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The CLMHD Newsletter will be on hiatus until Thursday October 16th.
September 25, 2014

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

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Betsy Gorman, Editor
[email protected]


 HealthCare.gov Is Given an Overhaul

Federal health officials said the shorter application on HealthCare.gov has fewer pages and fewer screens to navigate, and allows people to sign up with fewer clicks.

 

 Obama Unveils Push for Young People to Do More Against Campus Assaults  

The campaign will feature celebrities and television ads in an effort to enlist students in the fight to end violence against women on campus.

 

 Video: Revolution in a Capsule

When Prozac was introduced in 1988, the green-and-cream pill to treat depression launched a cultural revolution that continues to echo.

Related Article


F.B.I. Confirms a Sharp Rise in Mass Shootings Since 2000

Mass shootings have risen dramatically in the past half-dozen years.

Webinars & Resources:

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 

OMIG:Office of the Medicaid Inspector General's Division of Medicaid Investigations will present a detailed Webinar on the exclusions and reinstatement process for the Medicaid program

Monday, September 29th 1pm  Register here.

 

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

NY START Region 3 Launch

START is a national initiative that strengthens efficiencies and service outcomes for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs in the community.   

Capital District, Taconic and Hudson Valley
October 29th 9-4 Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel Register here 

  

SEPTEMBER: 
Fiscal Officers 
Workgroup Call
Sept 30th 9-10 AM

OCTOBER:
CLMHD Children & Families Conference-Albany Hilton
October 8th 9:00-4:00

Children & Families Committee
October 14th 11:30-1:00
Go To Meeting Call-In

Housing Update w/OMH
October 22nd 10:00-11:00
44 Holland Avenue Albany

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

Fiscal Officers Workgroup
October 28th 9:00-10:00
Go To Meeting Call-In
 
Contact CLMHD for all call in information, 518.462.9422

SAVE THE DATE:
CLMHD Mentoring Workshop
Friday November 7th
Holiday Inn Western Ave.
Albany, NY
Notice of Public Hearing:  
OASAS-OMH Joint 5.07 Plan


OASAS Statewide Comprehensive Plan 2014-2018

OMH Statewide Comprehensive Plan 2014-2018

(Scott LaVigne/Seneca will be presenting comments at the Rochester event) 

 
On October 2nd, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, OASAS and OMH are conducting a joint public hearing on their statewide comprehensive plans. Both agencies will receive input for consideration in the development of their respective statewide comprehensive plans and ongoing planning initiatives.

The Hearing is hosted by OASAS and OMH, and via videoconference among nine locations: Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Ogdensburg, Manhattan, Staten Island, and West Brentwood.


Registration for any of the public hearing sites listed above is available at: www.omh.ny.gov/omhweb/planning/507.  

 

Given the number of individuals expected to want to testify, OASAS and OMH request that all input be received in writing. Individuals interested in being considered to present oral testimony should check the appropriate box using the online registration system. Should time constraints not allow all who want to present oral testimony to do so, OASAS and OMH will review their submitted comments in detail.

 

Space is limited at some hearing sites. You must register in advance to attend the hearing. Registrations will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to these capacity constraints, organizations are respectfully asked to send one individual per organization to attend the hearing
 
CLMHD Full Membership Meeting in Lake Placid Wraps Up

The Adirondacks were ablaze in full regalia for the CLMHD fall full membership meeting this week at the Crowne Plaza in Lake Placid. 

Among the many topics discussed during our two day event were select county Mental Health & Criminal Justice Pilot Projects, Parachute NYC Updates and an Adirondack Health Institute panel. 

Suzanne Lavigne, DCS Franklin County & Chair of the CLMHD Chemical Dependency Committee, Colleen Florio, Director of Care Mgmt at Adirondack Health Institute and from Champlain Valley Physicians' Hospitalr, Katie Jock, Coordinator of Health Ed, Strategic Planning and Network Development and Brenda Stiles, Care Team Manager, Medical Homes
Bob Long, CLMHD Chair and Commissioner, Onondaga Co. Department of Mental Health
Sue Matt, DCS Otsego Co., Bonnie Post, DCS Schoharie Co, Maggie Graham, DCS Greene Co. and Kelly A. Hansen, Executive Director, CLMHD
State, Jail Health Care Provider Settle for $200,000

 

A corporate health care provider used by three Capital Region county jails entered into an agreement with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that requires it to pay $200,000 in restitution and penalties and submit to monitoring in 13 upstate counties.  Read more.

