D.C. UPDATE – AUGUST 10, 2015

News from NASADAD

NASADAD attends Congressional briefing on introduction of the Mental Health Reform Act of 2015
NASADAD attends Alliance for Health Reform briefing on the intersection of health and housing

News from the States

Ohio encourages Medicaid sign-ups for inmates
Ohio State University Office of Student Life pilots MAT program for students
New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services announces Valerie L. Mielke as new Assistant Commissioner

Around the Agencies

CDC report examines alcohol-impaired driving among adults in 2012

In the News

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) delivers speech on heroin problem

Upcoming Events

Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions (IRETA) announces SBIRT webinar
SAMHSA announces webinar on strategies for referral to specialty mental health and substance use disorder services
College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists announces webinar on increasing pharmacy access to naloxone

News from NASADAD

NASADAD attends Congressional briefing on the Mental Health Reform Act of 2015

Brian Denten, Public Policy Intern, attended the briefing held on Tuesday, August 4^th. The briefing served as the announcement of the “Mental Health Reform Act of 2015,”new legislation introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). The bill aims to increase access to treatment, improve treatment delivery, and expand treatment to underserved populations. Specifically, the legislation authorizes new grant programs for the integration of primary care and mental health, early intervention programs, designates a new Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), establishes a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Coordination Committee under the Assistant Secretary, and contains provisions regarding mental health parity and the IMD exclusion. The legislation includes language regarding HIPAA as well. NASADAD will work to develop and release a “Section-by-Section” overview of the bill in the coming weeks.

Read Senator Murphy’s press release about the legislation here: http://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-murphy-introduce-comprehensive-overhaul-of-mental-health-system

NASADAD attends Alliance for Health Reform briefing on the intersection of health and housing

Brian Denten, Public Policy Intern, attended the briefing held on Friday, August 7^th. The briefing included several speakers working with non-profit organizations, State agencies, and federal agencies that aim to improve healthcare outcomes by increasing access to safe housing for underserved populations. Several speakers noted the cycle between poor health and homelessness, as mental health and substance use disorders are often further aggravated by a lack of housing. Panelists advocated for increased funding for supportive housing initiatives and enhanced communication between Medicaid and agencies working with populations dealing with a lack of housing.

Panelists:

Barbara DiPietro; National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Jennifer Ho;S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Gretchen Hammer; Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
Sister Adele O’Sullivan; Circle the City, Arizona

News from the States

Ohio encourages Medicaid sign-ups for inmates

Three State agencies in Ohio have started a program to enroll inmates in Medicaid following their release from the criminal justice system. 21,000 inmates are released in Ohio each year, yet many face difficulty continuing treatment for mental health or substance use disorders due to long processes at the county level. With the State’s expansion of Medicaid, inmates are able to begin signing up for Medicaid up to 90 days before leaving prison. Obtaining a Medicaid card will allow ex-offenders to continue receiving treatment as soon as they are released. Prisons Chief Gary Mohr stated to the Columbus Dispatch that the program is part of a broader mission to reduce recidivism throughout Ohio. A separate initiative in Ohio’s criminal justice system is working to double the 4,600 inmates currently enrolled in substance use disorder treatment programs in an additional effort to reduce recidivism. Officials hope to complete preliminary sign-up programs at all State prisons by the end of 2015.

Ohio State University Office of Student Life pilots MAT program for students

The Ohio State University Office of Student Life will now offer comprehensive therapeutic and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services for students in or seeking substance use disorder recovery through a pilot program beginning this fall. NASADAD spoke with Sarah Nerad, Program Manager of the Collegiate Recovery Community, about some of the University’s current and future plans to improve recovery services for OSU students.

The Ohio State University currently has a Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) that supports all students in or seeking recovery. The CRC provides specific programming in addition to a supportive network of peers to aid the recovery process. The CRC maintains a 28 bed residence hall and has two full-time employees dedicated to running the program. A separate 2,000 square foot space exists as the dedicated CRC location for weekly meetings, recreational activities, and a place to find peer-to-peer support. The program offers scholarships, individualized recovery plans, and professional and leadership development for students. Students signing up as official members of the CRC receive eligibility for scholarship funding, priority course registration, and access to special events. The program has primarily grown through word-of-mouth among students, although academic advisors and other university staff have begun referring students to the program.

Since the inception of the CRC in 2013, the Ohio State Office of Student Life has worked on implementing a Good Samaritan policy; is establishing screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) initiatives across campus; and has taken steps to provide comprehensive therapeutic MAT services for students with substance use disorders. Starting this fall, a pilot program will offer full MAT services to eligible students. This is a partnership between three Student Life departments: Student Health Services, Counseling and Consultation Services, and the Collegiate Recovery Community. The program will include access to a variety of FDA-approved medications complemented by weekly counseling, random drug testing, and other evidence-based MAT practices. Students eligible to apply for the program will need to be on a stable dose of their medication for at least one year. The pilot program will begin with a handful of students before gradually increasing capacity over the next several years.

