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May 14, 2021

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What's new:
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month!


NASMHPD is proud to partner with many organizations offering valuable webinars, trainings, and resources in honor of this Mental Health Awareness Month and year-round. Check them out by clicking the green button above. Be sure to also view current NASMHPD learning opportunities and resources in this edition of the NASMHPD Update.

How are Middle Schoolers?


The middle school years are when kids develop their individuality and their identity among their peers. For kids experiencing middle school during the Covid pandemic—well, that’s a whole new level of difficulty, says Emily Moser, director of YouthLine Programs at Lines for Life in Oregon.
Read the May 11 #CrisisTalk.

Virginia Is First State to Pass 988 Service Fee Legislation


On March 18, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed Senate Bill 1302 into law, which designates a 988 call center and establishes a crisis call center fund. It also provides a monthly telecom tax, making Virginia the first state to pass 988 service fee legislation. Read the May 4 #CrisisTalk.

Multiple Mental Health Bills on Suspension Calendar in the House
The House considered many Mental Health bills under suspension on May 11th. See the links below for more details on these bills:
  • H.R. 433 – Family Support Services for Addiction Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1475 – Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
  • H.R. 586 – STANDUP Act of 2021
  • H.R. 721 – Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2021, as amended
  • H.R. 2877 – Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1260 – Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical Violence Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1205 – Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1324 – Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1480 – HERO Act
  • H.R. 2862 – Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act
  • H.R. 2981 – Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021
  • H.R. 2955 – Suicide Prevention Act
  • H.R. 768 – Block, Report, And Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act of 2021
  • H.R. 1629 – Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act

Resource on Supporting Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Health and I/DD
The National Association of State Directors of Development Disability Services, NADD, and NASMHPD collaborated on the report Supporting Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Health Support Needs and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities: Themes, Trends, and a Synthesis of Promising Activities. This report features summaries of a three-part roundtable series that addressed the following three areas:
  • State organizational structure, financing, payment approaches, and policies: Opportunities to Transcend Structural Stovepipes and/or Misaligned Incentives
  • Access to skilled clinical capacity and specialized support/training for direct support: Clinical Capacity Building and DSP Workforce Development Efforts
  • Identification and design of effective service modalities: Service Design Innovation Opportunities within State Medicaid Programs
Each organization identified members who have succeeded in supporting individuals with co-occurring I/DD and Mental Health support needs to identify themes and strategies that can be replicated across the country.

State Spotlight: Oklahoma Uses Tablets for Behavioral Health Outreach

Oklahoma creatively used their Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI) 2020 funds for the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma to identify needs among the homeless population through street outreach, and leveraged other state funding to purchase tablets to ensure access to services.

Through this program being connected to providers through a partnership, they have connected at risk people with resources already downloaded on the tablet and crisis specialists that can be reached when in need. In addition, OK providers have given tablets to law enforcement; therefore law enforcement can hand the tablet to someone in crisis for them to talk face to face with a crisis informed specialist. To ensure sustainability of initiatives, they plan to use evaluation methods and cost savings to justify budget proposals for the future. Tablets can be quite inexpensive, in some cases priced at $60 per tablet.

Please contact Jackie Shipp, Senior Director of Treatment, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services at JShipp@odmhsas.org for more information.

Emmer Leads Letter to Support Funding for Mental Health and Criminal Justice Initiatives
On May 7th, Congressman Tom Emmer participated in the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center's Congressional Briefing on "How Three Communities Are Supporting Mental Health and Decreasing Justice System Involvement Through Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP)." During his appearance, Congressman Emmer discussed his support for a letter he sent along with 57 of his colleagues for continued funding of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) in the FY2022 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Read the press release.

Issue Brief: Disaster Response and Opportunity for Sustained Improvement

Debra A. Pinals, M.D.
This Issue Brief is derived from a 2019 technical assistance paper, Beyond the borders: Lessons from the international community to improve mental health outcomes, developed on behalf of NASMHPD in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA).  This excerpt offers a brief overview of highlighted examples of earlier disasters experienced in the international community and provides references that aim to further illuminate strategies and inspire ongoing crucial dialogue in an effort to improve mental health in the United States, even while responding to a crisis.

