Advancing Public Policies for People with Mental Illness, Chemical Dependency or Developmental Disabilities
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NOVEMBER:
CLMHD Mentoring Workshop
Friday November 7th Albany
10:00 - 4:00 pm Mental Hygiene Planning
Thursday November 13th 11:00 - 2:00 pm 41 State Street Albany
CLMHD Director's Meeting
Tuesday November 18th 10:30-Noon CLMHD Executive Committee
12:30-2:00 41 State Street, Albany Fiscal Officers Workgroup
Tuesday November 25th 9:00-10:00 am GTM Call-In
Contact CLMHD for all call in information, 518.462.9422
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New Resources & Opportunities
- The National Association of Medical Directors (NAMD) recently released the report, State Medicaid Interventions for Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse and Overdose, which outlines the extent of the prescription drug abuse epidemic, its disproportionate impact on Medicaid programs, and recommendations to assist states in curbing this epidemic.
- CMS released an Informational Bulletin related to delivery opportunities for individuals with a substance use disorder. Specifically, CMS is seeking states that are interested in participating in a Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP) focused on caring for persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUD).
- Check out the new IAP Commentary page, which provides CMS commentary on the series of in-person meetings where states and stakeholders share feedback on the new Medicaid Accelerator Program.
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 Vital Access Providers (V.A.P)
DOH has released the names of hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and other providers who are seeking to qualify as Vital Access Providers (V.A.P). This is the latest in a series of examples of providers looking to take advantage of exceptions to the waiver's rules, attempting to expand the criteria for a program that will dole out more than $6 billion. The providers seeking this exception from the state do not meet the original definition of a "Safety Net Provider" and are appealing because only Safety Net Providers are eligible to receive more than 5 percent of any one group's funding. Read more.
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Health Home Application to Serve Children
The New York State Department of Health and its State Agency Partners (the Office of Mental Health, the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, and the Office of Children and Family Services, "the State") has posted to the Health Home Website here the Health Home Application to Serve Children.
Applications are due Monday, March 2, 2015.
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Joint letter from National Association of Counties, CSG Justice Center
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State and county leaders depend on each other to make the criminal justice system work. That's why we are writing jointly, highlighting new efforts our two organizations, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, are undertaking together.
State officials write the criminal code, decide when prison beds are available for those sentenced to prison, and determine when and how someone will be released to the community. But only a small fraction of people charged with a crime ever become the responsibility of a state department of corrections. It's in county courts and jails where people charged with crimes are processed.
Drawing on programs authorized under the Second Chance Act and the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) have targeted funding to county governments to test new approaches aimed at reducing recidivism and improving outcomes for people with behavioral health disorders in contact with the justice system. Recognizing that these discretionary grants can reach only a small fraction of the 3,000-plus counties in the nation, we want to do more to support county governments committed to bringing data-driven, evidence-based approaches talked about excitedly in publications, webinars, and conferences to the front lines of the justice system.
NACo has created a Senior Behavioral Health Fellows program. This group consists of current and former county behavioral health directors who provide guidance to NACo on prioritizing and strategically aligning behavioral health with the association's overall vision. Further, the fellows will provide assistance to local jurisdictions on a range of issues impacting their local jurisdiction's behavioral health system. We are also collaborating to build the capacity of state-based county associations to support their constituents in these areas. Learn more.
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MRT Innovation eXchange, also known as the MIX
The MIX is a forum for building solutions to the complex challenges we face in our health delivery system surrounding New York's Medicaid Program. The MIX is an idea bank, which allows users to post new ideas as well as build on the ideas of others. This crowdsourcing of ideas will benefit users in different ways: some may use it as an inspiration bank, while others may apply what is posted to reframe and reposition their approach to transformational challenges.
Simply navigate to www.NY-MIX.org and set up a profile. You will be ready to submit ideas, comments and suggestions in less than five minutes.
Who is the MIX for?
The MIX is intended for anyone currently involved with or interested in Medicaid Redesign. That includes care providers of all types, from hospitals to community based organizations. It also includes stakeholders, policy makers, and members of the public, including care recipients. Depending on the topic, some of the challenges on the MIX may be private where only a select group will engage, while other challenge topics will be open forums. It is our goal that the MIX evolves into a forum where all interested in healthcare transformation can convene.
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National Preterm Birth Rate Drops Again In 2013
The U.S. still has one of the highest rates of preterm birth of any high-resource country. Babies born preterm are at higher risk for newborn death, as well as breathing and feeding problems, developmental delays and cerebral palsy, among other issues. The March of Dimes estimates that medical expenses for a baby born prematurely average about $54,000, compared with $4,000 for a healthy, full-term newborn. Read more. |
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