Friday Update
CMHNetwork Friday Update 5-12-23
May 12, 2023
Greetings, faithful readers. I am dedicating this issue to Gator Bob, an avid reader of Friday Update since his early days when he was rasslin’ gators in the morning and playing baseball in the afternoon. I can’t think of a better song to honor Gator Bob than John Fogerty singing his classic hit, Centerfield. Enjoy the tune, get your mitt oiled up, and then get to readin’ Friday Update cuz we got work to do!
Most Important Reads of the Week
SAMHSA/CMHS Division Director Position Available
Okay, admit it. You are mesmerized by the idea of working at SAMHSA and making a difference for children, youth, and families nationally. Well, here is your chance, as the SAMHSA/CMHS Division Director position is now officially posted! This position will lead the division of SAMHSA focusing on children, youth, young adults, and families. Apply if this fits for you and spread the word. We are hoping to flood SAMHSA with excellent applicants!
HHS Launches Million Dollar Children and Youth Resilience Challenge
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the launch of a $1 million Children and Youth Resilience Challenge. This first-ever Children and Youth Resilience Challenge will fund innovative community-led solutions to promote resilience in children and adolescents, birth to age 24, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters. HHS will host the first of three informational webinars on Thursday, May 18. Proposals are due on July 7.
Parents Needed for Virtual Project Advisory Group
Are you parenting a child between the ages of 3-17 who has been diagnosed with a mental or behavioral health condition? Are you also currently working full time for pay? Have you ever struggled to manage work and your child’s mental health care needs? Do you wonder whether telling your employer could help you take better care of your child because it might lead to getting emotional support or flexibility at work? Do you wonder if telling your employer could lead to being judged, harassed, or discriminated against? Then, California State University Monterey Bay researchers want to hear from you! Dr. Lisa Stewart is heading up a project that is developing a decision-making tool that can help parents like you make informed choices about disclosure based on your understanding of your care and work responsibilities. An important part of this research project is the creation of a Parent Advisory Group. Here is your chance to get involved and make a difference. Parents will be compensated $50.00 per meeting. Learn more about the study here. Fill out the Contact Me page here.
Focused Skills and Strategy FSST at Work
The main purpose of FSST (Focused Skills and Strategy) At Work is to develop and test a course for employed young adults, ages 18 to 30, with mental health conditions. This course aims to help young adults keep their jobs and improve work outcomes by teaching and developing attention, working memory, planning/time management, and problem-solving skills.
11 Benefits of Yoga for Kids
A mind-body practice that’s been around for centuries, yoga focuses on breathing techniques, poses, and meditation. Proponents cite benefits ranging from improved body awareness and flexibility to stress reduction and mental clarity. But did you know yoga’s advantages can extend to children as well? Experts say that yoga prepares children to face the challenges of daily life. It introduces cornerstone values “such as non-harming, truthfulness, moderation, cleanliness, gratitude, and self-discipline,” says Christina Enneking, the founder of Heart Happy Yoga, a studio in Los Gatos, California. Yoga has also been associated with self-discovery, inquisitiveness, improved behavior, and increased academic performance.
The Health Costs of Gun Violence: How the U.S. Compares to Other Countries
Americans are all too familiar with the human toll of gun violence. The United States, where civilian-owned guns outnumber people, stands apart among high-income countries in its rate of firearm deaths. Less publicized is how gun violence burdens the U.S. healthcare system. Commonwealth Fund research highlights how firearm injuries lead to some 30,000 inpatient hospital stays and 50,000 emergency room visits yearly, resulting in more than $1 billion in medical costs.
My “Must Have” Papers Managing the Paperwork of Adulting
Managing the paperwork that comes along with “Adulting” is not fun. The Transitions ACR Young Adult Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board set out to make that task a little easier. This tip sheet lists all the documents and paperwork young adults may have to manage, helps identify each document’s importance, and recommends how to organize it.
Proposals Unveiled for New Standards to Help Ensure Access to Quality Health Care in Medicaid and CHIP
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently unveiled two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs), Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services (Access NPRM) and Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality (Managed Care NPRM), that together would further strengthen access to and quality of care across Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the nation’s largest health coverage programs.
Strengthening Public Health Through People, Trust, and Connection
A Virtual Conversation with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy and New York City Former Commissioner of Health Dr. Dave A Chokshi
May 17, 2023, 1–2 p.m. EST
This is the third in a series of fireside chats in honor of Dr. Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States. The goal of the series is to recognize a public health leader whose enduring efforts have made a significant impact on advancing public health. At this upcoming event, Dr. Murthy will recognize Dr. Dave Choksy, Professor at NYU and previous health commissioner of New York City, for his leadership in addressing racism, pandemic responses, and mental health impacting various communities. The event will feature an introduction from NIMHD director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, followed by a conversation between Dr. Murthy and Mayor Wu moderated by NIMHD deputy director Dr. Monica Webb Hooper.
Wraparound and FFPSA… One Year Later
Over a year ago, Wraparound was added to the inventory of research-supported programs by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. This made Wraparound eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement under the Family First Prevention Service Act (FFPSA). Since then, states and Wraparound provider organizations have continued to request help on how to include Wraparound in a state’s FFPSA plan. Read more on the Wraparound Blog and stay updated with our colleagues at the National Wraparound Institute.
Mobile Response for Children, Youth, and Families: Best Practice Data Elements and Quality Improvement Approaches
Many states are enhancing their capacity to support youth and families experiencing a behavioral health crisis by implementing the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) best practice model. A key element of the long-term success of MRSS is a data-driven continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. This new resource provides detailed guidance for developing an effective CQI process.
How to Help Kids Navigate Friendships and Peer Relationships
How your child relates with peers and friends might seem like something you have little control over. But, parents and caregivers can make a big difference in helping their children develop healthy relationships and friendships, using tools that sustain them later in life.
As Demand for Youth Mental Health Services Grows, the U.S. Is Facing a Social Worker Shortage
As schools and states ramp up their responses to what the U.S. surgeon general called a youth mental health crisis, many are scrambling to hire enough social workers and behavioral health professionals. And many child welfare agencies that employ social workers, long coping with high turnover rates for field staff, have seen little improvement. Many experts tie the current social worker shortage to the coronavirus pandemic but say this crisis only exacerbated longstanding pay and working conditions issues. Since then, inflation, a tight labor market, and culture war conflicts over how to handle issues like gender and race with children have driven people away from the field, they say.
Moving Beyond Change Efforts: Evidence and Action to Support and Affirm LGBTQI+ Youth
This report provides behavioral health professionals, researchers, policymakers, and other audiences with a comprehensive research overview and accurate information about effective and ineffective therapeutic practices related to youth of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
2022 KIDS COUNT DATA BOOK
The 33rd edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT® Data Book describes how children in America are in the midst of a mental health crisis, struggling with anxiety and depression at unprecedented levels. This year’s publication continues to present national and state data across four domains — economic well-being, education, health and family, and community — and ranks states in overall child well-being. The report includes pre-pandemic figures as well as more recent statistics and shares the latest information of its kind available.