Division Spotlight: Presentation to Medical Directors and Forensic Divisions on Evidence Based Approach to Gun Violence and Mental Illness.
On April 15, 2021, the NASMHPD Medical Directors and Forensic Divisions hosted a presentation on "Evidence Based Approach to Gun Violence and Mental Illness". The presenter, Jeffrey W. Swanson, MA, PhD., is a Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School, the Center for Firearms Law at Duke Law School, and the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. View the presentation above.

Millbank Issue Brief: Building State Capacity to Address Behavioral Health Needs Through Crisis Services and Early Intervention
To help ensure patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis are able to get the right care at the right time in the right place, states such as Arizona, Georgia, and Tennessee have developed behavioral health crisis models of care that provide early intervention and divert individuals in crisis from hospitals, jails, and prisons. This model assembles a network of services comprising three components: a 24-hour regional or statewide crisis call center hub; community-based mobile crisis teams that evaluate and stabilize the individual; and facilities designed to stabilize patients for eventual recovery.

COVID-19, Unemployment, and Behavioral Health
The IPS Employment Center’s Bob Drake and Gary Bond recently participated in a National Disability Forum discussion on “COVID-19 and SSA Programs: Mental Health Effect on Adults and Children.” Bob Drake moderated the discussion and Gary Bond presented on how COVID-related isolation, job loss, and stress impact behavioral health. Dr. Bond’s presentation covered the increase in unemployment since the pandemic as well as the rise of mental and behavioral health conditions. It also emphasized the beneficial role IPS could have in helping people return to work and improve their mental health. View the presentation slides.

National Council Announces Name Change to National Council for Mental Wellbeing

On May 6th, The National Council for Behavioral Health announced it has changed its name to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. “By changing our name, we are changing the conversation,” National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia said. “Not only is the National Council for Mental Wellbeing inclusive of mental health and substance use, our new name boldly states our goal – to make mental wellbeing a reality for everyone." Read the press release.


The team at the IPS Employment Center has defined the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment. The center’s activities focus on employment for people with serious mental illnesses. The center offers training, educational materials, and consultation services.  Learn more about training available through the IPS Employment Center.

NASMHPD Learning Opportunities
Town Hall Series: Innovative Practices to Support Behavioral Health Peer and Direct Care Staff during COVID-19 Crisis

Please join us for our Town Hall series to learn about innovative practices for outreach and support of peer and direct care staff during the epidemic. Our most vulnerable community members are often experiencing the challenges of the coronavirus on top of painful past events and current levels of uncertainty and lack of safety. These forums will be led by peers and direct care staff from hospital and community settings around the country.

Learn more, register, and view the recordings of prior events here.
The remaining event will be held from 2:00 - 3:30PM Eastern on May 26.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar: Targeting Housing Resources to Support Reentry of People with Serious Mental Illness



Learn more and register here.
May 17, 2021 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Eastern

This webinar will explore strategies to target housing resources to assist people with serious mental illness in transitioning smoothly from jail or prison to their communities, achieving stability and support, and avoiding re-incarceration. The webinar will focus on strategies such as using Medicaid to cover housing-related transition and tenancy support services, using Mental Health Block Grant funds to finance housing subsidies for people re-entering their communities following incarceration, and using federal and state housing assistance programs to target housing subsidies to individuals with serious mental illness upon re-entry.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar: Planning for Care Transitions: Using Best Practices to Improve Care for Individuals with Suicide Risk



Learn more and register here.
May 25, 2021 2:00-3:00 PM Eastern

This presentation will focus on the critical role of safe care transitions in comprehensive suicide prevention. Essential components of care transitions, and specific recommendations applicable to a variety of care settings, for improving practices and implementing evidenced-based interventions will be discussed. There will be a particular emphasis on care transitions for individuals at risk for suicide who are moving from inpatient to outpatient settings. Additionally, this presentation will also briefly discuss the involvement of crisis services as related to ensuring continuity of care. A suite of implementation tools designed to assist organizations in aligning with care transitions best practices will be shared.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar: How Technology Can Help in a Mental Health Crisis



Learn more and register here.
May 27, 2021 1:30-3:00 PM Eastern

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a world that is markedly different than a year ago. The NAMI HelpLine experienced more than a 90% increase in calls and emails over the past year – each representing an individual, a friend, a neighbor or a family member searching for help. And while 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. have a mental health condition, in February 2021 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that 2 in 5 people in the U.S. are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety.

