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October 8, 2021

In This Issue:


What's New:
Don't Miss These Headlines:
Resource Roundup:
Find current funding opportunity announcements
including NASMHPD's Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI), Provider Relief Funding, several workforce recruitment opportunities, and more.
View webinars, trainings, and resources from our partners
including several resources on supporting children and youth, a new framework to prevent AI/AN suicide, a webinar on addressing polypharmacy in older adults, and more.

Explore opportunities on NASMHPD's Job Board

How Police-Mental Health Collaboration Learning Sites Are Helping Transform Crisis Care


The national dialogue on the Covid emergency, police reform, and racial justice has galvanized communities to reimagine their crisis systems and create parity for those historically most marginalized by them. Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey says 14 learning sites are helping communities not just reimagine change but actually make it happen. The law enforcement-mental health collaborative learning sites provide peer-to-peer resources, including 1-on-1 technical assistance, coaching, and hosting site visits. Read the September 28 #CrisisTalk.

A New Approach to Managing Mental Health Crisis Care in the Home


The Netherlands has a long history of outpatient crisis care, but the only choices for people who needed crisis care were either admission to an inpatient facility or outpatient services.

Dr. Elnathan Prinsen shares how Intensive Home Treatment has offered a vital alternative to hospitalization that fills system gaps and produces benefits for the person, their family, and the overall health system. Dr. Prinsen is the president of the Dutch Association of Psychiatry.
Read the October 5 #CrisisTalk.

Want to Talk More About Crisis?

Join the 988 Crisis Jam Learning Community!
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) 988 Crisis Jam Learning Community, powered by Crisis Now, takes place each Wednesday at noon eastern on Zoom! Join SAMHSA, the more than 56 national organizations, and all 50 states taking part in these weekly crisis jam sessions. Sign up for weekly reminders and the #CrisisTalk newsletter.
Add the 988 Crisis Jam Learning Community to your calendar
Access the
Zoom link now

New Rural Behavioral Health Resources Available
Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with SMI in Rural and Remote Communities
Twenty percent of the U.S. population live in rural and remote communities. The prevalence of Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is slightly higher for adults ages 18+ who live in rural areas than for those who live in urban areas. Unfortunately, there are a number of barriers to receipt of care in rural and remote communities.

This NEW guide provides a blueprint on how to improve availability, access, and acceptance of mental health services in rural and remote communities. It is an ideal resource for clinicians, administrators, policymakers, and advocates who live and work in these areas.

This guide was developed by SMI Adviser, in partnership with NASMHPD and the NASMHPD Research Institute (NRI). Access it here.
Free Rural Peer Support Learning Community Starting this Month

First Session: October 19 at 6-7 pm ET

The goal of this new learning community is to connect peer support specialists across the country serving in rural and remote communities with others in this role. Lisa Ragan of Tennessee and Tony Sanchez of Georgia, two dynamic peer leaders, will facilitate this group to build community, learning opportunities, networking, and sharing among the rural peer community.

This learning community was created based on feedback from peer support specialists during the development of the above guide, "Improving Behavioral Health Services for Individuals with SMI in Rural and Remote Communities".

Enrollment is limited to 50 participants, so sign up today! Find info and register here.

NASMHPD, SAMHSA Announce Funding for 36 TTI Awards of $250,000


NASMHPD is excited to share the good news that the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is funding another year of the Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI). We are pleased to be involved in administering these important transformation efforts for CMHS and look forward to working with this year's awardees to maximize their investment in state mental health transformation. The TTI provides, on a competitive basis, flexible funding awards to states, the District of Columbia, and the Territories to strengthen innovative programs. Based on needs that states and territories have shared with NASMHPD, SAMHSA is funding 36 TTI awards of $250,000 on the following three topics directly related to implementing and expanding 988 and crisis services: 
 
1. Special populations 
  • American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) Communities 
  • LGBTQ+ 
2. Workforce 
3. Children & Adolescents 
 
States and territories can apply and receive multiple awards for more than one topic and should indicate which topic(s) on their application. All proposals must focus on Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and/or Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) populations. Proposals are due back to NASMHPD by November 5, 2021. Learn more on how to apply here. 

State Spotlight: Kentucky Engages Community in Researching Alternatives to Traditional Police Engagement in Crises Involving Mental Illness


Kentucky’s collaborative project, the DOVE (Diversion Options: Voice and Empowerment) Delegate Initiative, is creating and implementing an alternative response model designed in part to de-criminalize issues of mental and emotional health as well as substance abuse and houselessness.

This initiative has been designed and led by the community to ensure stabilization and resources for those in crisis. Focus groups were conducted with city residents and individuals directly impacted to receive their input directly to inform the development of the model. 

