Advancing Public Policies for People with Mental Illness, Chemical Dependency or Developmental Disabilities
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DECEMBER:
Children & Families Committee
Tuesday December 9th
11:30-1:00
GTM Call-in
Officers & Chairs
Wed. December 10th 8:00-9:00
Call-in
Mental Hygiene Planning
Thursday December 11th
11:00-2:00
41 State Street or GTM (TBD)
OMH Housing Meeting
Wed. December 17th
10:00-11:00
41 State Street CLMHD Director's Meeting &
Executive Committee TBD
CLMHD/OMH/Health Home
Thursday December 18th
10:00-11:00
GTM-Call in
Contact CLMHD for all call in information, 518.462.9422
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A Major Public Health Crisis in Our County Jails
The high prevalence of persons with a mental health or substance use condition in our county detention facilities is a current public health crisis that demands our immediate attention. We call for well executed county action to address this crisis. On December 9, the National Association of Counties and the Council of State Governments will announce a major initiative to reduce the prevalence of behavioral health conditions in our county detention facilities. Counties around the country are documenting the large and growing presence of persons with mental health and substance use conditions in our county jail and juvenile detention facilities. Conservatively estimated, at least three-quarters of all adults currently incarcerated have a mental health condition, a substance use condition, or both. The vast majority of these persons should never be incarcerated in our county facilities. Then, why are they there? Many reasons can be put forward: the inadequate capacity of county mental health and addiction care systems; lack of crisis intervention and diversion training for police; absence of local mental health and drug courts; little or inadequate behavioral health care in our county detention facilities; and non-existent or inadequate re-entry care as people leave these facilities. Re-incarceration is the rule rather than the exception. Read more. NYC mayor pledges $130M to divert mentally ill, addicted suspects to treatment instead of jail
New York City's mayor will overhaul how the nation's most populous city deals with mentally ill and drug-addicted suspects, diverting many to treatment instead of jail.
The reforms are based on the recommendations of a task force he appointed following a series of reports by The Associated Press. Those reports detailed problems at the Rikers Island jail complex, including the deaths of two mentally ill inmates. Read more. Related: Mass Imprisonment and Public Health A new report identifies the American incarceration epidemic as one of the greatest public health challenges of our time.
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Date: Thursday, December 11; 2:00-3:30 pm
During this webinar, made possible by the New York State Health Foundation, New York State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson will provide an overview of the state's DSRIP model. Greg Allen, Director of New York's Division of Program Development and Management, and Peggy Chan, DSRIP Director, will discuss details on the plan's financing structure, project domains, measurement approach, and evaluation criteria.
Insights from this webinar will provide timely information to states pursuing their own DSRIP programs to enhance health care delivery processes and improve patient care. Access the webinar here.
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CMS Issues the HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2016 Proposed Rule
Stronger payment standards for issuers and Marketplaces proposed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to improve consumers' experience in the Health Insurance Marketplace and to ensure their coverage options are affordable and accessible. To establish the new consumer standards for 2016, the proposed rule seeks to implement several Affordable Care Act provisions on payment parameters for issuers and Marketplaces. The proposed rule would build on previously issued standards and provisions, which are making high-quality health insurance available to millions of Americans. The proposed rules for 2016 would further strengthen transparency, accountability, and the availability of information for consumers about their health plans. Read more.
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the State University of New York (SUNY) has adopted a uniform sexual assault prevention and response policy for SUNY campuses. The comprehensive policy, which applies to more than 463,000 students attending all SUNY colleges and universities, is being disseminated today to each campus president and chief student affairs officers for implementation.
The policy is one of the first of its kind in the nation and will create a safer learning and living environment for students by outlining specific and consistent expectations of safety and responsibility. Read more.
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NYS Needle Exchange is a Huge Success
Syringe exchange programs in New York State have led to a dramatic drop in new H.I.V. infections among intravenous drug users over the past two decades, virtually eradicating the incidence of AIDS transmission through contaminated needles, according to a report released by the state's AIDS Institute. The report touts the 20-year old syringe exchange program as "one of the most successful HIV prevention initiatives of the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute." The appraisal of the state's syringe exchange program was published early last spring, just as New York state officials, including Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Governor Andrew Cuomo began to focus efforts on what they characterized as a new statewide heroin and opioid epidemic. Read more.
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Are Healthy Girls Affected Physically by their Mothers' Depression?
Researchers following adolescent and pre-adolescent healthy daughters of mothers with a history of depression, have found that the chromosomes of these high-risk girls show signs of cellular aging.
In a paper published in the Sept. 30 edition of Molecular Psychiatry, Stanford scientists found that telomeres, the caps at the end of chromosomes whose length shortens as a person ages, are shorter than normal in girls whose mothers have had multiple episodes of depression. Read more.
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