In putting the CAFÉ TAC News and Notes email together, we look to a number of sources, including other SAMHSA grant programs and mental health organizations that produce newsletters of their own, as well as Google Alerts, Facebook, Twitter, and emails from SAMHSA. To lead off this edition of our News and Notes, we thought it would be a good idea to let you know about some of the great sources of mental health news and information that we look to, so you can connect with them too!
CAFÉ TAC is one of five national TA centers for adult mental health consumers. Each one serves an assigned geographic area, and shares information on an assigned are of concentration. All of them share information and resources that are relevant for a national audience, and we encourage you to connect with the other four TAC’s.
- The Peerlink National TA Center is hosting this year’s Alternatives conference, and has a focus on financial self-sufficiency. They send out a weekly “Wednesday UP Beat” email. You can subscribe at http://www.peerlinktac.org/connect/.
- The National Empowerment Center has a wealth of resources available. While its focus as a TA center is peer-run crisis alternatives, it also provides information in many other areas. You can subscribe to their email list by visiting http://www.power2u.org/contact.html.
- The Doors to Wellbeing TA Center, which is operated by the Copeland Center, focuses on promoting the use of peer specialists across the country. You can find them online at http://www.doorstowellbeing.org/, and subscribe to their email list at here.
- The NAMI Star Center has a core concentration on youth leadership development, and produces a monthly electronic newsletter. You can subscribe by visiting them at http://www.consumerstar.org/site/index.php.
Beyond the five TA centers, there are a few other resources we rely on to stay on top of what’s happening.
- The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse produces a monthly electronic newsletter called The Key Update. You can subscribe at http://www.mhselfhelp.org/subscription-to-key-update/.
- The New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) shares multiple news items of national interest nearly every day. Sign up for their E-News Bulletin at http://www.nyaprs.org/e-news-bulletins/signup/.
If you want to know what the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is up to, you can subscribe to their email list at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSAMHSA/subscriber/new. You can also find SAMHSA on Social Media. All of their accounts on various platforms are listed at http://www.samhsa.gov/social-media/social-media-accounts.
Wherever you turn for news and information about the mental health community, we hope you stay engaged! To empower every American with a mental health need and bring recovery to every community, we need every advocate to understand the issues and use their voice!
Now, on to the items that have caught our interest over the last couple of weeks.
SAMHSA Announces New Chief Medical Officer
SAMHSA’s Principal Deputy Administrator Kana Enomoto has announced the hiring of SAMHSA’s new Chief Medical Officer, Anita Everett, M.D. to lead the newly created Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO). Read the announcement bout Dr. Everett and her role at SAMHSA in this press release.
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSAMHSA/bulletins/15c2641\
Stop Calling Trump Crazy
Various pundits have used a mental health frame to talk about one of the candidates for President in recent days. These two opinion pieces point out the dangers of drawing together criticism of a political candidate and mental health language, and the way it reinforces existing stigma.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/04/opinions/stop-calling-trump-crazy-perry/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/08/politics/patrick-kennedy-donald-trump-mental-health-oped/
Why Mental Health Organizations Should Endorse the Movement for Black Lives
What does Black Lives Matter have to do with the mental health movement? Quite a bit, Will Hall argues in this blog.
Library Offers Homeless People Mental Health Services, And It’s Working
People experiencing homelessness, many of which have mental health needs, often turn to libraries to find refuge in their communities. Now a number of libraries are employing social workers to reach out to those people and connect them with supports and services.
Congressional Mental-health Bill Meets Opposition from Advocates, Snags in Senate
Although Congress is in recess, mental health reform legislation is still pending. This article from North Carolina outlines some of the concerns held by advocates, as well as other issues that might impact how reform efforts progress in the Senate.
10th iNAPS Annual Peer Support Conference: Collaborating for Unity
August 26-28, 2016
Philadelphia
The 10th Annual National Peer Support Conference (an internationally-attended event) will held on August 26-28, 2016 at the Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill; a short walk to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
In partnership with our major sponsor, the Philadelphia Dept. of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disABILITY Services (DBHIDS), and several other collaborative partners, the conference committee has chosen an excellent conference program, attracted many outstanding pre-conference events, and set the stage for an opportunity for peers across the country and around the world to meet and network with some of the leading voices in peer support today.
