therapy as treatments. Columbia University Medical Center is looking for veterans and first responders (active and retired US military, police, fire service, and EMT) to participate. Volunteers will receive a free evaluation, intervention, and will be compensated up to $1000 for completing all assessments. To learn more and see if you qualify visit: www.PTSResearch.org.
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It’s Not ‘Magic’: Ending the X-Waiver Alone Unlikely to Fix MAT’s Access Problem
The federal government now allows any appropriately registered prescribers to use buprenorphine to treat patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) after years of loosening restrictions on the drug. Several behavioral health insiders see the move as having clear benefits for the industry. However, the benefit of deregulating buprenorphine may underwhelm in the short-term and even open lanes for subpar care. But the long-term impact of the move could help address a fundamental challenge in addiction treatment: encouraging prescribers to treat patients in addiction or to consider the field of addiction treatment as a career. Read more here.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAININGS
Peers: Hiring and Onboarding
March 9, 12 - 1:15 pm, MCTAC
Beyond X-ing the X-Waiver
March 9, 3 - 4:30 pm, FORE
Federal Health Privacy Laws: Basics for School Professionals - Session 1
March 14, 1 - 2 pm, MHTTC
Flipping the Script: A Teach-In for Healthcare Workers on Homelessness and Aging
March 16, 1 - 2 pm, Corporation for Supportive Housing
DLTSS Training: Unwinding Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Public Health Emergency
March 15, 2 - 3:30 pm, CMS
Adding Up the Cost of Health Inequity
March 15, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Federal Health Privacy Laws: Basics for School Professionals - Session 2
March 16, 1 - 2 pm, MTTHC
Mobile Crisis Response Teams: Services Across Diverse Settings
March 16, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
PSYCKES for BHCCs and Other Networks
March 16, 2 - 3 pm, OMH
Co-occurring Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorders
March 21, 2 - 3 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Justice Center Code of Conduct Train-the-Trainer Session
March 22, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, NYS Justice Center
Youth and Family Partnership in Juvenile Justice Systems Reform: Building a Strategy, Sharing Power, and Shifting the Culture
March 23, 1 - 2 pm, CSG Justice Center
Peer Support Service Models Success in Integrated Care Settings
March 23, 3 - 4 pm, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Expanding Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment During and After Incarceration
March 23, 3 - 4 pm, FORE
Mental Health in Communities of Color Symposium: Breaking the Stigma & Silence and Prioritizing Needs
March 31, 9 am - 2 pm
2023 Justice Center Summit
April 18 - 19, 25 - 26 - Event Flyer
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CLMHD CALENDAR
MARCH
Addiction Services & Recovery Committee Meeting
March 9: 11 am - 12 pm
Mental Hygiene Planning Committee Meeting
March 9: 1 - 3 pm
Mental Health Committee Meeting
March 9: 3 - 4 pm
LGU Clinic Operators Call
March 14: 10 - 11:30 am
IOCC Meeting - IN-PERSON (Albany)
March 15: 1 - 3:30 pm
Children & Families Committee Meeting
March 21: 11:30 am - 1 pm
Deputy DCS Call
March 28: 10 - 11 am
Save the Date: CLMHD Spring Full Membership Meeting - May 11-12 in Saratoga Springs
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