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September 11, 2014

Advancing Public Policies for People with Mental Illness, Chemical Dependency or Developmental Disabilities   

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Betsy Gorman, Editor
[email protected]
Webinars & Resources:

CMS Guidance on Employment in 1915c Waiver:
Updates to the 1915 (c) Waiver Instructions and Technical Guide regarding employment and employment related services.
  
NYS Affordable Care Act Fact Sheet here

NIH: New  grants fund cross-lifespan services research for autism spectrum disorder

Application for Certificate of Authority for DISCOs/Start-up Grant

SAMHSA:  Report Shows Scope of Substance Use and Mental Illness Affecting the Nation.  Read here

SAMHSA: Healthier Pregnancy: Tools and Techniques To Best Provide ACA-Covered Preventive Services:  Webcast
September 23rd 9-10:30
Register here
 
Promoting and Measuring Well-Being and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Healthy People 2020 Spotlight on Health Webinar
September 25th 12:30-2:00
Register here

SAMHSA:
How to Integrate Primary Care into a Behavioral Health Setting: Lessons Learned from the SAMSHA Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration Program 
September 26th 1:30-3:00
Register here 

SAMHSA: Addressing Opioid Misuse and Abuse: ONDCP and SAMHSA Partnership To Reduce Risk of Overdose
September 30th 12-1:00 here 

  

SEPTEMBER:

Developmental Disabilities Committee Call
Sept 15th
11-12 PM 

CLMHD/OMH/DOH
Health Home Call
Sept 18th
10-11 AM

Mental Hygiene Planning Committee: 41 State St.
Sept 18th
11-2 PM

CLMHD Fall Full  
Membership Meeting
September 22-23 
Lake Placid Crowne Plaza

Fiscal Officers  
Workgroup Call
Sept 30th 9-10 AM
 
Contact CLMHD for all call in information, 518.462.9422

SAVE THE DATE:

CLMHD Committee Day
Monday October 27th
Holiday Inn Wolf Road Albany
10:00-4:00 PM

CLMHD Mentoring Workshop
Friday November 7th
Holiday Inn Western Ave.
Albany, NY
 

 

 

For the past nine months, Essex County has been without a psychiatrist. That means no doctor who's able to officially diagnose behavioral and mental health issues and no one to prescribe psychotropic medications. There is one nurse practitioner who's been working two days a week instead of her usual one day a week, but that covers only a small part of that gap and falls far from meeting demand.

 

Stephen Valley is director of the small staff at the Essex County Mental Health Clinic. Valley's been there more than twenty years. He said it is no exaggeration to say they are the only game in town; there are no private psychiatrists across the entire county, except for one working on the border with Franklin County near Saranac Lake. "So for people with serious mental illnesses, that becomes a big issue because those are the folks that really need to be seeing a psychiatrist. You know it's a big need."

 

This means patients have had to rely on primary care physicians across the region, but those physicians are often already stretched to their limits and access can be challenging. Valley said last year 1,300 patients walked through the Clinic's doors. "So some on the lower end, the people that are there only once or twice are folks who are dealing with some sort of event in their lives. And then at the other end of the spectrum we're treating all of the more serious conditions that we see, you know people with schizophrenia, major depression, people with all ranges of anxiety disorders." Valley said they also have many patients seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and trauma of all sorts.  Read more 

The HCBS Statewide Transition Plan Toolkit
   

The HCBS (Home & Community Based Services) Statewide Transition Plan Toolkit is now available for review.  This information is designed to assist states in preparing to submit their Statewide Transition Plans in conjunction with the new Medicaid regulations for residential and non-residential home and community -based settings.  For more information go http://www.medicaid.gov/hcbs  

 

SHIN-NY Draft Rules Issued

Under this regulation, certain policies that have already been incorporated into the HEAL NY grant contracts will continue to be updated under a statewide collaboration process that results in SHIN-NY Policy Standards. An organization such as NYeC will be the State designated entity. Existing RHIOs and other such health information exchange organizations may apply to become qualified health IT entities (QEs).

To become a QE and to maintain that designation, an organization must adhere to policies, such as the SHIN-NY Policy Standards, that enable widespread interoperability among disparate health information systems, including electronic health records, personal health records and public health information systems, while protecting privacy and security.
  Read more
State approves insurance rates for individual, small group plans.

 

Health insurance rates will be allowed to rise an average of about 6 percent next year, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Financial Services, which regulates the industry.

 

But those increases will only apply to individual health plans, those that are part of the state's new Health Exchange, and for small groups, often businesses with fewer than 50 people. Read more.   

 

ValueOptions Discontinues Prior Authorization for Mental Health Services for the NYS Empire Plan

 

Empire plan enrollees will no longer require prior authorization of routine outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, with the exception of psychological testing, outpatient electroconvulsive therapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The 10 visit bypass model will also no longer apply after October 1, 2014.

 

With the Enhanced Outpatient Care Model, ValueOptions will request concurrent review on individual cases within specific diagnostic categories where the course of treatment delivered by a participating provider varies significantly from expected norms. For these cases, ValueOptions will request additional clinical information from the provider about the member's treatment in order to conduct appropriate utilization management.   

Read more.   



DEA issues new rules for collecting unused drugs

 

The U.S. Attorney General announced a change in policy that will allow those with extra prescription medications to drop off drugs at pharmacies, hospitals and clinics.  

 

The move comes amid growing concern that prescription drug abuse is fueling a heroin surge, and responsible for a rash of overdose deaths across the country, particularly on the east coast. Read more.   

 

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day 

 

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.

Download posters, handouts and other materials to promote National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

 

The Conference of Local Mental Hygiene Directors advances public policies and awareness for people with mental illness, chemical dependency and developmental disabilities.  We are a statewide membership organization that consists of the Commissioner/ Director of each of the state's 57 county mental hygiene departments and the mental hygiene department of the City of New York.

Affiliated