The alternative response will be staffed by mental health and social services professionals. These clinicians, who are available 24/7, will serve callers by utilizing community-care practices and linkages to appropriate health and social services. Those involved in the project will also assess known best practices from other cities, analyze local data, and organize community forums.

Recommendations will be made for an implementation plan for a pilot program in the city’s 2022 fiscal year. The goal of implementing such a model is to create a positive health and economic impact on the community.

This partnership was developed between the Spalding University School of Social Work, University of Louisville Department School of Public Health and Information Sciences, Seven Counties Services and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities.

The DOVE Delegate Initiative is supported through a federal Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI) Jail Diversion award from NASMHPD.

Read more information on the program.

SAMHSA to Launch New "Office of Recovery" to Expand Its Commitment to Recovery for All Americans

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is launching an Office of Recovery, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to advance the agency’s commitment to, and support of, recovery for all Americans. September marks National Recovery Month, and in organizing this new office, SAMHSA will now have a dedicated team with a deep understanding of recovery to promote policies, programs and services to those in or seeking recovery.

“We have identified recovery as a crosscutting principle throughout SAMHSA’s policies and programs,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “In standing up this new office, SAMHSA is committed to growing and expanding recovery support services nationwide.”

Read the full press release.

SAMHSA Awards Record-Setting $825 Million in Grants to Strengthen Community Mental Health Centers, and Support Americans Living with Serious Emotional Disturbances, Mental Illnesses
On September 28, following up on its commitment to invest $825 million in Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing the distribution of funds to 231 CMHCs across the country.
 
The funding, which comes from the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement (CRRS) Act of 2021, reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to supporting and expanding access to mental health and behavioral support as Americans continue to confront the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read the full press release.

Wyden, Crapo Solicit Policy Proposals to Address Unmet Mental Health Needs
The Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, have launched an effort to develop bipartisan legislation to address barriers to mental health care as the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened alarming trends in Americans’ mental health.  
 
The letter requests evidence-based solutions and ideas to enhance behavioral health care in the following areas:
  • Strengthening the workforce
  • Increasing integration, coordination and access to care
  • Ensuring parity between behavioral and physical health care
  • Furthering the use of telehealth
  • Improving access to behavioral health care for children and young people
Read the full letter.

NASMHPD Annual 2021 Meeting Session Recap

Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19


The NASMHPD Annual 2021 Meeting, "Beyond Beds: Before, During, and After COVID-19", took place in mid-September and featured presentations from a variety of state and national experts on topics that are most relevant in behavioral health today. In future editions of the NASMHPD Update, we will be highlighting presentations from the 2021 Annual Meeting.

Among these presentations is "Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19", presented by Dr. Debra Pinals, Chair of the NASMHPD Medical Directors Division, Medical Director, for Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director for the Program of Psychiatry, Law and Ethics at the University of Michigan.

This annual meeting session presented the ideas put forth in NASMHPD's 2021 Draft Technical Assistance Coalition (TAC) Assessment Working Paper, of the same name; Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19.  This paper serves as the "umbrella paper", encompassing ideas that will flow throughout the entire set of ten papers. View the paper here. View the presentation slides.

The full presentation recording can be viewed below.

NASMHPD's Draft 2021 Technical Assistance Coalition Assessment Working Papers Available Online
With funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, NASMHPD has produced ten Draft 2021 Technical Assistance Coalition Assessment Working Papers, which are now available on the NAMSHPD website:
  1. Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19
  2. Disaster Behavioral Health through the Lens of COVID-19
  3. Suicide Prevention and 988: Beyond Beds Before, During and After COVID-19
  4. Law Enforcement and Crisis Services: Past Lessons for New Partnerships and the Future of 988
  5. Strategies and Considerations for Providing a More Equitable Crisis Continuum for People of Color in the United States
  6. The Effects of COVID-19 on Children, Youth, and Families
  7. Mental Health System Development in Rural and Remote Areas during COVID-19
  8. Funding Opportunities for Expanding Crisis Stabilization Systems and Services
  9. Technology’s Acceleration in Behavioral Health: COVID, 988, Social Media, Treatment, and More
  10. Using Data to Manage State and Local-Level Mental Health Crisis Services

NIMH-Funded Study Shows that Dialectical Behavior Therapy Reduces Youth Suicide Risk
A new clinical trial found that adolescents with histories of suicidal attempts and non-suicidal self-injury behaviors who received dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) had a 49.3 percent reduction in self-harm behaviors in comparison to youth who received individual and group supportive therapy (IGST). The trial involved 173 study participants aged 12 to 18 that were randomly assigned to either receive DBT (individual psychotherapy, multi-family group skills training, youth and parent telephone coaching, and therapist team coaching) or IGST (individual therapy, adolescent supportive group therapy, as-needed parent sessions, and weekly therapist team consultation).
In addition to reducing self-harm, DBT participants had greater improvements in emotion regulation and reported lower substance abuse.

