Cuomo proposes college programs for prisons  

New York State to Limit Use of Solitary Confinement 

Kids With ADHD Can Train Their Brains, Study Finds

Bullying's Health Effects Snowball Over Time   

APA Annual Stress Survey Finds Teens More Stressed than Adults

Saliva Test Could Predict Which Teen Boys Get Depression   

Another Cost of 'Distressed' Babies: NICU Parents Have PTSD   

Pot Fuels Surge in Drugged Driving Deaths   

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 percent of women ages 18 and older have been victims of "severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime." 

LGB individuals who lived in communities with high levels of anti-gay sentiment had a shorter life expectancy

Huff Post Blog: Let's Take Mental Illness Out of the Shadows

NY Bill Seeks Improved 911 Response to the Emotionally Disturbed

View the Guide Online

Growing Up Girl: Adolescent Development and the Unique Issues Facing Girls.   

Learn more about the webinar series and how to register.

SAMHSA's 2014 Wellness Initiative's Million Hearts Program: Request for Proposals (RFP) here 

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Substance Use and Mental Disorders: Early Detection, Prevention, and Treatment

Feb. 26th 12:30-2

Details   

The North Country Health Systems Redesign Commission will conduct a meeting on Thursday, March 13, from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Friday, March 14, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 412 State Route 3, Plattsburgh, NY.  

If you would like to attend the meetings or if you have questions about accessibility, please contact Lisa Brown at (518) 402-0102 or e-mail NCHSRC@health.state.ny.us. Please provide as much advance notice as possible to allow DOH to provide optimal access.

Four New NYS CASE Trainings (Consortium for Advancement of Supported Employment):

THIS COMING TUESDAY: 

CLMHD Committee Day

Tuesday, February 25th  10:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm 

Best Western Albany, NY

February:

Executive Committee 

Fiscal Officers Workgroup 

9:00-10:00 GTM call in  

Dealing with the aftermath of a suicide or attempted suicide is stressful enough. But some health plans make a harrowing experience worse by refusing to cover medical costs for injuries that are related to suicide-even though experts say that in many cases such exclusions aren't permitted under federal law. Yet patients or their loved ones often don't realize that.

Under the 2006 federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules, employment-based health plans can't discriminate against an individual member by denying eligibility for benefits or charging more because they have a particular medical condition such as diabetes or depression.

Insurers, however, are allowed to deny coverage for all members for injuries caused by a specific activity or for those that arise from a particular cause spelled out in the policy. These are called "source-of-injury" exclusions. So an insurer that generally covers head injuries or broken bones could decide not to cover those injuries if they're caused by risky recreational activities such as skydiving or bungee jumping. In a similar vein, insurers sometimes apply source-of-injury exclusions to injuries that are "intentionally self-inflicted," including suicide or attempted suicide  Read more. 

The GAO report revealed that several key factors indicate whether or not a person will become one of the costliest state Medicaid beneficiaries. Those indicators include a diagnosis of disability, pregnancy, residing in a long term care facility, or being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, substance abuse disorders, diabetes and asthma.

The most expensive indicator was a mental health disorder, the report said. More than half of the country's costliest Medicaid patients, 51.8 percent, suffered from mental illness. Nearly 20 percent of the most expensive patients suffered from some kind of substance abuse problem. Diagnoses of AIDS or residence in a long-term care facility creates at least a one-in-five probability that a Medicaid patient will incur high costs, the report said.  Read more. 

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman this month has raised many questions about drug addiction, among them: What do drugs such as heroin do to the brain to make them so addictive? Can these chemical changes be undone?

Over the past 20 years, research into drug addiction has identified several chemical and physical changes to the brain brought on by addictive substances.  Read more.   

Related:  Cayuga County not immune to escalation of heroin abuse  

Related: Heroin Overdose 'Cure' Exists, But Can Users Find It? 

Related: SAMHSA issues Advisory to treatment community on the danger of heroin contaminated with fentanyl and what can be done to save lives 

More than $9 million to be awarded to local organizations that fight against teen smoking 

The state Department of Health's Bureau of Tobacco Control will award funding amounts from $325,000 to $500,000, totaling $9.4 million already allocated to the department in the state budget.  The money will go to 25 local organizations around the state over five years. Local organizations must submit applications by Tuesday, Gannett's Ashley Hupfl reports.

"We have made a lot of progress in making our state healthier by reducing smoking but there is more we can do to make New York smoke free," Cuomo said in a statement. "Through these awards, we are using community-based strategies to combat tobacco use and promote chronic disease prevention. This funding will support the prevention and reduction of smoking helping New Yorkers be healthier and live longer."  Read more. 

Governor's Press Release here.

Related: Candy Flavors Put E-Cigarettes On Kids' Menu 

The NYSAC Pelletier County Government Institute is an educational program in conjunction with Cornell University. The Pelletier Institute provides an educational program for county elected and appointed officials, to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of county officials. The Institute allows the public officials to engage in informed, constructive and civil discussions on the current challenges they face as public servants.