Friday Update 5-6-16

Greetings faithful readers. Oh my, do we have a treat for you. Close your office door, turn up the speakers, and revel in the genius of DakhaBrakha. This creative quartet from Kiev, Ukraine, plays tight-knit tunes featuring accordion, drums, reeds and shakers. Get your culture on and then get to readin’ Friday Update, cuz we got work to do!

Most important reads for this week

Would a Republican President Dare to Dismantle Obamacare? 
Daniel Dawes reminds us in this Morning Zen post that if you think Obamacare is in no danger of repeal, think again. Dawes writes, “This year marks a critical juncture for our country – one that presents both opportunities and challenges for health reform, and will determine whether or not we embrace the traditions of the past 150 years and move toward a more equitable, accessible, and patient-centered health system. What is most concerning today is that if we do not pay close attention to our history of comprehensive health reform, the remarkable gains we have fought so hard to attain over a century and a half, could be wiped out, moving us backwards in terms of health care coverage, access, delivery, and equity.”

Behind Enemy Lines – An Exploration of Resilience 
Hey, Network faithful, we are looking for contributions from readers who wish to share their stories of resilience. I thought I would get things going by sharing a personal story of resilience from my childhood. Enjoy this Zen piece and consider submitting one of your own!

How Talking Openly Against Stigma Helped A Mother And Son Cope With Bipolar Disorder 
Don’t miss this poignant interview on NPR with Liza Long and her son as they discuss life since Liza’s viral post titled “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” written days after the Sandy Hook massacre. Liza was not Lanza’s mother, but she was raising a child with a mental disorder. Now, four years later, her son is speaking out too.

Ending Discrimination Against People With Mental and Substance Use Disorders: The Evidence for Stigma Change 
We have endured much rhetoric from politicians over the past few years on the folly of stigma reduction campaigns. Perhaps those politicians might want to read the new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Plenty of opportunities in this report for congressional decision-makers to “relearn” and rethink the value of stigma reduction efforts. 

Jim Wotring Appointed as New Deputy Director of Behavioral Health for DC 
Big news for system of care devotees. Jim Wotring, currently head of the National Technical Assistance Center at Georgetown University, has accepted a position as the new Deputy Director of Behavioral Health for the District of Columbia. In his new role, Jim will oversee children and adult behavioral health services including prevention/early intervention, specialty care initiatives, policy development, data and performance management. Jim, the entire CMHNetwork family wishes you well in your new position. Now get busy and write us a Morning Zen piece on coming attractions for the District of Columbia! 

Webinar Alert - May 12 from 3:00pm – 4:15pm ET! Engaging Non-Traditional Partners to Increase Enrollment in Medicaid & CHIP Coverage 
Traditional partners, such as health centers and clinics, have proven to be invaluable to increasing Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment. However there may be many untapped opportunities to engage with non-traditional partners to further your organization’s reach and to boost program enrollment. By identifying and partnering with unique groups, you may be able reach even more potential eligible families and children; these partnerships can strengthen the connections between their daily lives and healthcare, ultimately enrolling more families and children in Medicaid and CHIP. Sign up today! 

Focal Point on Early Psychosis Interventions 
Pathways RTC Focal Point 2016: Early Psychosis Interventions is now available for free download. Throughout history psychosis has traumatized and permanently disrupted people’s lives, but early psychosis intervention is showing that much of this trauma and disability may be prevented. This year’s issue contains articles that set the context for early psychosis interventions and describe some emerging practices in the field. As always, this issue features the voices of youth and families – informing the reader from a variety of perspectives.

Announcing the 2016 School- Justice Partnerships Certificate Program 
Following the overwhelming success of the inaugural program, the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy is pleased to announce its second annual School-Justice Partnerships Certificate Program! The School-Justice Partnerships Certificate Program is designed to provide school and district staff, court professionals, juvenile justice, law enforcement, child welfare and other child serving leaders with the knowledge and understanding necessary to address the educational and related needs of children known to, or at risk of entering, the juvenile justice system.

