News from NASADAD

• NASADAD releases section-by-section overview of Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015
• NASADAD attends House Energy and Commerce Committee – Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on opioid issues
• NASADAD attends Capitol Hill briefing on the importance of school-based mental health programs

Around the Agencies

• Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology releases proposed 2015 rule for electronic health records
• CMS now accepting applications for the FY 2015 Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in federally facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces grant program
• Volkow of NIDA publishes blog advocating for science-informed approach to medical marijuana
• CDC releases Hepatitis C and injection drug use fact sheet
• CDC releases guide for Hepatitis C counseling and testing

In the News

• Missouri officials seek to expand access to medication-assisted treatment
• Legal Action Center releases summary of proposed parity rules for alternative benefit plans, Medicaid managed care, and CHIP
• Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) reintroduce bipartisan legislation to address prescription opioid and heroin use disorders
• The Network for Public Health Law releases resource on legal interventions to reduce overdose mortality
• NAADAC minority fellowship program application deadline extended to May 31^st

Upcoming Events

• SAMHSA announces webinar on prescription drug misuse epidemic to be held May 20^th
• SAMHSA announces webinar on opioid use disorders and treatment in pregnancy to be held May 13^th

News from NASADAD

NASADAD releases section-by-section overview of Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015
NASADAD released the section-by-section of the bill this past week. The legislation is sponsored by Sen. McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Casey (D-PA) in the Senate, and Rep. Clark (D-MA), Rep. Stivers (R-OH), Rep. Barr (R-KY), Rep. Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Israel (D-NY), Rep. Keating (D-MA), Rep. Meng (D-NY), Rep. Moore (D-WI), Rep. Tsongas (D-MA), Rep. Yarmuth (D-KY), and 27 others in the House. The bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a study and develop recommendations for preventing and treating prenatal opioid misuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Additional provisions authorize the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review HHS coordinating efforts related to prenatal opioid use and NAS to identify key areas for additional research.

NASADAD attends House Energy and Commerce Committee – Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on opioid issues
Rob Morrison, Executive Director, and Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate attended the hearing. The hearing continued an ongoing discussion between subcommittee members and health officials on best treatment practices for individuals with substance use disorders. The panel was made up of representatives from federal agencies with oversight of substance use disorder issues. The panelists provided an overview of the federal response to the opioid epidemic, and offered expertise on current treatment landscape, including areas ripe for reform. Committee members and panelists both advocated for increased research into innovative treatment options and expanded use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). Some panelists further advocated for the expansion and enhancement of naloxone programs to help reverse opioid overdose deaths.

Panelists:

• Michael Botticelli; Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Richard Frank, Ph.D.; Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services
• Nora Volkow, M.D.; Director; National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
• Douglas Throckmorton, M.D.; Deputy Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H.; Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Pamela Hyde, J.D., Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Patrick Conway, M.D., M.Sc.; Deputy Director for Innovation and Quality & CMS Chief Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

 

NASADAD attends Capitol Hill briefing on the importance of school-based mental health programs
Brian Denten, Public Policy Intern, attended the briefing hosted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Mental Health America (MHA), The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA). The meeting featured speakers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other related groups discussed the need for expanded access to mental health programs throughout the education system. Speakers noted the importance of identifying children at-risk for mental health and substance use disorders, and the success recent programs have had in lowering rates of depression and violence in schools. Rep. Napolitano closed the briefing with a reminder of the importance of the federal mental health parity statute and regulations in broadening mental health and substance use disorder treatment options.

Speakers:

• Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
• Kana Enomoto; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Jill Diamond; World Boxing Cares
• Michelle Scott; Loud Voices Together Educational Advocacy Group, Inc.
• Dana Cunningham; Prince George’s School Mental Health Initiative (PGSMHI)

Around the Agencies

Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology releases proposed 2015 rule for electronic health records
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a new proposed rule for electronic health records this past week. The 2015 edition of the rule updates the 2011 and 2014 editions by incorporating changes intended to create innovation, expand the market, and provide more electronic health information options for the care community. The rule is open for public comment until May 29, 2015.

CMS now accepting applications for the FY 2015 Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in federally facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces grant program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is new accepting applications for the FY 2015 Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in federally facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces grant program. Navigators provide the market with information about different health coverage options to ensure consumers are able to choose the optimal health care package for their needs. The grant program is open to eligible individuals and private and public entities seeking to work in the Navigator program in States with federally facilitated marketplaces (FFM). Selected grantees will be awarded funding for a 3-year project period. Applications are due by June 15, 2015.

Dr. Volkow of NIDA publishes blog advocating for science-informed approach to medical marijuana
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), published a blog on April 28^th promoting her view that policy “changes around marijuana will need to be informed, as much as possible, by science.” The blog was written as more States and other jurisdictions consider changes to policy governing medical marijuana or the recreational use of marijuana. Dr. Volkow notes that as “the public approval for marijuana grows, we need to ensure that our policy discussions are science-based.” She ends noting that the “existing science on marijuana’s adverse effects on youth demands we also proceed with caution in making policy changes that could result in increased use of or exposure to marijuana by young people.”