With over 60 workshops, a dynamic line up of featured nationally-known presenters, and Summer Institutes that range from half day workshops up to four-day full certification training events (see Summer Institute Catalog below), Philadelphia promises to an exciting place of learning, networking, and fun August 22 through 28, 2016. Don’t miss it!
https://inaops.org/2016-annual-conference/#REGISTRATION
Alternatives is Coming
The 30th annual Alternatives conference will be held at the Town & Country Resort and Conference Center, September 19-23, 2016.
Check out the website for more detailed schedule of events including session titles, and keynote information.
To register online via credit card CLICK HERE.
If you haven’t made your hotel reservation do so now while there are still rooms available. CLICK HERE to make your reservation now.
For a printable registration brochure and additional information about the conference visit our webpage.
If you are interested in an exhibit table there is still have room in the exhibit hall. CLICK HERE to find the application.
NYAPRS 34th Annual Conference: Advancing Whole Health & Healthy Communities: The Pathway to Population Health
September 14-16
Hudson Valley Resort & Conference Center
Kerhonkson, NY
The 34th Annual NYAPRS Conference is set for September 14-16. You can view the agenda for this event at http://www.nyaprs.org/documents/NYAPRS2016DraftConferenceProgramAug5A4.pdf.
Find out more and register at http://www.nyaprs.org/index.cfm.
Three Webinars on Shared Decision Making from Recovery to Practice
Webinar: Shared Decision Making: Changing the Conversation
August 16, 2016
1-2 p.m. EDT
https://ahpnet.adobeconnect.com/e1vql2l6xj2/event/event_info.html
This webinar will provide an overview of shared decision making as a concrete example of recovery-oriented behavioral health practice. The presenters will demonstrate how adopting shared decision making in an integrated care practice serving individuals with opioid use issues, anxiety, and depression, contributes to improved communication and more collaborative care. Participants will learn how shifting from giving information to collaborative dialogue impacts relationships and outcomes for all involved.
Webinar: Shared Decision Making: A Process not a Program
August 23, 2016
1-2 p.m. EDT
https://ahpnet.adobeconnect.com/e54cxl28ibx/event/event_info.html
This webinar will explore expanded perspectives on what the shared decision making process encompasses and provide examples of how it can be adopted by a variety of practitioners in diverse practice situations. The presenters will show how to look for and create opportunities for engaging in shared decision making in everyday practice. They will provide strategies and personal examples of helping practitioners embrace the process, even in the absence of a structured shared decision making “program.”
SDM Dialogues: Engaging Individuals and Families in Decision Making
August 30, 2016
1-2 p.m. EDT
https://ahpnet.adobeconnect.com/e3wrc5y25og/event/event_info.html
This webinar will draw from examples at two different service settings—a peer-run recovery center and a program that serves young adults experiencing psychosis—and to illustrate ways to help individuals and families make the most of healthcare conversations. The presenters will highlight how they follow use the framework of shared decision making to guide services delivery and engage people using their services to become active in all aspects of their healthcare.
Approaches in Implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices From the States
In March, President Obama created the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force in an effort to ensure that coverage for behavioral health conditions is comparable to medical and surgical benefits. In support of the White House’s goals of identifying and promoting best practices in parity compliance and implementation, SAMHSA, together with its partners across the federal government, has developed a resource for states and other stakeholders, Approaches in Implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act: Best Practices From the States.
You can find this resource online at http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA16-4983
NEC’s Oryx Cohen Appears on Talking Information Center (TIC)
Earlier this week Oryx Cohen appeared on TIC to talk about disability empowerment.
You can listen to the broadcast at http://ticnetwork.com/audio/wire/audio/mission/02893_mission.mp3.
Webinar: Recovery and the Affordable Care Act: Accomplishments and Updates
Friday, August 19
2:00-3:30pm ET(1:00pm CT, 12:00pm MT, 11:00am PT)
Peer-run organizations (PROs) and recovery community organizations (RCOs) are contributing to activities ranging from outreach and enrollment to developing integrated care teams within Medicaid-funded health home initiatives. Policies also continue to be developed and implemented that are intended to realize the full promise of the Affordable Care Act. For example, in March 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Final Rule for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which applies certain provisions of the MHPAEA to requirements for Medicaid managed care organizations, Medicaid alternative benefit plans, and CHIP. The intent is to encourage States, working in collaboration with PROs/RCOs, health care providers, and others to use these guidelines in the coming years to revise Medicaid programs so that they meet the behavioral health needs of some of the poorest and most marginalized communities in the United States (CMS, 2016).
