News from NASADAD

• NASADAD welcomes new FL State Director, Ute Gazioch
• NASADAD attends Hill briefing on IMD Exclusion – Steven Baron presents
• NASADAD attends annual Harold Rogers PDMP meeting

News from the States

• Governor Cuomo launches “Combat Heroin” campaign

Around the Agencies

• SAMHSA publishes report on gambling problems
• SAMHSA announces new suicide prevention mobile app
• CMS announces report on enrollment

Resources

• PDMP researchers publish study on the impact of unsolicited reporting
• ATTC to hold clinical supervision webinar on October 14^th

 

News from NASADAD

NASADAD welcomes new FL State Director, Ute Gazioch

Ms. Gazioch previously served as the Mental Health Lead for the Department, responsible for the oversight of Statewide grants and programs as well as providing clinical and programmatic expertise on statewide adult and children’s issues. Ms. Gazioch formerly served as Project Director and then Principal Investigator for the Statewide System of Care Expansion grants, which aims to improve the state’s service delivery system for children and their families. Prior to joining the Department, Ms. Gazioch spent 16 years working with adults, children and families. Ms. Gazioch has extensive experience with direct care provision as well as program development, management and evaluation. While working at Henderson Behavioral Health, she collaborated with Broward County’s One Community Partnership, a SAMHSA funded System of Care site, and successfully implemented high fidelity Wraparound with her teams.

NASADAD attends Hill briefing on IMD Exclusion – Steven Baron presents

Rob Morrison, Executive Director and Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate attended the briefing hosted by Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) on September 18^th. The briefing discussed the Breaking Addiction Act, which would create a pilot program for some States to eliminate the Medicaid Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion that restricts Medicaid from reimbursing for services received at residential treatment programs with more than 16 beds. Steve Baron, NASADAD member and Director of the DC Department of Behavioral Health, discussed the potential effects of an IMD pilot from a State perspective. Panelists also addressed how including residential treatment centers with more than 16 beds in Medicaid coverage would increase the ability to treat the nation’s growing heroin/opiate epidemic.

Moderator: Becky Vaughn, National Council for Behavioral Health

Panelists:

Wendy Doolittle, McKinley Hall

Steve Baron, DC Department of Behavioral Health

William B. Lawson, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Howard University

NASADAD attends annual Harold Rogers PDMP meeting

Rob Morrison, Executive Director and Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate attended the annual Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) National Meeting from September 22^nd-24^th. The three-day national meeting addressed a range of information regarding PDMPs and their increasing presence in combating the prescription drug epidemic. Many agencies were represented, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Topics included PDMP research, data usage, law enforcement training, prescriber outreach, and PDMP updates from various states. Panelists included Denise O’Donnell, Director of U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance; Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at SAMHSA, and Michael Botticelli, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

News from the States

Governor Cuomo launches “Combat Heroin” campaign

On September 22^nd, 2014 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the launch of “Combat Heroin,” a campaign intended to inform New Yorkers about the risks of heroin use and opioid misuse, the signs of addiction, and resources available for those struggling with substance use disorders. The campaign launched with a dedicated website primarily targeting parents, adults, and young people. The website features videos from New Yorkers discussing the impact of heroin on their lives, statistics concerning heroin use in New York and resources about the Good Samaritan Law, information about the warning signs of substance abuse and how to access treatment providers, and educational tools for parents and health care professionals.

Around the Agencies

SAMHSA publishes report on gambling problems

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the report, “Gambling Programs: An Introduction for Behavioral Health Services Providers,” to serve as an introductory resource on the topic for mental health and substance use disorder providers, discussing causes, statistics, and treatment options for those struggling with gambling problems. The report also profiles different types of gambling: pathological gambling, gambling disorder, and problem gambling. The report provides information on rates of gambling problems, demographic characteristics of people with gambling problems, and the links between gambling problems and other mental health and substance use disorders. Additionally, the report discusses tools for assessing and treating a gambling problem.

SAMHSA announces new suicide prevention mobile app

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is developing a mobile app to better equip providers with tools for suicide prevention. The app, titled “Suicide Safe,” is based off of SAMHSA’s Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T) card. Along with a virtual copy of the SAFE-T card, Suicide Safe also includes interactive sample cases, downloadable suicide prevention pamphlets, fact sheets, treatment resources, and a treatment services locator. The app is currently being developed for Apple and Android devices, and will be launching in early 2015.

CMS announces report on enrollment

On September 24^th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the July 2014 Monthly Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Report. This report provides state data on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment in the month of July. As of July, over 67 million individuals have enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. Included in this report are tables illustrating changes in enrollment rates for both Medicaid and CHIP in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report covers applicant eligibility numbers, and discusses findings from July’s enrollment data.

Resources

PDMP researchers publish study on the impact of unsolicited reporting

The PDMP Center of Excellence (COE) at Brandeis University has released a newly updated report, “Briefing on PDMP Effectiveness.” The updated briefing discusses how unsolicited reporting has helped reduce the frequency of doctor shopping by 36% since the concept’s introduction. The briefing includes research studies, evaluations, and surveys from over 60 sources. The COE data also suggests that PDMPs are contributing to better health outcomes, including declines in overdose deaths, emergency department visits, and treatment for prescription opioid abuse (Center of Excellence email update).

ATTC to hold clinical supervision webinar on October 14^th

The National Frontier and Rural ATTC will be hosting a webinar on October 14^th concerning the use of telehealth technologies and expanding the role of technology in clinical supervision. The briefing will discuss the impact of technology when confronting geographical barriers to clinical supervision in isolated areas. This webinar is the latest in ATTC’s Telehealth Tuesday media series, which explores the use of technology in substance abuse treatment and recovery. The webinar will be presented by Tobie Barton, Project Manager at CASAT.