Read the AG's press release here
State Introduces Website to Combat Growing Heroin Use

 

The new website targets parents, adults and young people. The website 

includes information about warning signs of heroin and opioid abuse and misuse, access to OASAS treatment providers, and talking points for parents and providers.  Access the website here.   

 

Heroin and Opioid Overdose Prevention Training Sessions - here  (please call the OASAS ATC to register - trainings are free but space is limited) 

OMH, OASAS, & DOH  

Add 3 Dates to the series of BH Medicaid Managed Care Kick-Off Forums

 

All New York State behavioral health providers serving adults and children are invited to send

administrative, fiscal, and clinical senior executive leadership representatives to attend one of the Kick-Off Forums to learn more about the upcoming changes in Medicaid managed care.

 

Chere here for the listings and registration. 
State releases final roster of insurers on health exchange

 

The state's health department announced the roster of insurance companies offering plans on New York State of Health, the insurance exchange created by the Affordable Care Act. 

There will be 16 plans on the individual exchange and nine plans on the small business exchange. See the list of plans being offered by county here.  

 

Major health insurers offering new Affordable Care Act plans in New York 

 

Two separate insurers based in Florida and New York City -- each with annual revenue in the billions of dollars -- have formally joined the Affordable Care Act marketplace in New York state.  

 

While touting success in achieving an ACA goal of reducing the amount of uninsured people, state regulators have vowed to focus on growing the small business plans in 2015. The program primarily focuses on businesses with fewer than 50 workers. New York has a head start on 18 other states that are delaying offering all of the small business options until 2016.  Read more here.    

HHS announces $99 million in new U.S. grants to improve mental health services for young people

The Research Foundation of State University of New York

Stony Brook

NY

$363,999

New York University

New York

NY

$480,000

Yeshiva University

New York

NY

$457,840

Rfcuny - Lehman College

Bronx

NY

$441,503

The Research Foundation of State University of New York

Binghamton

NY

$120,090

 

HHS will distribute $99 million to train new mental health providers, help teachers and others recognize mental health issues in youth and connect them to help, and increase access to mental health services for young people. These funds were included in the President and Vice President's Now Is the Time plan to reduce gun violence by keeping guns out of dangerous hands, increasing access to mental health services, and making schools safer.  More here.   


Related:

 

Six New York school districts were awarded nearly $12 million in five-year federal grants to improve access to mental health care for students and their families.

 

School districts will use the grants "for reform and evidence-based practices that address the school-to-prison pipeline-the unfortunate and often unintentional policies and practices that push our nation's schoolchildren, especially those who are most at-risk, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems," according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Education  

 

Western New York did especially well in the grant competition.  

  • Buffalo schools got $3.5 million over five years, and two other Erie County districts won grants.
  • Cleveland Hill schools got $1.1 million, and nearby Cheektowaga schools got almost $700,000.

Two districts in the Finger Lakes won awards:  

  • Lyons schools, in Wayne County, got $3.6 million over five years, the biggest award among New York's districts.
  • Auburn schools, in Cayuga County, got $1.1 million.

and 

  • Longwood schools in Middle Island, Suffolk County, got $1.6 million.   Read more.  

 

The campaign is simple: Anyone can make a pledge on Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo or another social networking service with the hashtag #IWillListen and any additional commentary they wish to add. The pledge indicates that they are ready to talk and open to colleagues, friends, and family members living with mental illness, and will provide nonjudgmental, supportive, friendly support. This allows people with mental illness to identify people they can talk to, including people who will be safe to disclose mental health issues to, allowing them to access friendly ears, support and help with accessing potentially complex care needs.  Learn more.   

 

Depression touches people differently, making dealing with the condition more of a personal experience than a universal one. Some describe the illness as a dark cloud, while others liken it to being trapped in an empty space.

 

Regardless of how it personally feels, what many people don't know is that the illness can also take a physical toll on the body. Those symptoms, combined with the emotional side effects, have the potential to be draining.

Read  more.  

NY START Region 3 Launch

 

START is a national initiative that strengthens efficiencies and service outcomes for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs in the community.   

Capital District, Taconic and Hudson Valley
October 29th 9-4 Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel Register here. 
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