This webinar explores key intersections between the Affordable Care Act and recovery, specifically the provisions to expand insurance coverage, advance equity between behavioral health and other health care areas, and to improve access to and the quality of treatment, health care, and support services. Additionally, this webinar offers examples of how peer-run organizations and recovery community organizations use Affordable Care Act initiated reforms to address the needs of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
#YoungAdultVirtualSummit Hosted By : YOUTH IN MIND
September 7th, 2016
2pm ET/ 1pm CT/ 11am PT
This online summit bringing together young adult leaders to build, strengthen and exchange best practices to support our organizations.
#YoungAdultVirtualSummit will present experts within the field for a one-hour session and breakout groups whose input will be used to influence practice and services for young adults.
Input gathered during breakout sessions will be used to build a five-part manual to improve, enhance or influence services for young adults. If you are receiving services this summit is an opportunity for young adults leaders across the nation to be on the ground floor of building collaborative systems designed to better meet the needs of young adults.
An Alternative Form of Mental Health Care Gains a Foothold
The New York Times gives attention to hearing voices as an effective to alternative traditional treatment in this article about the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/health/psychiatrist-holistic-mental-health.html
Webinar: State Best Practices in Developing and Implementing Integrated Health Care
Wed., August 24
2:00-3:30 p.m. ET
https://nasmhpd.adobeconnect.com/intergratedhealthcare_reg/event/event_info.html
NASMHPD, sponsored by SAMHSA, will present a webinar on integrated health in hopes of continuing to provide assistance to states in working through challenges to better serve the holistic health needs of consumers. Laura Galbreath (Director, SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions, National Council for Behavioral Health) will provide information on state legislation and regulatory changes that facilitate the integration of primary care services for individuals with serious mental illness served in community mental health and addiction providers. In addition, she will highlight recent efforts in states and provide insights and resources that others can use to foster increased dialogue and policy changes in their states.
Mariel Hemingway Is Calling Out Workplace Mental Health Stigma
Actress Mariel Hemingway is adding her voice to the chorus of people calling out the negative stereotypes surrounding mental health, and how those stereotypes impact careers.
Demi Lovato, who has Bipolar Disorder, Holds Mental Health Workshops for Fans
Most concerts aren’t preceded by an open discussion of self-worth and mental health, but this summer, shows headlined by vocal mental health advocate Demi Lovato are doing just that.
Run-DMC’s Darryl McDaniels Tackles Mental Health In New Memoir ‘Ten Ways Not To Commit Suicide’
Add Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC to the list of celebrities talking openly about mental health. His new memoir emphasizes the value of therapy, and busts the stereotype of seeking help as “soft.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/run-dmc-member-mental-illness_us_578fd0bde4b0bdddc4d2d202
Webinar: Acupuncture and Hypnotherapy, Oh My: Alternative Tobacco Cessation Approaches
Wednesday, August 24th
3:00-4:30pm ET
Quitting tobacco use is tough. Alternative tobacco cessation approaches such as acupuncture and hypnotherapy may act as promising, yet unconventional practices for helping individuals quit. Studies have demonstrated that both acupuncture and hypnotherapy may increase tobacco abstinence and encourage treatment retention among participants with co-occurring mental illnesses and addictions.
If you are a healthcare professional addressing tobacco cessation with your clients with behavioral health conditions, this webinar will help expand your tool belt of potential tobacco cessation approaches and practices. By providing insights into the use of acupuncture and hypnotherapy for tobacco cessation, attendees will gain knowledge on a few alternative approaches that some providers are using to help their clients quit.