With growing numbers of people needing to be connected to mental health services technology solutions are a vital way to meet this expanding need and make connections to care. In this webinar, leaders from Crisis Text Line and NAMI’s HelpLine will share what technology they use and how their technology helps those in crisis. 
Webinar: Align State Outcome Monitoring Measures for First Episode Psychosis Care with National Standards

Register here.
June 2, 2021, 3:00pm – 4:30pm Eastern

NRI is working with NASMHPD and Westat to support the NIMH-funded Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET).  EPINET encompasses eight Regional Hubs, more than 100 early psychosis clinics across 17 states, and the EPINET National Data Coordinating Center. Last fall, EPINET finalized the Core Assessment Battery (CAB), which is a group of standardized measures and individual items that assess key domains of early psychosis psychopathology, recovery, contextual factors, and treatments that are implemented and evaluated across the EPINET clinics. 

This webinar will provide more information for state agencies about EPINET and the CAB, and will share information about how your state and state’s Coordinated Specialty Care programs can join EPINET to streamline your outcome monitoring and align with national efforts.

On-Demand Webinar Recordings:
NASMHPD Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI) Informational Exchange Recording: What's Trauma Got To Do With It? Everything. Many individuals involved in crisis and/or criminal justice systems have histories of trauma. Often times this unresolved trauma manifests in behaviors that although at times troubling, are adaptive and serve to reduce the likelihood of retraumatization. Educating individuals receiving services as well as staff supporting them can lead to a greater understanding of the meaning behind behavior providing insight into how to intervene prior to aversive consequences. View the recorded informational exchange.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar Recording: COVID-19 and the Future of Behavioral Health Care Delivery. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a broad and swift shift to telehealth for many behavioral health providers. In many cases, these adaptations focused on rapidly defining and launching short-term actions to stabilize operations and maintain patient safety and access. As we settle into a new normal that is likely to sustain expanded use of telehealth, it is critical to assess the impact and lessons learned over the past year and use them to inform future service delivery that promotes quality, improved patient access to services and outcomes. This session will explore the experiences and implications of telehealth practice and policy during COVID-19 and beyond from provider, payer and state perspectives. Access the webinar recording.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar Series Recordings: Education and Mental Health During COVID-19: How are the Children and Caregivers Doing, Really? In January 2021, the National Federation of Families conducted a national survey to learn from families regarding the effects of COVID 19 related to their children’s education and both their children and their family’s mental health and received over 1100 responses from families in every state and the District of Columbia. The first webinar of this two-part series presented the data and defined the challenges from the family perspective. The second webinar addressed the implications for both schools and behavioral health providers. Access the Part 1 recording here. Access the Part 2 recording here.
SAMHSA-Sponsored Webinar Recording: Recovery Through Personal Care Services. On April 28, NASMHPD hosted the SAMHSA-sponsored webinar: "Recovery through Personal Care Services" with presenters Dr. Dan Fisher, President of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery and a professor at University of Massachusetts Department of Psychiatry, and R. Drake Ewbank, QHMA, PSS, PSW, PCA, a consultant with lived experience of the mental health system who has served the peer population as an advocate, volunteer and as a credentialed clinical and peer provider since the mid 1990's. Access the webinar recording.

