Rochester, NY, Cited for Lowest Medicare Spending  

U.S. Anti-smoking Ads Tied to 1.6 Million Quit Smoking Attempts   

Low-Income Housing in the Bronx Gets Healthy and Green    

Rockland Hunger Coalition  

U.S. Teenage Birth Rate at New Low Government Report Shows    

San Francisco Sues Nevada Over Allleged Patient Dumping  

Pay for Performance Pays Off 

Nutrition, Public Health and Food Stamps  

Tobacco-Free Campuses Help Student Smokers Quit    

E-Cigarettes' Peril - and Opportunity 

Inside New York Drug Clinic, Allegations of Kickbacks, Shoddy Care  

Webinar:

Sept. 16th  1:30-3

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Sept.18th  2-3:30

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Sept. 19th   1:30-2:30

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Webinar:

September 19  2-3:30

Webinar:

Relational-Motivational Approach in the Evaluation and Treatment of Eating Disorders

Uniform Assessment Practices in Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Programs

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) today outlined resources and initiatives offered by New York State to help prevent suicide.

To extend the reach of the New York State Suicide Prevention Initiative, OMH announced the availability of the free "Safety Plan" app for iOS, designed to provide individuals with an emergency plan and prevention resources for suicide crises.   

In May 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report showing the alarming rate of suicide among middle-age Americans. The report is available here.  While the suicide rate in New York one of the lowest in the nation - 7.1 per 100,000 residents - the national rate being 12.4 per 100,000 residents - it is important to continue to work hard to prevent suicide.

For those interested in suicide prevention training, please click here.

Millions of Americans will gain access to quality, affordable health coverage in 2014 under health reform. Since they'll begin enrolling in coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces on October 1, the Center has created an online resource for the people working on the front lines to help consumers access the new coverage options.

A new Center website - Health Reform Beyond the Basics, - houses the materials produced for the "Beyond the Basics of Health Reform" series of webinars hosted by Center health experts. The webinars provide an in-depth look at the major eligibility and enrollment issues related to health reform. Webinar topics have included how premium tax credits will be calculated and used to lower the cost of health coverage, how an offer of coverage from an employer will affect a person's eligibility for premium credits, and the new rules for calculating income, among others.

Recordings of each webinar, along with the accompanying slide decks, are posted to the Beyond the Basics website. We are also producing a detailed set of frequently asked questions related to each webinar topic. The first two FAQs, about  premium tax credits and cost-sharing charges in plans offered through the marketplaces, can be found here.

We will add new content to the website frequently, so bookmark  healthreformbeyondthebasics.org, and check back for information about upcoming webinars and our latest papers and blogs related to health reform implementation.

Clickhere to visit the new site.

September Is Recovery Month-Get Involved Now

There are so many ways to participate in Recovery Month! Events are taking place all over the country. Find an event in your area today. Contact your local TV and radio stations and ask them to air a public service announcement to increase awareness about recovery in your community. You can post your personal story of recovery on the Recovery Month website.  

Recovery Month observance this month.

The state Health Insurance Marketplaces (originally called Health Insurance Exchanges) were created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They are state-based competitive marketplaces where people and small businesses with fewer than 50 employees can shop for and purchase private health insurance. The Marketplaces provide: 

• More choice, giving consumers a choice of health plans to fit their needs.
• More competition, making it easier for consumers to compare plans on the basis of price, quality and benefits. This gives insurance companies incentives to offer better products at lower prices than their competitors.
• More clout, giving 25 million individuals and small businesses the same purchasing power as big businesses by bringing people and businesses together, lowering costs by spreading the cost of insurance across a larger group of people, and allowing insurance companies to reduce prices.

The state Marketplaces are not private insurance companies or government-run health plans. Rather, they are a state-specific resource consumers can use to find out if they qualify for private health insurance plans and other health insurance programs like Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  

In the Marketplace, many consumers will receive tax credits, and cost-sharing reductions. And Marketplaces will help consumers choose the best coverage for their individual needs and budgets.  With one application, they can learn about all their options and enroll on the spot.

Read more  

Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught?

An Oakland kindergarten teacher uses a strategy known as social-emotional learning, which is based on the idea that emotional skills are crucial to academic performance.

Once a small corner of education theory, S.E.L. has gained traction in recent years, driven in part by concerns over school violence, bullying and teen suicide. But while prevention programs tend to focus on a single problem, the goal of social-emotional learning is grander: to instill a deep psychological intelligence that will help children regulate their emotions. The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning is mentioned.  Read more.