Technical Assistance Update
February 7th, 2012

Featured Resource
Where in the US is National Council Staff?
Grants and Funding Opportunities
National Council Resources and Events
HIT Update
Integration Information
Other Resources and Events
Welcome New Members

Featured Resource

42nd National Council Mental Health and Addictions Conference 
Only two months to go! Have you registered yet?

The National Council’s conference offers the best and the brightest in the healthcare field. This is not just a conference, this is an experience! People from all over the country come to broaden their horizons, overhaul the way they operate, and most importantly to have fun! Here is a just a sampling of some of the unique and powerful opportunities attendees can have at this year’s conference:

Psychiatrists’ Summit: Get Prepared to Serve in the New Healthcare Milieu
Since 2010, the Psychiatrists’ Summit has been a popular event at behavioral healthcare’s biggest and best conference. This year, in Chicago, we are expanding the offerings to better prepare community psychiatrists to keep up with the demands of a healthcare system increasingly focused on integrated services. Join the leading minds in psychiatry and healthcare for all or part of our “Three Days for Docs” offerings. Leave with a plan on how you can meet the whole health needs of consumers, whichever door they choose to enter through.

Sign up for all three days of the Psychiatrists’ Summit for just $500 — register online or email ShelleeC@thenationalcouncil.org to register for just one day of your choice at the special rate.

Where in the USA is National Council Staff?
 

New in the Technical Assistance Update, learn where National Council staff will be travelling this month…

Chuck Ingoglia

Feb 10, 2012 – Chuck will visit the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) to present on a Strategic Advisory Panel, Transforming Mental Health in America: Connecting to Create Healthier Communities hosted by the Jefferson School of Population Health.

Grants and Funding Opportunities

BRSS TACS State Peer Awards RFA Released
Consumer/peer-run nonprofit organizations now have the opportunity to apply for a contract subaward under SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) initiative. These awards will enable peer-run organizations in the 29 States with HHS Health Insurance Exchange Establishment Grants to undertake outreach and dissemination efforts to educate people in recovery from behavioral health conditions (and service providers about health care reforms initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. Deadline to apply is February 29th! Get more information about subawards here.

Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced the availability of approximately $100 million of supportive services grants. The purpose of the grants is to provide financial support for private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives to coordinate and provide supportive services to very low-income veteran families. Applications must be submitted by February 15, 2012. Read more.

National Council Events and Resources

Reserve Your Spot! Hill Day 2012 Registration Now Open
“1 in 5. Who do you know?”
It’s that time of year again: Hill Day 2012 is just around the corner and registration is now open! Join us on June 25th and 26th in Washington, DC, to attend our public policy institute and meet with your elected officials on the hill. And after your register don’t forget to book your hotel room at the discounted rate!

Upcoming Webinars…
The National Council will host several webinars in the upcoming weeks, including:

Behavioral Health World Series Webinars

• Early Intervention: Hope for Youth with Serious Mental Illness, Tuesday, February 21, 2012
• Wraparound Milwaukee: The Family Connection, Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Learn more about the above webinars and register here.

HIT Update

Health IT Toolboxes: Your Resource to Implementation
HRSA has developed a series of Health IT Toolboxes to help health centers and safety net providers navigate the process of implementing health information technology to improve patient care. The toolboxes compile planning, implementation, and evaluation resources to assist in the adoption of.  Check out the toolboxes here. 

Integration Information

Brought to you by the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions

Gettin’ to Steppin’
Walking is a great way for people living with chronic health and behavioral health problems to get and stay fit — it is free, it can be fun, and they can do it at any time. Just two 10-minute walks a day add up to a suggested 20 minutes of low impact aerobics per day. Here are a few other ways consumers can slip in more steps:

1. Get off the bus before your stop and walk the rest of the way.
2. Park your car at the back of the lot.
3. Walk to the coffee shop or store instead of taking the bus or driving.
4. Take a meeting outside or catch up with a friend while walking around the block.
5. Rake leaves in your yard or offer to rake a disabled or elderly neighbor’s yard.
6. Walk around the mall – window-shopping is optional.
7. Give the elevator a rest and take the stairs instead.
8. Walk around your apartment complex each time you get the mail.
9. Mop or vacuum to your favorite upbeat tunes.
10. Walk a dog. Even if you don’t have one, you can volunteer at the local animal shelter.

Upcoming Webinars…

Fighting Obesity and Chronic Illness among People with Mental Illnesses: What Works?, Thursday, February 13, 2012
Dr. Stephen Bartels will discuss the research review and its implications To inform health promotion and wellness interventions in communities nationwide, CIHS engaged Stephen Bartels, MD, MS, and the Dartmouth Health Promotion Research Team to complete a compressive research review of nutrition and fitness interventions for people with mental illness who are obese.

Want more integration information? Subscribe to the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions newsletter, “e-Solutions” and check out CIHS’s website!   

Other Resources and Events

Get Ready: 2012 Social Security Changes
Based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2008 through the third quarter of 2011, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries will receive a 3.6 percent COLA ( or Cost-of-Living Adjustment) for 2012. Get more details about the changes here.

Free Newsletter on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Indian Country
SAMHSA, in collaboration with the Office of Justice Programs, is pleased to announce the release of the first issue of Prevention and Recovery, a new quarterly newsletter that highlights successful practices and stories related to alcohol and drug abuse in Indian Country. Get your free copy here. Interested in submitting articles or comments? Email Gloria Mora.

2010 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services
SAMHSA has released the 2010 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS)! Produced by SAMHSA's Drug and Alcohol Services Information System, this annual survey is designed to collect data on the location, characteristics, services offered, and number of clients in treatment at alcohol and drug abuse facilities (both public and private) throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions. Download the file here.

TSA Helpline for Travelers with Disabilities
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced the launch of a new helpline number designed to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. TSA Cares’ toll free number, 1-855-787-2227, assists individuals prior to traveling by answering questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. Get more info here.

Upcoming Webinars…

Peer Recovery Support Services: Initializing, Stabilizing and Sustaining Long-Term Recovery
Join the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) on February 15th to learn how people recovering from addiction can help others by serving as peer-supports and creating recovery-supportive environments. BONUS! Earn 1 continuing education credit by attending. Learn more and register here.

Welcome New Members!

Please join the National Council in welcoming our 25 new member organizations:

ADAMH Board for Montgomery County - Dayton, OH
Arc of the Three Rivers - Charleston, WV
Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska - Omaha, NE
Community Intervention Associates - Yuma, AZ
Community Provider of Enrichment Services, Inc - Tucson, AZ
Family Preservation Services - Fredericksburg, VA
Harrison County ARC - Clarksburg, WV
Heartland Family Service Nebraska - Omaha, NE
Lifeline Connections - Vancouver, WA
Lifewell Behavioral Wellness - Phoenix, AZ
Mental Health Advocates' Coalition of Arizona - Glendale, AZ
Montgomery County Department of Behavioral Health - Norristown, PA
Mountain Health & Wellness Apache - Junction, AZ
NAMI Arizona - Phoenix, AZ
NAMI Nebraska - Omaha, NE
Nebraska Federation of Families for Children's MH - Minden, NE
OUR Homes - Lincoln, NE
Premier Psychiatric Group - Lincoln, NE
REM West Virginia, Inc. - Benwood, WV
ResCare of West Virginia - Princeton, WV
Salience Consulting, LLC - Tucson, AZ
TFI Family Services, Inc. - Kearney, NE
Trilogy, Inc. - Chicago, IL
Vista Guidance Center - Redlands, CA
West Coast Children's Clinic - Oakland, CA

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