Don't Miss These Headlines
A Proclamation on National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2021
The White House

Mental Health Among Older Adults Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
University of Michigan

Tracking US behavioral health service use during COVID-19
McKinsey & Company

Involuntary Psychiatric Holds in Kids: The Known Unknowns
Kara Grant | MedPage Today

Mental Health Services Wane as Insurers Appear to Skirt Parity Rules During Pandemic
Emmarie Huetteman | Kaiser Health News

Structural Racism Tied to Increased Psychosis Risk
Kara Grant | MedPage Today

Peer-Support Coaching Boosts Mental Health in Front-Line Workers
Kristen Monaco | MedPage Today

Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Farm Bureau Launches Farm State of Mind Resource Directory to Support Mental Health Month
American Farm Bureau Federation

Clinical and Social Factors Associated with Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalisation in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Narrative Synthesis
S. Walker et al. | The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health

Riding Herd on Mental Health in Colorado Ranching Country
V. Ramachandran & E. Imadali | Kaiser Health News

Biden Announces 1 million Have Enrolled in Special ObamaCare Sign-up Period
P. Sullivan | The Hill

Resource Roundup
Improving Access to Behavioral Health Crisis Services with Electronic Bed Registries. These 23 fact sheets and summary report, Improving Access to Behavioral Health Crisis Services with Electronic Bed Registries, can serve as blueprints or guides to states and localities to design and implement bed registry platforms critical to coordinating crisis care.
NAMD Report: Medicaid Forward - Behavioral Health. This framework offers states options to consider to promote the health and wellbeing of members and expand access to behavioral health services. It includes strategies along a continuum of need, ranging from upstream prevention and health promotion for all Medicaid beneficiaries to increasing access to behavioral health treatment for unique subpopulations in Medicaid.
NAMI Webinar Series: HELP Not Handcuffs. This multi-part series is addressing the history of mental health and the justice system, past and present legislative efforts, several existing jail diversion models, and what we can expect and strive for through programs like these in the future. View past recordings and register for future webinars in this series.
COVID-19 Vaccine Resources. NASMHPD has compiled various resources that may be useful to state behavioral health leadership as they work to effectively and equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines. View them here.
SAMHSA Resource: Crisis Services: Meeting Needs, Saving Lives. SAMHSA has published Crisis Services: Meeting Needs, Saving Lives, composed of SAMHSA’s National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: Best Practice Toolkit and related papers on crisis services.
COVID-19 Information for SAMHSA Discretionary Grant Recipients. SAMHSA is allowing flexibility for grant recipients affected by the loss of operational capacity and increased costs due to the COVID-19 crisis. These flexibilities are available during this emergency time period. Flexibility may be reassessed upon issuance of new guidance by the Office of Management and Budget post the emergency time period. Learn more.
NASMHPD's EIP Resource Center. The Early Intervention in Psychosis virtual resource center, made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is designed to provide reliable information for practitioners, policymakers, individuals, families, and communities in order to foster more widespread adoption and utilization of early intervention programming for persons at risk for (or experiencing a first episode of) psychosis. Visit the resource center. These TA resources were developed with support from SAMHSA.
Crisis Service Resources: NASMHPD's 2020 Technical Assistance Coalition Working Papers. NASMHPD's 2020 TAC papers continue the Beyond Beds theme, highlighting different aspects of crisis services: 


EPINET is a national learning health care system from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) that links early psychosis clinics through standard clinical measures, uniform data collection methods, data sharing agreements, and integration of client-level data across service users and clinics. Clients and their families, clinicians, health care administrators, and scientific experts now have the opportunity to partner within EPINET to improve early psychosis care and conduct large-scale, practice-based research. Learn more about EPINET. Download a shareable flyer about EPINET. 
Visit the SMI Adviser website for evidence-based education, consultation, and resources on serious mental illness (SMI). Request a free clinician-to-clinician consultation. Access dozens of online courses and earn free continuing education credits. Learn about the My Mental Health Crisis Plan app. See data on serious mental illness in the U.S. Find resources on COVID-19, clozapine, and long-acting injectables. 

Upcoming Webinar:

Elder Depression: Treatment Indications and Psychopharmacology for Optimum Outcomes
May 20, 2021 , 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET 
Credit: 1.0 CME, 1.0 Psychology CE, 1.0 Nursing NCPD 
 
NASMHPD Staff
NASMHPD Board of Directors
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National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
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