August 2009

Teen Offenders find a Future in Missouri

New Research Finds Congressional Budget Office Has Underestimated Savings and Overestimated Costs from Health Policy Changes

Advocates Push To Include the Homeless in Medicaid

SEPTEMBER 4th DEADLINE: Sign on to Letter to Support Medicaid Eligibility for Childless Adults

Making Liability and Risk More Manageable: Risk Management and Patient Safety in Outpatient Methadone Treatment

SAMHSA Launches Financing Center of Excellence

TAP 30: Buprenorphine: A Guide for Nurses, Enhancing the Addiction Management Skills of Nurses

Rally for Recovery! 2009

Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence, July–August 2009 

Kaiser Releases The National HIV Prevention Inventory: The State of HIV Prevention Across the U.S.

A recent post on the National Council’s list serve inquiring about the use of ambulatory (outpatient) detoxification by community providers suggests that for many providers ambulatory detox is a concept that is often difficult to envision.  Respondents indicated interest in the topic including how to operate and fund such a program and the challenges associated with its use.  One response in particular intrigued me because it demonstrated the value of sharing experiences across provider agencies and county and state lines.  It highlighted an unintended consequence of implementation of the approach and pointed out that “Once up and running we discovered that there was an entirely untreated population out there waiting for a medically based but not inpatient level of treatment.  We also realized that we could treat a broader population that included those not necessarily having a withdrawal that typically rose to the level of needing inpatient care.” Do you have experience with ambulatory detoxification that you would like to share with the National Council? Are there questions that you would like to see answered on this topic? Please email me at alexae@thenationalcouncil.org with your thoughts, questions and feedback on this topic.

Alexa Eggleston, JD
Director of Public Policy

On the Hill

Due to the Congressional August Recess the next ‘On the Hill’ segment will be published in the September edition.  The National Council would like to take this opportunity to recognize the passing of Senator Kennedy and the passion and dedication he showed towards improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness and addiction disorders; his voice will be missed.

In the News

Teen Offenders find a Future in Missouri
While America's juvenile system is often criticized for corruption and abuse, Missouri state officials say its juvenile justice solution has saved billions of dollars and reduced the number of repeat offenders. In the last four decades, the state has transformed its juvenile system into one that defies the traditional prison model.  Known as the Missouri model, the program focuses on therapy, comfortable living conditions and an emphasis on job training and education. Missouri's facilities are serving thousands of young offenders, and they are receiving national acclaim. Full story can be viewed online.

New Research Finds Congressional Budget Office Has Underestimated Savings and Overestimated Costs from Health Policy Changes
Over the last 30 years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which assesses the costs of health reform and other legislation as it moves through Congress and is widely respected for its competence and integrity, has underestimated the amount of savings and overestimated the costs that major changes in the health care system would bring, says Jon Gabel in an op-ed published in the August 26th edition of the New York Times. Full article can be viewed online.

Advocates Push To Include the Homeless in Medicaid
Advocates for the homeless are seeking to make sure that any health care reform measure meets the needs of these people who sometimes do not qualify for Medicaid. NPR reports on a Baltimore homeless clinic and notes: "Most homeless people in America are too poor to buy their own health coverage, but many also don't qualify for Medicaid, the government-run health program for the poor. Medicaid is mainly for people who have children or a disability, and most homeless people are childless adults." Jeff Singer, president and CEO of Health Care for the Homeless of Maryland says, "In 41 states, single adults are not eligible for Medicaid.... So you can have zero income and still not be eligible for any sort of health insurance." For full story, click here.  

Resources and Reminders

SEPTEMBER 4th DEADLINE: Sign on to Letter to Support Medicaid Eligibility for Childless Adults
Please Note: This story was first published in the Public Policy Update the week of August 17th. If you have completed the survey to sign on to this letter, your organization’s name has already been included as a signatory – you do not need to complete the survey again. If you'd like to sign on as an individual, please include your full name in your response to Question #1. Thank you!
In preparation for the return of Congress and continued debate on health care reform, the National Council, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and Corporation for Supportive Housing have drafted a letter to House and Senate leadership in strong support of simplifying Medicaid eligibility by connecting it to federal poverty level. More specifically, this letter argues for basing eligibility on federal poverty level to end current policy which prevents many single, non-custodial, and young adults from being eligible for Medicaid. In addition, the letter states that Medicaid reimbursement policy should support coordinated service delivery between primary care, mental health, and addiction treatment services by allowing providers to receive reimbursement for all services they provide. Please sign on to this letter by September 4 to ensure that the Medicaid provisions included in health care reform support the services your organization provides and the clients you serve!

Making Liability and Risk More Manageable: Risk Management and Patient Safety in Outpatient Methadone Treatment
Learn how to employ best practices and reduce the risks associated with delivering methadone to treat opioid addiction. This event is composed of a complimentary 2-1/2 hour interactive Webinar (Clinical Guidelines and Liability Prevention: An Overview - August 26, September 1 or September 23, 2009) and the all-day Clinical Guidelines and Liability Prevention Workshop (October 22, 2009). This two-part program is designed for healthcare and mental health professionals who are involved in the direct care of patients seeking help for opiate dependence. For more information please click here.  

SAMHSA Launches Financing Center of Excellence
The Financing COE website features information about health care financing with a special focus on mental health and substance abuse (M/SU). Using blog-style posts, the SAMHSA Financing COE website offers original COE content as well as news, reports, briefs, scholarly article citations, legislation, and data sets regarding the financing of M/SU treatment and prevention. 

TAP 30: Buprenorphine: A Guide for Nurses, Enhancing the Addiction Management Skills of Nurses
This guide will highlight the addiction management skills of nurses and promote a mutually respectful team environment in which nurses and physicians collaboratively work to improve the care provided to opioid addicted individuals, including assessment, induction, stabilization, maintenance, monitoring, addiction counseling and relapse prevention services. To download, click here.

Rally for Recovery! 2009
Faces & Voices of Recovery is working with local and state recovery community organizations and allies to hold Rally for Recovery! marches, walks, town-hall meetings, picnics and other events all on the same day – Saturday September 12, 2009. Click here to find out about events in your area.

Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence, July–August 2009
Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence is a free online newsletter that summarizes the latest clinically relevant research on alcohol, illicit drugs, and health. Through its summaries and other features, the newsletter aims to highlight alcohol and other drug issues and provide valuable information that can be applied in clinical teaching, practice, and research. 

Kaiser Releases The National HIV Prevention Inventory: The State of HIV Prevention Across the U.S.
A new report authored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) shows that the nation’s overall funding for HIV prevention programs has been relatively flat in recent years while an estimated 56,000 people continue to become infected each year in the U.S. The National HIV Prevention Inventory: The State of HIV Prevention Across the U.S. was authored by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.