CDC releases Hepatitis C and injection drug use fact sheet
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new fact sheet on Hepatitis C and injection drug use this past week. The fact sheet describes the symptoms and treatment options for Hepatitis C and outlines how Hepatitis C is spread through injection drug use. The fact sheet encourages current and past users of injection drugs to contact their doctors about testing.

CDC releases guide for Hepatitis C counseling and testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released two new guides on Hepatitis C counseling and testing for public health and primary care settings this past week. Both resources provide contextual information about the spread and prevalence of Hepatitis C, in addition to summarizing clinical procedures for testing and treating individuals with Hepatitis C. The CDC recommends any current and past users of injection drugs, recipients of transfusions or organ transplants, and health care workers receive testing for Hepatitis C.

In the News

Missouri continues to expand access to medication-assisted treatment
Missouri continues to expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders, as NIATx E-News reported this past week. Mark Stringer, Director of Behavioral Health at the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) and NASADAD Board President cites Missouri’s involvement with NIATx’s Advanced Recovery program as essential in building the foundation for current MAT programs. The Advanced Recovery Program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and helped Missouri begin offering naltrexone and acamprosate for alcohol use disorders in 2006, with the DMH securing State funding for MAT in 2009. Stringer sees MAT acceptance as a gradual process as people begin to grasp the benefits of the medication. Stringer notes that patients have played a key role in fostering physician-acceptance of new treatments.

Legal Action Center releases summary of proposed parity rules for alternative benefit plans, Medicaid managed care, and CHIP
The summary provides a brief overview of the requirements laid out in the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and describes how the proposed rule, released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in April, applies MHPAEA to alternative benefit plans, Medicaid managed care, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The summary describes how the rules apply to each type of plan, lays out the proposed mechanism for determining parity compliance, as well as other details included in the rule.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) reintroduce bipartisan legislation to address prescription opioid and heroin use disorders
Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) reintroduced “The Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act of 2015.” The legislation proposes to create an inter-agency task force to determine best practices in pain medication prescribing. The bill would create several new grant programs; including the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to help States establish or enhance prescription drug monitoring programs, the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance grant program to aid State and local law enforcement efforts, and the Naloxone Demonstration grant program to provide first responders training and supplies for naloxone. If passed, the bill will direct the Office of National Drug Control Policy to create national prescription opioid and heroin use disorder awareness campaigns.

The Network for Public Health Law releases resource on legal interventions to reduce overdose mortality
The Network for Public Health Law released a newly updated resource on legal interventions to reduce overdose mortality this past week. The resource summarizes each State’s laws encouraging overdose witnesses to seek emergency care, otherwise known as Good Samaritan laws. The resource also outlines each State’s laws surrounding access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone and liability issues surrounding its use.

NAADAC minority fellowship program application deadline extended to May 31^st
The deadline for applications to The Association of Addiction Professionals’ (NAADAC) minority fellowship program has been extended to May 31^st. The minority fellowship program seeks to increase the amount of culturally-competent Master’s level substance use disorder counselors serving underserved and minority populations by offering tuition stipends, training, and professional guidance to students in the last year of accredited Master’s programs. The program aims to increase parity in outcomes for diverse populations. Up to 30 tuition stipends of up to $20,000 are available for the 2015-2016 school year.

Upcoming Events

SAMHSA announces webinar on prescription drug misuse epidemic to be held May 20^th
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a new webinar on the prescription drug misuse epidemic this past week. The webinar will be held during National Prevention Week and will discuss the relationship between prescription opiate painkillers and heroin, and the growing list of alternatives to opiates in treating chronic pain conditions. Drug use in the workplace, the youth “study drug” epidemic, and ongoing prevention efforts will also be discussed. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 20^th at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

SAMHSA announces webinar on opioid use disorders and treatment in pregnancy to be held May 13^th
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a new webinar on opioid use disorders and treatment in pregnancy in this past week. The webinar will feature three experts on opioid use and pregnancy and will outline the impact of neonatal abstinence syndrome, as well as new strategies for substance use disorder treatment for pregnant and parenting women. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, May 13^th from 2 – 4 p.m Eastern Time.

Speakers:

• Hendree Jones, PhD; Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina (UNC), co-author of the MOTHERS study
• Carl Seashore, MD; Medical Director of the Newborn Nursery at UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina Woman’s Hospital
• Anne Johnston, MD; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine and Medical Director, Neonatal Medical Follow-Up Program, the Unviersity of Vermont’s Children’s Hospital

 

Should you have any questions, or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Robert Morrison, Executive Director, (202) 293-0090 or Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate, at (202) 293-0090.