OSU’s CRC is a partner of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery (HECAOD). They are hosting the 2015 National Meeting from August 4-6, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. The conference will focus on AOD prevention, prescription drug misuse, and collegiate recovery. HECAOD is a national organization that helps colleges provide and manage prevention and recovery programs. Recently, HECAOD has focused on increasing the prevalence of SBIRT models in universities across the country.

Read more about the OSU CRC here: http://go.osu.edu/recovery

Read more about HECAOD and their upcoming conference here: http://hecaod.osu.edu/events/national-meeting/

New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services announces Valerie L. Mielke as new Assistant Commissioner

Valerie L. Mielke, MSW, has been appointed Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective August 1^st. Previously, Lynn Kovich had been Assistant Commissioner since 2011. NASADAD recognizes Ms. Kovich for her contributions to the Association in a number of areas.

Read a letter from Ms. Kovich discussing her time as Assistant Commissioner here: http://www.mhanj.org/lynn-kovichs-letter-to-stakeholders/

Around the Agencies

CDC report examines alcohol-impaired driving among adults in 2012

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report this week examining rates of alcohol-impaired driving throughout the United States in 2012. Using data from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the report finds that “an estimated 4.2 million U.S. adults reported driving while impaired by alcohol at least once in the preceding 30 days, resulting in an estimated 121 million alcohol-impaired driving episodes annually, and a national rate of 505 episodes per 1,000 population.” The report finds substantial variation in alcohol-impaired driving rates between States – attributing this variation to differences between alcohol consumption and State prevention campaigns.

Read the full report here: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm?s_cid=mm6430a2_e

In the News

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) delivers speech on Senate floor discussing heroin epidemic

Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) delivered a speech on the Senate floor discussing the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire along with her proposed legislation to increase access to naloxone and prescription drug monitoring programs this past week. Sen. Ayotte highlighted her participation in ride-alongs with the Manchester Fire Department, during which she observed first responders using naloxone to reverse heroin overdoses. Sen. Ayotte and several other Senators have introduced legislation aiming to combat the opioid epidemic through increased access to treatment and reform of current prescribing practices. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act would increase the availability of naloxone to first responders and law enforcement, in addition to enhancing treatment options for incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders. The Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act reauthorizes prescription drug monitoring programs and creates an interagency task force to determine best practices for prescribing opioid pain medication.

Read more about Sen. Ayotte’s speech, and watch a video here: https://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=2119

Read a NASADAD overview of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act here: http://nasadad.org/2015/03/comprehensive-addiction-and-recovery-act-of-2015-s-524h-r-953-a-section-by-section-analysis/

Upcoming Events

Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions (IRETA) announces SBIRT webinar

The Institute for Research, Education & Training in Addictions has announced a new webinar discussing screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) best practices. The webinar will evaluate the efficacy of various SBIRT programs and examine the evidence behind utilizing SBIRT as a mechanism for treatment. The webinar will be hosted by Richard Brown, MD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin. In addition to conducting NIH-funded research, Dr. Brown currently serves as the Director for the Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Health Lifestyles and worked as the President of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) from 1997 to 1999. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 from 1-2:30 PM EST.

SAMHSA announces webinar on strategies for referral to specialty mental health and substance use disorder services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced a new webinar on best practices for referring patients to specialty mental health and substance use disorder services. This webinar will discuss best practices for referring patients from primary care to specialty mental health and substance use disorder services, particularly as they relate to Patient-Centered Medical Homes and providers adopting screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT). The webinar will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at 2:30 PM EST.

Read more, and register for the webinar here: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1072566

College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists announces webinar on increasing pharmacy access to naloxone

The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) announced an upcoming webinar discussing increasing pharmacy access to naloxone. As prescription opioid and heroin overdoses continue to rise across the country, many communities have demonstrated success in using naloxone to reverse overdoses and save lives. Because naloxone remains a prescription medication, pharmacists play an essential role in increasing access to naloxone across the country. This webinar will discuss the usage of Communities with Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) programs to improve opioid overdose prevention and treatment. Several speakers will comment on their personal experiences with implementing OEND programs in their respective areas. The webinar will be held Thursday, August 13, 2015 from 8-9 PM EST.

Read more, and register for the webinar here: https://cpnp.org/ed/university/course/putting-naloxone-action