The study, Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Suicidal Self-Harming Youth: Emotion Regulation, Mechanisms, and Mediators, was recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and the abstract can be accessed here. 

New Edition of Signs of Mental Health Released, Newsletter from the Alabama Office of Deaf Services
Signs of Mental Health is the Alabama Office of Deaf Service's quarterly newsletter. It contains information about what ODS is doing, what is happening in the Department of Mental Health in general, and information about important events in the field of mental health and deafness in Alabama and around the world. Read the latest edition.

New Resource from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing:
CCBHCs: A Cornerstone of 988 Implementation
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing has released a new paper that examines the connection between Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model and 988, the National Suicide Prevention hotline. This new paper examines how state can leverage the CCBHC model to build out a robust 988 infrastructure in line with the SAMHSA National Guidelines for Crisis Response. 

Register for the 62nd Annual National Dialogues on Behavioral Health Conference!
Date: Each Thursday, September 30 - November 4, 2021

Join NASMHPD for an incredible opportunity for learning and dialogue on behavioral health. The focus of the conference is on the design of the future behavioral health system for specific populations based on our current knowledge base and the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include: models and programs for persons with serious mental illness, persons with substance use disorders, children and adolescents, and persons who experience system disparities; new models of crisis services; emergent models of physical/behavioral health integration such as CCBHCs and FQHCs; and challenges faced by behavioral health leadership and advocates. Register Here.



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.

Don't Miss These Headlines
National and State Trends in Anxiety and Depression Severity Scores Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
H. Jia et al | CDC

'Bundling' Intervention Boosts Mental Health Care for Suicidal Kids in the ED
S. Firth | MedPage Today

People with Substance Use Disorders May Be at Higher Risk for SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Public Safety Alert: Sharp Increase in Fake Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyl and Meth
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

Youth E-Cigarette Use Remains Serious Public Health Concern Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
A. Hunt | CDC & FDA

Access To Obstetric, Behavioral Health, And Surgical Inpatient Services After Hospital Mergers In Rural Areas
R. M.Henke et al. | Health Affairs

Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Status, Intent, and Perceived Access for Noninstitutionalized Adults, by Disability Status
A. B. Ryerson et al. | CDC

Mental Health Conditions Increase Severe Maternal Morbidity By 50 Percent And Cost $102 Million Yearly In The United States
C. Brown et al. | Health Affairs

Resource Roundup
SAMHSA Resource: Prevention and Treatment of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among College Students. This guide reviews literature on treating college students’ mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors; distills the research into recommendations for practice; and provides examples of the ways that these recommendations can be implemented. See the Guide here.
Advisory: Treating Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury. On September 21, SAMHSA released their latest Advisory, an update to the SMA10-4591, Vol. 9 Issue 2, published in 2010. The advisory summarizes key elements of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and describes its relevance to behavioral health, including recommendations for behavioral health professionals. Access it here.
Disaster Emotional Prep Kit. When most people think of a disaster preparedness kit, they picture batteries, flashlights, and other tangible items. While these items are important to have, it’s also important to be emotionally prepared for a disaster as well. What are your coping mechanisms? What mental health resources are available to you? The Disaster Distress Helpline’s Disaster Emotional Prep Kit will help you add to your resiliency toolkit with action steps, coping resources, and other disaster behavioral health supports.
New HRSA Projections for the Behavioral Health Workforce. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) helps public and private organizations understand how changes in population will affect future workforce demands. Newly released data projects the total percent adequacy of various healthcare workforce roles, including behavioral health providers, in 2030.
988 Model Legislation is Available. Please find the latest version of 988 Model Legislation here on the NASMHPD website.
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.
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.
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.

On-Demand Webinar Recording:

Inclusive Evidence-Based Practices in Gender Non-Binary Mental Health Services
Free On Demand
Credit: 1.0 CME, 1.0 NCPD, 1.0 Psychology CE, 1.0 Social Work CE

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. 

The MHTTC Network accelerates the adoption and implementation of mental health related evidence-based practices across the nation, develops and disseminates resources, provides free local and regional training and technical assistance, and heightens the awareness, knowledge, and skills of the mental health workforce.

The Network is comprised of 10 Regional Centers, a National American Indian & Alaska Native Center, a National Hispanic & Latino Center, and a Network Coordinating Office. Find your Center and get connected to free products and free training and events. Stay up to date with resources by following @MHTTCNetwork on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the monthly e-Newsletter, Pathways.
NASMHPD Staff
NASMHPD Board of Directors
Submissions? Please send by email to nasmhpd.news@nasmhpd.org
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Website
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
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Alexandria, VA 22314

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