Register: https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1112620
Webinar: What Peer Recovery Coaches Need to Know about Medication-Assisted Recovery for People with Opioid Use Disorders
Friday, September 9
12:00-1:30pm ET (11:00am CT, 10:00am MT, 9:00am PT)
While medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders has been part of the addiction treatment landscape since the 1970s, many questions persist regarding how to best deliver services and supports to people with opioid use disorders who use medications (naloxone, buprenorphine, and methadone) to support their recovery. Research suggests that peer recovery coaching is beneficial for people in recovery from substance use disorders (Bassuk, Hanson, Greene, Richard, & Laudet, 2016). Yet most peer recovery coach training programs do not provide sufficient information to prepare coaches to successfully support people using medication as part of their recovery plans. Peer recovery coaches may leave training with inaccurate or incomplete information, or misconceptions and negative biases about medication-assisted treatment, hampering their ability to provide effective recovery coaching for people who use medication-assisted treatment.
This 90-minute virtual training event will include a 60-minute presentation focusing on the knowledge and skills that can help peer recovery coaches support people using medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. Participants will learn about common misconceptions and biases, the medications used to treat opioid use disorders, and recovery support strategies used by peer recovery coaches. The remaining 30 minutes will be dedicated to questions, answers, and discussion.
The Future of Medicaid Transformation: A Practical Guide for States
The toolkit is a guide for states seeking to design and implement statewide transformation of Medicaid programs, using the federal authorities of either State Plan Amendments or Section 1115 demonstrations (referred to as “Section 1115 waivers”). Specifically, the toolkit identifies the steps that will help states successfully engage with stakeholders and “get to yes” with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The toolkit is not a comprehensive, exhaustive manual for every aspect of statewide health care transformation. Rather, it is intended to highlight the concepts and processes states should consider to create a more efficient path to approval for the states and CMS. The toolkit has been organized into two phases of statewide transformation: developing the building blocks for transformation and preparing, submitting and negotiating a proposal with CMS.
http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/2016/1608MedicaidToolkit.pdf
Using Peers to Support Physical and Mental Health Integration for Adults with Serious Mental Illness
This publication from the National Academy for State Health Policy offers policy makers an overview of how peer support specialists can help states to serve people with mental health needs through their Medicaid programs. This document may be of use for advocates looking to promote state implementation of peer support where they live.
http://www.nashp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Peer-Supports.pdf
Two Part Webinar: Part 1
Building a Peer Support Services System: Challenges, Successes, and Lessons Learned – with Ally Linfoot
August 23
11-12 p.m. PT and 2-3 p.m. ET
Since 2010 Clackamas County, Oregon has worked to integrate peer supports with many of our systems providing services to individuals, youth/young adults, and families, collecting outcome data along the way. I would like to share how the Clackamas County Behavioral Health Division has worked with the peer community and stakeholders to successfully create a Peer Support Services System of Care. This webinar will cover funding models, planning structures, relationships with system partners, and community involvement in design of the system.
Two Part Webinar: Part 2
Outcomes from the Clackamas County Peer Support Service System – With Ally Linfoot
September 13
11-12 p.m. PT and 2-3 p.m. ET
Over the last 6 years Clackamas County has integrated peer support services with mental health and addiction treatment services, corrections, child welfare, and other systems providing services to individuals, youth and young adults, and families. We have collected outcome data all along the way. In 2015 we served more than 5000 individuals in Peer Support Services, nearly a 1000 more individuals than were served in mental health and addiction treatment services. Our data includes the numbers and experience of services for adults, youth/young adults, and families with children involved in systems.
To Register see the Peerlink Website
Your Peer Specialist Will See You Now
Here’s another article that will be of use in introducing the notion of peer support to policy makers in your state or community. It makes the case that peer specialists and their unique capabilities are a great potential solution for the mental health workforce shortage states are facing.
http://www.governing.com/topics/health-human-services/gov-peer-specialists-mental-health.html
Know Your Rights: Parity for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits
This SAMHSA guide offer an overview of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. If you want to understand what parity means, and what rights you have, check it out.
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA16-4971
Let’s Show Patients Their Mental Health Records
This piece makes the persuasive argument that patients with easy access to their doctors’ notes feel more in control of their care and better understand their medical issues.
http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2014/04/let-s-show-patients-their-mental-health-records.html
Locked Psych Wards Found No Safer
A new 15-year study contradicts the conventional wisdom that locking patients down in mental health facilities improves safety and leads to better engagement with care. It appears this practice has more to do with compulsion and control than it does with safety.
Forced Mental Health Treatment Will Not Prevent Violent Tragedies
Do coercive mental health treatment programs lead to improvements in public safety? According to the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, the answer is no.