RTI Policy Forum on Mental Illness and Violence (in DC and Livestreamed)
At this policy forum on May 26th, a panel of stakeholder experts will draw from their research, policy, and clinical expertise to shed light on the link between mental illness and violence. The forum will provide an opportunity to discuss the causes of violent behavior to help demystify the role of mental illness in violent events and clarify its scope. The panel will also recommend steps for moving from identifying those at risk of violence to effectively managing and reducing violence risk through evidence-based assessments, interventions and services, and policies.

Meet PRIME, the New App That Wants to Help End Schizophrenia
Be sure to read this fascinating article about the efforts of a team of researchers at the University of California-San Francisco who are developing a smartphone application that is designed to provide patients with on-demand counseling, tools to meet treatment goals, and a social network of young people with the schizophrenia. A fascinating potential for the future.

NIH Resources to Help Families Navigate Pediatric Palliative Care
As part of its Palliative Care: Conversations Matter campaign, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) has created new materials for families of children with serious illnesses. The newly released materials include a fact sheet, a resource card to help families find support, and a series of family stories. The materials are now available in English and Spanish. NINR is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Building A Thriving Children’s System of Care: Engage Families & Youth To Be Your Partners
The Family & Youth Roundtable out of San Diego, CA has just launched a training and technical assistance program that supports family and youth receiving services in developing the skills to become partners in advancing system of care efforts. Since the inception of the Roundtable over fifteen years ago behavioral health decision-making forums in San Diego County have seen a consistent rise in the number of families and youth involved at the program, practice and policy levels. Check it out, Network faithful!

Performance Partnership Pilots: An Opportunity to Improve Outcomes for Disconnected Youth
Federal agencies have released a second call for bold proposals to improve education, employment, and other key outcomes for disconnected youth. Over five million 14-to-24-year-olds in the U.S. are out of school and not working. In many cases, they face the additional challenges including being low-income, homeless, in foster care or involved in the justice system. In response, seven federal agencies are jointly inviting state, local, and tribal communities to apply to become a Performance Partnership Pilot (P3)  to test innovative, outcome-focused strategies to achieving better outcomes for these youth, as well as youth at risk of becoming disconnected from critical social institutions and supports.

ADHD in Young Children – Try Behavior Therapy Before Medication!
Clinical guidelines for ADHD treatment recommend that healthcare providers first refer parents of young children for training in behavior therapy before prescribing ADHD medicine. However, more young children are taking medicine for ADHD than receiving psychological services, which may include behavior therapy. Share this report far and wide!

Final Medicaid, CHIP Parity Requirements 
In the final step to implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, SAMHSA and CMS released regulations applying the law’s parity protections to Medicaid and CHIP. The National Council has prepared a full summary of the final rule, outlining provisions of major importance to behavioral health care organizations. 

Resources

• Increase in Suicide in the United States, 1999 – 2014
  This report presents an overview of suicide mortality in the United States from 1999 through 2014. The news about the increase in adolescents and young adults is especially troubling.

•  New infographics!

  • Understanding the Federal legislation process

  • Understanding the Federal Budget Process 

• Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Programs; Medicaid Managed Care, CHIP Delivered in Managed Care, and Revisions Related to Third Party Liability
  The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) put on display at the Federal Register the Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Final Rule, which aligns key rules with those of other health insurance coverage programs, modernizes how states purchase managed care for beneficiaries and strengthens the consumer experience and key consumer protections. This final rule is the first major update to Medicaid and CHIP managed care regulations in more than a decade.

• Health, United States, 2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
  The complete report with interactive links is designed to provide easy access to the wealth of data contained in Health, United States. Interactive links, highlighted in red for links to outside websites and blue for links within the pdf, enable users to navigate easily from the Table of Contents or Highlights to tables, and then to information and resources in the Appendixes. Each chartbook figure and trend table includes a link to the Adobe PDF and Excel spreadsheet version of the table. In the spreadsheet version, data users can perform custom analyses, create graphs, and export results to presentation software. Also, chartbook figures are linked to PowerPoint charts.

Is Friday Update workin’ for ya? 
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Scott Bryant-Comstock
President & CEO 
http://cmhnetwork.org